Lifestyle of a Fashionista

10/6/23

Every woman has had a little black dress in her closet at some point in time. Certain styles of black dresses can be dressed up and down and worn at work, or when dining out, to a party or special event, or a funeral. There are a lot of famous black dresses, and the history of this fashion staple is quite interesting. I believe it starts with the black dress featured in Madame X.

Many critics criticized the painting when Madame X was displayed at the Paris Salon. There were a few reasons for the bad reviews: the subject of the painting, Virginie Gautreau, wasn’t liked by Parisians, the style of dress was considered risqué, and her pose was off-putting.

Read more from Kovels Antique Trader, How a Little Black Dress Scandalized Paris in 1884. “The infamous painting, Madame X, caused so much outrage, it ruined a woman’s reputation and caused the artist to flee the country.“

From FIDM The Little Black Dress, “Though women certainly wore all-black on some occasions, these ensembles were usually worn for specific activities, such as mourning or equestrian pursuits. Black slowly began to enter the realm of fashionable dress in the late nineteenth century when it was adopted by a few daringly audacious women for day and/or evening dress. The infamous black dress worn by Virginie Gautreau in John Singer Sargent’s 1884 painting Madame X, though shockingly revealing for the 1880s, is a prescient vision of what would become one of the twentieth century’s most iconic garments, the little black dress.“

Lower and middle-class ladies typically wore black dresses. From the Atlantic, The Underclass Origins of the Little Black Dress. “The upper classes once imposed the fashion staple on their servants—then they stole it back from them.“

The image of the black dress changed in the 1920s; Gabrielle Coco Chanel took black fabric worn by mourners and created a black sheath that Vogue called the “Ford” of dresses. Once Vogue endorsed it, the black dress became every gal’s go-to.

Today, the little black dress is iconic. The black dress is admired and featured in movies and magazines.

Famous Black Dresses

From Glamour, 50 most iconic ‘Little Black Dress’ moments of all time.

From Reel Rundown, 14 Iconic Little Black Dresses in Film

From Vanity Fair, 15 Iconic Little Black Dresses Seen on the Silver Screen

Shopping for the LBD

If you don’t already have a few black dresses in your closet, here are some lists to help you pick the perfect style. You can wear the dress for many years if you find the right fit and style.

From US magazine May 2023, 15 Best Little Black Dresses for 2023

From the New York Times, The Best Little Black Dresses