Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A little black dress is a short, unfussy evening or cocktail dress, popularized in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel. Chanel's dress was designed not to show stains, to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable and accessible to the widest market possible, and fashion historians credit it with making black, long associated with mourning, into a colour of elegance. This page explains the 1926 design, its famous comparisons to the Ford motor car, and why the little black dress remains a wardrobe standard.
A little black dress is a short, unfussy evening or cocktail dress, popularized in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel. Chanel's dress was designed not to show stains, and to fit every woman.
The "little black dress" is considered by many women to be an essential part of a complete wardrobe. It is a well-known "rule of fashion" that every woman should own a "little black dress" that is simple and elegant, and that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. For example, a simple black cocktail dress could be made into an evening dress with diamond accessories, stilettos , and long gloves. The same dress could be worn to a daytime business meeting with a black suit jacket, demure accessories, and simple pumps.
Learn more about The Little Black Dress in our fashion terminology section.
Evening Dress (White Tie)
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Before the 1920s, black in women's dress carried a heavy association with mourning and with servants' uniforms, and evening elegance was expected to be colourful. Chanel's short black dress of 1926 broke the rule by cut rather than decoration: a simple, well-proportioned sheath in black crepe that depended on fit and fabric, not trimming. Because the design was unfussy, it could be copied at every price, and because it was black, it did not date the way a fashionable colour dates, did not show stains, and went with whatever jewellery, shoes or wrap the wearer already owned. Those practical virtues are exactly why Vogue's comparison to the Ford car stuck: a uniform, democratic piece of design.
The little black dress became a test of styling rather than of novelty. The same dress reads formally with pearls and heels, casually with flats and a cardigan, and differently again with a jacket, which is why wardrobe guides keep it on the short list of essentials. Later landmarks, such as the black dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's, renewed the idea for each generation without changing its formula: short, black, simple, and finished by the wearer. Designers continue to show a version in most collections, and the term now covers a family of short black cocktail and evening dresses rather than one single pattern.
A little black dress is a short, unfussy evening or cocktail dress. The style was popularized in the 1920s by Coco Chanel and is usually abbreviated to LBD.
Chanel's 1926 dress was designed not to show stains and to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable and accessible to the widest market possible. American Vogue compared it to the Ford motor car: simple, uniform and everywhere.
Its plain cut and neutral colour let accessories change its effect for different occasions, and black reads as elegant rather than mournful, a change Chanel's design is credited with establishing.