“One is never over or under dressed in a little black dress.” – Karl Lagerfield 

We take it for granted, but the “Little Black Dress” was not always a thing. Believe it or not, the LBD is a fairly recent fashion invention. Women of today accept it as a staple of the modern woman’s wardrobe, but the history of the little black dress is less than 100 years old.

Image: Vintage Style via Shutterstock

The Birth of the Little Black Dress

The LBD has a relatively short history in the history of fashion. It was Coco Chanel who first created the LBD in the 1920s. Chanel’s creation, which first appeared in Vogue magazine in 1926, was a deceptively simple drop-waist sheath dresses in black. It quickly became “the” dress for ’20s flappers.

Prior to this period black clothing was a symbol of mourning (made popular during the Victorian era) and most women would not have worn black except in mourning. Chanel, inspired by the peasant widows of World War I, elevated the black dress into a chic and elegant piece. Chanel also marketed the dress as “the dress” that every woman should own for its versatility and practicality. It was this notion that led its to staying power–the Great Depression made frugality a necessity for many.

Image: Film Noir via Shutterstock

The Next Chapter for the LBD: “New Look” and the Era of Hollywood Glamour

The LBD had a new life under the Christian Dior’s post World War II “New Look” and under the new influence of Hollywood glamour. The utilitarian necessity of the Depression era LBD was a thing of the past, but Dior and Hollywood reinvigorated the LBD and made it the dress of choice for Hollywood divas and temptresses. Stars like Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner, both of whom epitomized the femme fatale in film noir, added to the glamorous image of the LBD.

Image: Inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s via Shutterstock

“Breakfast At Tiffany’s”: Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy

When one thinks of the LBD in film, Audrey Hepburn may be first to come to mind. She and Hubert de Givenchy made the LBD of the 1960s a cultural icon. His “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” design is easily counted amongst the most iconic movie dresses of all time (with only Marilyn Monroe’s white “Seven Year Itch” dress being more well known) and easily the most famous little black dress.

It was this design that cemented the LBD as fashion royalty. The timeless style will forever denote polished sophistication (at least until the next fashion icon comes along).

Image: LBD via University of Salford

The Little Black Dress of Today

Whether long or short, the little black dress is now a staple in most every woman’s closet. It is appropriate to wear to work, while running errands, or out for the evening on the town, and, yes, it still works at funerals. The key to the occasion is in the design and the styling, of course. One can truly never go wrong with adding another little black dress to a wardrobe.

Related on EcoSalon

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Beyond the LBD, it’s Eco Fashion With an Attitude: On Trend

Top Image: Little Black Dress via Shutterstock

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Black history is celebrated at a Chicago fashion exhibit that celebrates the Ebony Fashion Fair, which for fifty years brought the world’s most exclusive fashions to black audiences nationwide, changing how African Americans viewed themselves in the process.

Fashion lovers visiting Chicago this summer are in for a treat. In addition to the city’s hit Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity show at the Art Institute of Chicago, they won’t want to miss the  Inspiring Beauty: 50 years of Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit a few train stops away at the Chicago History Museum. Featuring more than 60 garments by more than 50 designers, the curators show how one woman’s couture collection changed both fashion and how black America viewed itself.

The exhibit, which runs through January 5, 2014, features a stunning collection of significant late 20th and early 21st century fashion culled from thousands of items that appeared in the legendary Ebony Fashion Fair. Launched in 1958, the groundbreaking road show brought high fashion to African-American audiences, employing African-American designers, stylists and models like the legendary Pat Cleveland. At its peak, it traveled to more than 180 cities creating great excitement in local communities that rarely saw images of African-Americans as beautiful, accomplished and successful.

The Ebony Fashion Fair presented a powerful new vision for what was possible for African Americans

Despite civil rights victories during this era, images of black achievement were rare. John H. Johnson founded and published Ebony magazine with the intention of creating images that could testify to the possibilities of a new and different world. The best-selling magazine was an overnight success; its impact on black culture was stunning.  Johnson’s wife, Eunice Johnson, who oversaw the magazine’s fashion pages and was herself a deep-pocketed and intimidating patron of the world’s most exclusive couture houses, spearheaded the traveling fashion show.

The exhibit features garments from 50 designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Valentino

Buying more than 7,000 items of clothing and accessories over her lifetime  (for the show and her personal collection), Eunice Johnson produced and directed the Ebony Fashion Fair for more than 50 years. Not only did she shatter barriers by bringing high fashion to a growing black market, and raise more than $55 million for various charitable causes along the way, she challenged fashion’s frivolous stereotype by asserting the vital importance of style and its ability to help create community.

