The Little Black Dress

This article was inspired by one of my favourite movies; Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This movie is known for the little black dresses the character Holly Golightly (played by the always fashionable Audrey Hepburn) wore throughout the film.

So what is a little black dress (LBD)? A little black dress is a simple evening or cocktail dress. Often, but not always does the LBD have a short skirt. The little black dress was originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel. She wanted to create a dress that outlasted trends, was versatile, affordable and accessible to a wide variety of women. The colour black is a neutral colour so it just fit in simply.The little black dress can be dressed up or down to accommodate the occasion. All you need is the right accessories.

Dressing Down:
Boots
Flats
Bolder heels
Pops of colour in accessories
Bigger, funkier bags
Colourful tights

Here’s an example:

Dress: Delia’s, $39.50; boots: Alloy, $39.50; Bag: Alloy, $34.50; Earrings: Alloy, $14.50.

Dressing Up:
Simpler accessories
Dressier shoes
Plain tights in mainly black, skin colour or white
Small bag; clutch if possible

Here’s an example with the same dress:

Dress: Delia’s, $39.50; shoes: Alloy, $29.50; tights: Alloy, 2 for $7.50; clutch: Payless, $14.99; Necklace: Fred Flare, $10.

See it’s as simple as that. You can dress up or dress down, just think about the accessories and the occasion. Have Fun!

Dresses:
(Please note that for many of the dresses shown here, they can come in other colours.)

Dress 1: Lulu’s, $64; shoes: Lulu’s, $29.00; Dress 2: Lulu’s, $44.00; shoes: Lulu’s, $106.00

Dress 3: Alloy, $36.50-38.50; Dress 4: Alloy, $42.50-44.50