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The
little black dress--so perfectly simple and so very perfect.
It reflects the mood of the times--the answer to the new minimal
wardrobe and the old staple one returns to in a time when spending on
fashion is going to be limited. It has the ability to make a
woman feel quite beautiful and complete--a dress, an idea, with
seemingly magic properties. Slip it on
for a casual dinner on the Lower East side or accessorize it with
pearls and light up an uptown party. Givenchy created an
unforgettable version for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at
Tiffany's. The movie, the dress, and the actress are
indistinguishable from each other. The little black dress is
the movie!
Coco
Chanel came up with the original idea of the LBD-- and somehow the
overuse of the chic little acronym never quite tarnishes the original
brilliance of her vision. In keeping with her philosophy of
accessibility and equality, Chanel meant her little black dress to
be easily wearable and affordable. The power of her idea:
the dress as neutral, spare, and transcending all the old
barriers. The magic lies in the color black--strong and dramatic,
the absence of color itself. The perfect neutral so that cut
and line are emphasized, and in turn, the woman. Chanel's
innovations modernized fashion at the time women were beginning to
enter the workplace. Among other innovations, she replaced
the traditional corseted silhouette with the comfort of simple
suits and long, clean lines and voilà--it seemed like
women could now conquer the world!
A
sketch of the original Chanel little black dress was featured in a
1926 issue of Vogue. Of crèpe-de-chine, with a simple cut and
fitted sleeves and falling a little below the knee, it was
instantly compared to the Ford Model T. A workhorse for the
wardrobe.
And
so it endures-interpreted and reinterpreted. And custom
cannot stale . . . . |
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