Who invented the original 'little black dress'?
"Little black dress A little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel and Jean Patou intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral colour. Its ubiquity is such that it is often simply referred to as the ""LBD"". The ""little black dress"" is considered essential to a complete wardrobe by many women and fashion observers, who believe it a ""rule of fashion"" that every woman should"
"Black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn The black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn is a little black dress designed by Hubert de Givenchy and worn by Audrey Hepburn in the opening of the 1961 romantic comedy film ""Breakfast at Tiffany's"". The dress is cited as one of the most iconic items of clothing in the history of the twentieth century and perhaps the most famous ""little black dress"" of all time. Audrey Hepburn was a close friend of French designer Givenchy, referring to the designer as her ""best friend"" while he considered her his ""sister"". In 1961, Givenchy designed a"
"sheath dress throughout her career: for this habit she was nicknamed ""little black sparrow"". It was thought that the dress helped audiences focus more on Piaf's singing and less on her appearance. In an incident at London's Covent Garden theatre in 2004, a director fired the then-obese soprano Deborah Voigt from an opera because she could not fit into a ""little black cocktail dress"", replacing her with the slimmer Anne Schwanewilms. Little black dress A little black dress (LBD) is a black evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little"
"little black dress for the opening scene of Blake Edwards' romantic comedy, ""Breakfast at Tiffany's"", where Hepburn plays a leading role alongside actor George Peppard. Her necklace was made by Roger Scemama, a French parurier who designed jewelleries for Givenchy. Audrey took two copies of the dress back to Paramount, but the dresses, which revealed a considerable amount of Audrey's leg, were not suitable for the movie and the lower half of the dress was redesigned by Edith Head. The original hand-stitched dress is currently in Givenchy's private archive, whilst one copy Audrey took back to Paramount is on display"
"Nettie Rosenstein Nettie Rosenstein (1890 - March 13, 1980) was an American fashion designer, based in New York City between c.1913 and 1975. She was particularly renowned for her little black dresses and costume jewelry. Born Nettie Rosenscrans in Salzburg, Austria in 1890, she and her family migrated to America in the 1890s and settled in Harlem, New York. Her family was Jewish. In 1913 Nettie married Saul Rosenstein, who ran a women's underwear business, and began dressmaking as a home business. After being approached by the I. Magnin department store in 1919, she began wholesaling. By 1921, she owned"
"housed in a two-story row house on Vermont Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Black Fashion Museum Collection comprises more than 700 garments, 300 accessories, and 60 boxes of archival material collected by Alexander-Lane throughout her life. In 2007, Alexander-Lane's daughter, Joyce Bailey, donated the Black Fashion Museum's entire holdings to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The research collection—one of the largest and rarest of its kind—includes a dress sewn by Rosa Parks shortly before her famous arrest in Montgomery, Ala.; a beige-patterned skirt worn by an enslaved child in Leesburg, Va.; the original Tin Man costume"
"comfortable enough for them to perform daily activities with comfort and ease. The camellia had an established association used in Alexandre Dumas' literary work, ""La Dame aux Camélias"" (The Lady of the Camellias). Its heroine and her story had resonated for Chanel since her youth. The flower was associated with the courtesan, who would wear a camellia to advertise her availability. The camellia came to be identified with The House of Chanel; the designer first used it in 1933 as a decorative element on a white-trimmed black suit. After the jersey suit, the concept of the little black dress is"
"American woman's wardrobe. One such design was the ""little black dress"" designed to go from day to evening with low-cut evening necklines combined with daywear silhouettes and materials. Her designs also included printed dresses with gloves to match, and she was also known for her accessories and striking costume jewelry. Nettie Rosenstein announced her second retirement in March 1942, inspiring a tribute in TIME Magazine. However, this retirement did not last long, as she resumed fashion design a few years later, winning a Coty Award in 1947. She was the designer responsible for First Lady Mamie Eisenhower's dress commissioned by"
"bold colors and expressive complexions showcase every aspect of a woman’s personality: from the sexy vixen to the girl next door,” said Emmy Cortes, the event organizer in a press release. “I feel that his artwork echoes the range of the classic “little black dress” from the formal gala to the casual dinner with a friend.” Little Black Dress is an annual international event that allows fashion designers the opportunity to raise money for Stop Cancer, the charitable organization chaired by former Paramount Pictures President, Sherry Lansing. In September 2008, Black’s series, “JUNOESQUE”, created specifically for the 7th Annual Little"
