little black dress

Choose the Best Little Black Dress for Your Body Type

Filed under: Apparel

Every woman needs a little black dress (LBD) in her closet that she loves, feels sexy in, and can pull out and be fabulous in on a moment's notice. Finding such a dress is easier said than done, however, as both women and dresses come in all different shapes and sizes. Finding the most flattering dress for your body type can be overwhelming but here are a few tips to help.

Fabric A great LBD is a versatile, long lasting investment so choose the most timeless and luxurious fabrics like wool, silk, linen, or cashmere. Knits and fabrics containing Lycra or spandex won't work for nearly as many occasions and won't last as long.

Hemline The most enduring and flattering hemlines fall right above or right below the knee. Avoid trendy lengths that are very long or very short.

Fit A good rule of thumb when choosing a dress is to follow the 3:1 rule: go 3 parts covered to 1 part revealed (i.e. if you choose a plunging neckline forgo a sky-high slit in the skirt). Finding the right fit is the most challenging part of shopping for a little black dress, but get it right and you'll have a 'best friend' you can dress up or down for any occasion for years to come. Consider the following tips for flattering different bodies.

Tags: beauty-pedia, entertainment-pedia, lbd, little black dress, LittleBlackDress

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A Little Black Dress Auction Event: 22 Ways to Say Black

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Auctions

Love your little black dress? The LBD has been a fashion staple for years and this year Crystallized Swarovski Elements and Phillips de Pury & Company have come together and commissioned a collection of 22 dresses by 22 of the world's best designers to benefit charity. The original, one-of-a-kind dresses will be available for viewing at the Phillips de Pury & Company location in New York, followed by an auction this September with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the American Cancer Society and la Ligue nationale contre le cancer. Names like Fendi, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Jean Paul Gaultier are among the chosen designers gracing the labels.

Gallery: 22 Ways to Say Black Dresses

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Tags: auction, charity, charity auction, CharityAuction, crystallized, lbd, little black dress, LittleBlackDress, swarovski

The Fashion Statement: The Little Black Dress

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same." That's probably one of my favorite quotes from Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

So this post is in honor of the designer, the inspiration of Coco Before Chanel (Audrey Tatou pictured above) and a timeless and ageless look she pioneered--the little black dress, or LBD.

I'm particularly struck by the LBD because, as I write this post, I am vacationing in Istanbul, Turkey. All around me, women are wearing black dresses for a variety of reasons. Some are wearing traditional Muslim dress, head-to-toe black, with black veils. European women are wearing knee-grazing black dresses with high heels for an out-on-the-town look. And the ancient city's Christian roots portray nuns in black habits (strikingly similar to how some Muslim women dress today).

With so many cultural influences coming from all directions how, then, did the LBD become a staple of a woman's wardrobe in the U.S.? In Western countries the little black dress has its origins in death. At the beginning and middle of the 20th century, women wore black dresses to mourn the loss of a husband, a son or a brother... sometimes for several years at a time. Chanel, ever the independent woman to challenge what women could and could not wear, put on trousers, wore sailor blouses and proclaimed this dour look chic in 1926 when one of her short black dresses was published in Vogue. Later, particularly during WWI and WWII when women seemed to be wearing little black dresses on a regular basis, the eye had adapted and the LBD, however controversial, caught on.

Today, of course, the LBD is a classic akin to the trench coat, the pea coat and the perfect white shirt--a flexible garment that can be dressed up and dressed down. Lanvin, Jil Sander and Donna Karan have wonderful versions of the LBD gearing up to make their rounds during this year's holiday party circuit.

But it is worth remembering that Coco--said to have been a pre-feminist, a woman who liberated women from corsets, frilly gowns and gave them hands-free shoulder bags--was determined to live her life independently from men, financially or otherwise. To love men, but not to rely on them, is a noble aspiration to this day. If the LBD is not a direct statement on women and their independence, it is representative of a questioning and rebellious spirit that is always the hallmark of style.

Tags: Coco Before Chanel, CocoBeforeChanel, Donna Karan, DonnaKaran, Jil Sander, JilSander, Lanvin, Little Black Dress, LittleBlackDress

Valentine Essentials: A Little Black Dress

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Have you decided yet what you're wearing this Valentine's Day? February 14th is one day of the year when every woman wants to look her best and if you have plans for a hot date why not go with the classic little black dress? The LBD has been around forever, and for good reason: every figure and every skin tone looks good in it! If you don't have one hanging in your closet already you officially have our permission to go out and go shopping (as if you needed a nudge). There are countless styles and versions of the LBD out there so see some of our favorite picks in the gallery below.

Gallery: The Designer Little Black Dress

Tags: black dress, BlackDress, dress, lbd, little black dress, LittleBlackDress, valentine, Valentines day, ValentinesDay, vday09

Hurley's Famous Dress For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The Versace safety-pin dress that first brought Elizabeth Hurley fame when she wore it to the 1994 premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral is now on sale at Harrods. The dress is part of the Harrods Timeless Luxury promotion focusing on the little black dress. The dress costs s £10,690 and will be delivered two months from the date of order. Quite a deal when you consider that another famous little black dress, the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys, went for over $800,000.

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Tags: dress, elizabeth hurley, harrods, little black dress, LittleBlackDress, liz hurley, LizHurley, versace