An ode to the little black dress
In the world of ever changing fashionable dressing, I have come across splashes of color, flounces and frills, flamboyant beading, laces and daring ornamentation. Even evening pantsuits have made the occasional trendy appearance. And of course, hemlines have risen, fallen and risen again. But what remains the star of any season, is a well-loved item that never goes out of style — the classic black dress. It has come out of the shadows of mourning garb to become an acceptable color for everyday wear.
It is simply the one wardrobe item that makes every woman feel great and look great, any time of year. In fact, the black dress has qualified as an entire wardrobe (when worked with accessories) since Coco Chanel created it in the ‘20s.
More recently, the black dress, short or long, has been created in a variety of silhouettes and fabrics that assure a look of elegance.
Black is the real reason for its success. The only truly basic color, at once formal and informal, it puts the focus on the face, slims the body and conceals imperfect tailoring. Under a jacket it can appear suit-like, yet it’s sexy on its own, perfect from morning-to-night for any occasion.
Why black? It can be elegant, classic, sexy, funky or mournful and imparts a timelessness to clothes. It has an impressive pedigree (Audrey Hepburn, Cat Woman, Morticia Addams, to name a few) and it is the uniform of most fashion editors worldwide. Likewise it hides stains, goes well with all colors, it has a unique ability to stand out, blend in, seduce or intrigue. What other color does all these and take off 10 pounds at the same time?