"interest to the dress. The black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in ""Breakfast at Tiffany’s"", designed by Hubert de Givenchy, epitomized the standard for wearing little black dresses accessorized with pearls (together called ""basic black""), as was frequently seen throughout the early 1960s. The dress set a record in 2006 when it was auctioned for £410,000, six times its original estimate. Betty Boop, a cartoon character based in part on the 1920s ""it girl"" Clara Bow, was drawn wearing a little black dress in her early films, though with Technicolor later, Betty's dress became red. Diana, Princess"
"Dolores (Ziegfeld girl) Dolores or Rose Dolores (born Kathleen Mary Rose; 26 September 1893 – 7 November 1975) was an English model. She is recognised as the first celebrity clothes model and has been credited with inventing the ""blank hauteur"" of the modern fashion model. Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. called her ""The loveliest showgirl in the world"". She was known for her commanding stage presence and became the star of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1917 until her retirement in 1923. She lived the rest of her life in Paris and during the Second World War helped Allied airmen escape the German"
"Lois K. Alexander Lane Lois K. Alexander-Lane (born Lois Marie Kindle; 11 June 1916 - 29 September 2007) was an African American fashion designer and founded the Black Fashion Museum in 1979. Alexander-Lane was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Alexander-Lane received her master's degree at New York University in 1963, she proposed a thesis on the historic role of African Americans in Manhattan retailing; her professor responded by saying African Americans played no such role. Her resulting thesis—and later her life's work—proved otherwise. The Black Fashion Museum first opened in 1979 in Harlem, originally established in Harlem on West 126th"
"Dolores died in Paris on 7 November 1975. Dolores (Ziegfeld girl) Dolores or Rose Dolores (born Kathleen Mary Rose; 26 September 1893 – 7 November 1975) was an English model. She is recognised as the first celebrity clothes model and has been credited with inventing the ""blank hauteur"" of the modern fashion model. Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. called her ""The loveliest showgirl in the world"". She was known for her commanding stage presence and became the star of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1917 until her retirement in 1923. She lived the rest of her life in Paris and during the Second"
"often cited as a Chanel contribution to the fashion lexicon, a style still worn to this day. In 1912–1913, the actress Suzanne Orlandi was one of the first women to wear a Chanel little black dress, in velvet with a white collar. In 1920, Chanel herself vowed that, while observing an audience at the opera, she would dress all women in black. In 1926, the American edition of ""Vogue"" published an image of a Chanel little black dress with long sleeves, dubbing it the ""garçonne"" ('little boy' look). ""Vogue"" predicted that such a simple yet chic design would become a"
"famous little black dress of all time"" and exerting a major influence on fashion itself by directly making it popular. In a survey conducted in 2010 by LOVEFiLM, Hepburn's little black dress was chosen as the best dress ever worn by a woman in a film. In this respect, Helen Cowley, publisher of LOVEFiLM, declared: ""Audrey Hepburn has truly made that little black dress a fashion staple which has stood the test of time despite competition from some of the most stylish females around."" Hepburn's white dress and hat worn in ""My Fair Lady"" was voted sixth. Black Givenchy dress"
"Black Dress charity event, featured 6-foot tall portraits of celebrities including Keira Knightly, Eva Green, and Marion Cotillard in little black dresses. The Los Angeles Times made mention of Black's work, ""Young Hollywood-inspired pop art paintings by L.A. artists Biagio Black..."" In a press release Black stated, “These pieces range from cool to dark dreams. Iconic, distant, soulful. These women are pop culture royalty. The fact that these classism killers are fashionable is inevitable. These iconographic works offer images in simple hi-contrast forms that follow essence,” notes Black. In 2009 Black received a commission for a portrait of fashion designer"
"versions of their mothers' garments. Realising that children grew quickly, she made garments that adjusted to accommodate changes in the adolescent figure, whilst maintaining an age-appropriate appearance. Among her signature designs were little black dresses for young girls, which, with bright accessories and details, allowed the wearer to have a ""grown up"" dress whilst avoiding an austere appearance. The fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert credited her with recognising an untapped market, and the fashion historian Richard Martin stated that Wilkens ""invented the American teenager"" long before rock and roll and James Dean consolidated the concept. By 1947, she was said to"