Eunice Johnson pioneered the idea that “there was more to life than struggle, there’s beauty and glamor.”

The don’t-miss exhibition highlighting this corner of black history is presented in three sections modeling the traveling show’s format. The first part, Vision, explores Eunice Johnson’s role as the creative force behind the event and features more than 30 costumes including some of the most revered names in 20th century fashion such as Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Courreges, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and Paco Rabanne. Twelve ensembles answer the question of what power, affluence and influence look like. Another grouping of eight costumes reflects the use of color as a means to express beauty and risk-taking. The exhibition concludes with six garments that celebrate the female body, accentuating curves and showcasing skin.

 All Images: Chicago Museum of History

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All aboard for flares, it’s time to abandon the skinny trouser.

When Kate Moss starts wearing wide legged flares instead of the skinny jeans she singlehandedly made famous, you can bet the jig is up. Whether you know them as bell bottoms, flares, wide-legged pants or the first point of order after a seventies fancy dress invite, the fact remains – they’re back in a big way this season.

And yet, if ever there was a time where there are no rules when it comes to the right hemline, silhouette or color this is it. So what goes? It might well be a sense of social saturation that paired with a fitted jacket, extra long scarf and ballet flats, the skinny jean – once the proviso of punk musicians – has become the ubiquitous uniform of every mom on the school run. Despite the vintage flower-child connotations, flared pants feel remarkably fresh right now.

A bold yet minimalist look from Céline’s recent resort 2013 collection.

There is also the influence of Phoebe Philo’s standout Céline Resort 2013 collection (although it may well be redundant to single out any one of Ms. Philo’s collections – all have been entirely remarkable since her appointment in 2008 as the label’s creative director). Her full-legged flared trousers with contrasting colorblocked hems will undoubtedly see immediate success and prove as highly coveted and widely carried as Celine’s luggage tote.

A continual source of style inspiration, Stevie Nicks proves bell bottoms are feminine and wearable.

When the pants we now know and love (or hate) originated is hard to tell. They almost certainly are derived from Navy uniforms. Their flared or bell bottom was a functional choice for traditional sailors as they were easy to remove over boots, a breeze to roll up when swabbing the ship deck, quickly removable when wet – and should you fall into the water – it was even suggested that sailors could use the pants as a life preserver, tying the wide legs in knots and filling them with air.

Like the Charlie’s Angels, flared pants are a total 70s throwback.

By the late 1960’s the counter culture movement adopted the looser more comfortable flared pant rejecting the straight-legged styles of the establishment. As well as buying naval uniforms from surplus stores to embellish with stitching and patches, many hippies and peace protestors began modifying regular jeans by sewing in colorful triangles of fabric. Sewn into the outside leg seam below the knee to the cuff creating a flare below the knee, this flattering and easy-to-copy technique is a great idea for those of you now looking to abandon your skinnies for the wilder winds of fashion change.

Thanks to a wider hem that helps balance proportions, flared styles are more flattering than you might imagine.

Want to catch up on some more fashion history?

Now & Then: the History of the Ballet Flat

Now & Then: The History of Shorts

Now & Then: Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses

Now & Then: The History of the Breton Shirt

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Read more Now & Then articles here.

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Fashion by the numbers.

Think fashion is just about shopping and trends? Think again. These ten infographics put into numbers and graphs the impacts of the fashion industry, from textile waste to t-shirt lifecyles, and dive into the fascinating history of items like the bikini. You’ll never call fashion fluffy again.

Mind Your Waste Infographic: you’ll be amazed at how much textile waste America generates each year.

How the First Lady Moves Markets: it’s obvious that Michelle Obama has a significant impact on the fashion industry, but this infographic quantifies it.

The Most and Least Fashionable Cities in America: you won’t believe which city beat out NYC.

A History of Fashion, Silhouette Version: a look at how silhouettes have changed over the past 250 years.

Textile Fibers: learn to classify and group different textile fibers with this handy educational tool, originally developed for North Carolina State University’s Distance Education department.

Women at the Oscars: take a trip down memory lane with this round-up of red carpet fashion from the past 22 years.

Where the Wealthy Shop Online: those pretty polka dots actually represent where rich people do their online shopping.

Raven & Lily Infographic: how one brand implements the fair trade model to empower women through design partnerships.

T-Shirt Lifecycle: following the path of a t-shirt from “best” to “duster.”

Women’s Swimsuits: A Fashion History: the long road to the itty bitty string bikini.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

10 Earth Day Infographics

10 Food Infographics That Have Us Consciously Consuming

Image: Mom Smackley

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