ModernGear Women: The LBD

A stylish modern woman without at least one LBD is like...oh, I don't know, help me out here. A kitchen cupboard without salt. A junk drawer without a flashlight. A fashionable wardrobe without a staple piece!

Frankly, the LBD or Little Black Dress is almost more institution than article of clothing.

For instance, what would Audrey Hepburn have been without her little black dress? Well yes, still terribly stylish. But she did epitomize what one could do with the LBD.

So, is there a standard definition for the little black dress? Well I'll tell you, there's a wiki page for everything.

A little black dress is an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often with a short skirt, originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel. Intended by Chanel to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color. Its continued ubiquity is such that many refer to it by its abbreviation, 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 own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion: for example, worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime business wear or with more ornate jewelry and accessories for evening. Because it is meant to be a staple of the wardrobe for a number of years, the style of the little black dress ideally should be as simple as possible: a short black dress that is too clearly part of a trend would not qualify because it would soon appear dated.

Gwyneth's GOOP yesterday was dedicated to the basic back dress, and how to change it up. Here are two of my favourite variations:

Of course plenty of fashionable celebs love to wear an LBD on the red carpet - women like Angelina Jolie, Sofia Coppola, Rachel Bilson, Demi Moore and Kate Hudson:
If you're a recessionista, don't have the closet space, or don't go out often enough to need a full wardrobe of LBDs, then one or two quality, go-to LBDs are perfect. And even if you wear a little black dress every weekend, you don't need a closet full of them...think accessories, jackets, shoes, handbags.

Here is just a small collection of the best LBDs I could find. And by the way, you're right if you were thinking that winter is on its way and a few of these dresses simply don't provide enough coverage for a chilly evening. But that's what jackets and sweaters and wraps and boots are for, and these should also be of timeless enough design that they can stand to spend a few months in your closet until it warms up again.

Rachel Pally's For Certain Dress from Anthropologie, $318.
This simple beauty from Club Monaco - price was not listed on the site.
From Fashion Chateau


Susana Monaco Black Jessica Dress
$158

Ella Moss Black Marlo Dress
$185

James Perse Black Side Panel V-Neck Dress
$187

From shopbop.com


Charlotte Ronson Strapless Cocktail Dress
$215

Velvet Madonna Dress
$141

Theory Yeneth Dress
$385

YAYA AFLALO Fatale Dress
$315

YAYA AFLALO Tiffany Dress
$396

From Gap:
Strapless Knit Dress, $68
Even the gorgeous Cable Knit Dress is an LBD, $78
From Banana Republic, the Cowlneck Knit Dress for $110.
I am thinking about J. Crew's Wool Madeline dress ($198) for the magazine's Christmas party.

My favourite LBD hanging in my closet is my sleeveless black wool sheath from Banana Republic (actually, paired with a feathery wrap, it was my wedding dress!)

It held me in good stead on that special day, and it will continue to do so for years to come...see - wardrobe staple, fashion institution, and metaphor for marriage...is there anything the LBD can't do?! Wear them well, fashion lovers!