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The History of the Little Black Dress!

Posted by Jamie Nicholson on Wed 15th February 2012 at 08:30 AM, Filed in Industry News, Latest Celebrity Fashion, Trends

The little black dress has been a staple piece in women’s wardrobes for years. But when exactly did this versatile item of clothing come into fashion?

Inspiration has been taken from style icons over the decades to create the LBDs that we see today in high street and designer stores and it is more than just a wardrobe staple. The classic, blank canvas garment has been a woman’s saviour piece for years and has never failed to let us fashionistas and shoppers down. No matter what shape or size you are the LBD has always been our ‘back up’ piece for a number of different occasions.

Marks and Spencer recently produced ‘The History of the LBD’ highlighting the important historical context and demonstrates the enduring love felt for it.

1930s
Josephine Baker

Cocktail dressing became huge in the 1930s and no one evoked the Gatsby-esque style trend better than performer Josephine Baker. Seeing pictures of this style icon makes it totally clear why she was a muse to both Hemmingway and Picasso. Her flapper style became legendary and her love for embellishment came in the form of peacock feathers – gorgeous detailing on her LBD!

1940s
Wallis Simpson- The Duchess of Windsor

The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, made it her duty to always look her best. Like women nowadays she relied on her trusty LBD to help her achieve her tailored royal image. Wallis favoured creations from Elsa Schiaparelli which was down to the razor sharp tailoring of the pieces and subtle detailing which still made a fashion impact.

(Image: Flickr, Elena Lu)

1950s
Marilyn Monroe

When it came to the seductive power of an LBD no one quite pulled it off as well as Marilyn Monroe. The blonde bombshell opted for low-cut or backless styles which oozed sex appeal. She always had a demure and sultry flare when flaunting a LBD and showed women how it was done. A truly fashion fabulous style icon.

1960s
Audrey Hepburn

Elegance came in the form of well known actress Audrey Hepburn in the 1960s who set the bar high when it came to Little Black Dress sophistication. The star, who was a long-time muse of Hubert Givenchy, appeared in the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s as Holly Golightly. The LBD was seen in a new light thanks to the long, black sheath creation Audrey wore in the film – designed by Givenchy himself! The show-stopping piece was sold for a massive £467,200 at Christies in 2006 making it the highest price ever paid for a dress in a film. Impressive!

(Image: Picasaweb, Vsevolod Ivanov)

1970s
Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ immaculate wardrobe choices inspired women across the world throughout the 1970s. With her style being cultured, sleek and classy, Jackie wore a gorgeous long length, demure, elaborately designed LBD whilst dining at La Cote Basque. The style icon proved you can still look utterly glamorous and chic in your 40’s and even wore this particular dress on several occasions showing how versatile a LBD is. There is no harm in wearing a garment more than once.

1980s
The Robert Palmer Girls

Fans of 80s music should remember the iconic Addicted to Love video by Robert Palmer. This is where the LBD took on a new kind of sexiness and this was down to the seductively aloof, guitar playing girls in the video. Tight, short and skimpy sums up the style of these gorgeous dresses which left very little to the imagination. Parisian designer Hervé Léger took on this body-con look and his dresses were seen on beautiful A-list women across the world.

(Image: Flickr, Lizstless)

1990s
Elizabeth Hurley

Who can forget the incredible safety pin LBD worn by the gorgeous Elizabeth Hurley in the 90s to the 1994 British premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral. Designed by the late Gianni Versace, the iconic dress transformed Elizabeth into a global household name in her own right overnight and ensured revealing evening wear continued to be a popular trend. Proving the Little Black Dress has amazing style power, the safety pin dress was voted the greatest red carpet gown of all time in 2008*.

* Source: telegraph.co.uk, October 2008

2000
Kate Middleton

The stylish Kate Middleton showed her love for the classic LBD at the Night of Heroes Military Awards in 2011 with an exquisite, floor length, strapless dress. Tight, corset-style boning and flowing yards of gorgeous black velvet ensured Kate looked absolutely breathtaking. Her simple yet chic accessorising brings forward a new and demure female formal dress code.