"Several collections, most especially her Madame DuBarry (SS 2011), as well as the inclusion of peony shirts, scarf, and pants in her Banana Republic collection reflect this nature-based inspiration. In 2006, L'Wren Scott launched her first collection ""Little Black Dress."" The collection presented black dresses, including her now famous ""Headmistress"" dress worn by Madonna. Scott's creations were seen often on the red carpet. Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz and Amy Adams have all worn Scott's dresses to the Academy Awards. In addition, First Lady Michelle Obama favors L'Wren Scott's designs, especially embellished cardigan sweaters. The former"
"She introduced her famous ""little black dress"" in 1925. Other major Paris designers of the period included Jean Patou, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet, Cristobal Balenciaga, who fled the Spanish Civil War and opened a shop on the Avenue George V in 1937; Jacques Heim, and Nina Ricci, who opened her shop in Paris in 1932. By the late 1930s, the dismal economy had greatly reduced the number of customers. The fashion house of Paul Poiret, which had dominated Paris fashion before World War I, closed in 1929. In the Pavilion of Elegance at the 1937 Exposition, only twenty-nine designers remained"
"a dark blue tuxedo looked blacker than black itself. For women's fashion, the defining moment was the invention of the simple black dress by Coco Chanel in 1926. (See history.) Thereafter, a long black gown was used for formal occasions, while the simple black dress could be used for everything else. The designer Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why black was so popular, said: ""Black is the color that goes with everything. If you're wearing black, you're on sure ground."" Skirts have gone up and down and fashions have changed, but the black dress has not lost its position as the essential"
"garments, 300 accessories, and 60 boxes of archival material collected by Alexander-Lane throughout her life. The research collection—one of the largest and rarest of its kind—includes a dress sewn by Rosa Parks shortly before her famous arrest in Montgomery, Ala.; a beige-patterned skirt worn by an enslaved child in Leesburg, Va.; the original Tin Man costume designed by Geoffrey Holder for the 1975 Broadway musical, The Wiz."" ""Clothing and bonnets worn by slaves in the mid-1800s appear alongside an elaborately constructed opera cape made by a former slave. Other items include gowns by Ann Lowe, a pioneering African American designer"
"Swan dress The swan dress is an iconic dress resembling a white swan worn by the Icelandic artist Björk at the 73rd Academy Awards on 25 March 2001. A Debenhams poll published in ""The Daily Telegraph"" in 2008 voted it the ninth-most iconic red-carpet dress of all time. Björk's swan dress was reimagined by Valentino at its Spring 2014 Couture fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, which received praise from fashion blogs and social media. Designed by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski, the dress was designed like a swan and at the ceremony Björk mimicked laying an egg on the red"
"Paco Rabanne. Italian-born Pierre Cardin was best known for his helmets, short tunics, and goggles. Paco Rabanne was known for his 1966 ""12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials"" collection, which made use of chain mail, aluminum, and plastic. Although designer Mary Quant is credited with introducing the miniskirt in 1964, André Courrèges also claimed credit for inventing the miniskirt. The miniskirt changed fashion forever. The definition of a miniskirt is a skirt with a hemline that is generally between 6 and 7 inches above the knees. Early references to the miniskirt from the Wyoming newspaper ""The Billings Gazette"", described the"
"for the film adaptation, and would have preferred Marilyn Monroe to have been cast in the role, although he also stated that Hepburn ""did a terrific job"". The character is considered one of the best-known in American cinema, and a defining role for Hepburn. The dress she wears during the opening credits is considered an icon of the twentieth century and perhaps the most famous ""little black dress"" of all time. Hepburn stated that the role was ""the jazziest of my career"" yet admitted: ""I'm an introvert. Playing the extroverted girl was the hardest thing I ever did."" She was"
"Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (née Sutherland; 13 June 1863 – 20 April 1935) was a leading British fashion designer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who worked under the professional name Lucile. The first British-based designer to achieve international acclaim, Lucy Duff-Gordon was a widely acknowledged innovator in couture styles as well as in fashion industry public relations. In addition to originating the ""mannequin parade"", a precursor to the modern fashion show, and training the first professional models, she launched liberating slit skirts and low necklines, popularized less restrictive corsets, and promoted alluring and pared-down"
"Ann Lowe Ann Cole Lowe (December 14, 1898 – February 25, 1981) was an American fashion designer and the first African American to become a noted fashion designer. Lowe's one-of-a-kind designs were a favorite among high society matrons from the 1920s to the 1960s. In 1953, she designed the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married Senator John F. Kennedy. Lowe was born in Clayton, Alabama, the great granddaughter of a slave woman and an Alabama plantation owner. She had an older sister, Sallie. Lowe's interest in fashion, sewing and designing came from her mother"
"The New Dress (short story) ""The New Dress"" is a short story by the English author Virginia Woolf. It was written in 1924 whilst Woolf was writing ""Mrs. Dalloway"" (which was published the following year). It is possible that it was originally to have been a chapter in the novel; the two share some characters and events. It was not published until 1927 when it appeared in the May edition of the New York magazine, ""The Forum"". It appeared again in ""A Haunted House and Other Short Stories"" published in 1944, and in ""Mrs. Dalloway's Party"" published in 1973. The"
"re-released to mark the 50th anniversary of ""Breakfast at Tiffany's"". One of three dresses designed by Givenchy for Hepburn for possible use in the film sold at auction by Christie's on December 5, 2006 for £467,200 (~US$947,000), about seven times the reserve price. The ""Little Black Dress"" by Givenchy, worn by Hepburn in the beginning of the film, is cited as one of the most iconic items of clothing in the history of the twentieth century and is, perhaps, the most famous little black dress of all time. A second ""little black dress"" in ""Breakfast at Tiffany's"", along with its"
"invention. However, that was predated in 1930 by the actress Libby Holman, who had been photographed in an apparently strapless dress that year. Holman became associated with the strapless dress and is regularly credited with inventing it, or at least being one of its first high-profile wearers. In 1934, Mainbocher produced his first strapless gown, a black satin design which has been described as the first strapless evening dress. Along with Holman and Mainbocher, the heiress Brenda Frazier is also credited with popularising the style when she wore a strapless débutante dress for her debut and famously appeared in it"
"virtual uniform for women of taste, famously comparing its basic lines to the ubiquitous and no less widely accessible Ford automobile. The spare look generated widespread criticism from male journalists, who complained: ""no more bosom, no more stomach, no more rump ... Feminine fashion of this moment in the 20th century will be baptized lop off everything."" The popularity of the little black dress can be attributed in part to the timing of its introduction. The 1930s was the Great Depression era, when women needed affordable fashion. Chanel boasted that she had enabled the non-wealthy to ""walk around like millionaires""."
"that replaced the opulent, over-designed, and constrictive clothes and accessories of 19th-century fashion. The Chanel product brands have been personified by fashion models and actresses, including Inès de La Fressange, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Vanessa Paradis, Nicole Kidman, Anna Mouglalis, Audrey Tautou, Keira Knightley, Kristen Stewart and Marilyn Monroe. The House of Chanel is known for the ""little black dress"", the perfume No. 5 de Chanel, and the Chanel Suit. Chanel's use of jersey fabric produced garments that were comfortable and affordable. Chanel revolutionized fashion — high fashion (haute couture) and everyday fashion (prêt-à-porter) — by replacing structured-silhouettes, based upon"
"Bank, in the former boutique and store of the late famed antique dealer and decorator Madeleine Castaing, a location and enterprise he dubbed ""the smallest couture shop in the world."" There Leroux developed a new concept of made-to-measure jersey dresses created by hand. As creative director of Paris-based house Guy Laroche from 2004-2006, he dressed Hilary Swank for her 2005 Oscar appearance in a backless midnight-blue jersey dress. In 2007, the firm branched into ready-to-wear. In November 2012, Leroux teamed with the NYC based, boutique fragrance brand Joya to create a candle which comes in a matte black glass container"
"whose patrons included the Rockefellers, the Du Ponts, the Vanderbilts, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. 'The objects not only tell the story of black fashion,' Moresi says, 'but of the women and men who created them, wore them and held on to them for years.' "" Lois K. Alexander Lane Lois K. Alexander-Lane (born Lois Marie Kindle; 11 June 1916 - 29 September 2007) was an African American fashion designer and founded the Black Fashion Museum in 1979. Alexander-Lane was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Alexander-Lane received her master's degree at New York University in 1963, she proposed a thesis on"