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How the Little Black Dress Got to Be Black, and Little

Coco Chanel didn't create, just popularized

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 22, 2009 3:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – The ubiquitous little black dress can be the foundation of a recession-friendly wardrobe. But Coco Chanel—widely credited with inventing the LBD—actually just brought it from strict and severe to chic and sophisticated. Double X explores the history of this staple in women’s closets:

  • Centuries ago, black was worn by the clergy and aristocrats. In the 17th century, Dutch burghers brought it to the masses.

  • In the 18th century, black was also a color for rebellious women to wear, thumbing a nose at the pastels of the day.
  • The tailor-made women’s suit, introduced in the 1880s, was a precursor to the little black dress.
  • After World War II, the big black dress came on the scene—Dior’s model weighed nearly 7 pounds.
  • By the 1950s, as one woman recalled in an oral history, “if there were 10 women at a party, nine would be in black.”
For more history, click the link below.

French fashion designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (1883-1971) at a London hotel, 1932.
French fashion designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (1883-1971) at a London hotel, 1932.   (Getty Images)
French actress Anna Mouglalis poses at  a photo call for the film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, May 24, 2009.
French actress Anna Mouglalis poses at a photo call for the film "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky," during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, May 24, 2009.   (AP Photo)
Elizabeth Jagger walks the runway during the Fashion For Relief show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009, Sept. 17, 2008.
Elizabeth Jagger walks the runway during the Fashion For Relief show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009, Sept. 17, 2008.   (Getty Images)
Katherine Jenkins walks the runway during the Fashion For Relief show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 on September 17, 2008 in London, England.
Katherine Jenkins walks the runway during the Fashion For Relief show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 on September 17, 2008 in London, England.   (Getty Images)
Designer Liz Goldwyn and Dita Von Teese attend the Le Bon Marche Paris' LA Exhibition Launch Party at Sunset Tower on June 16, 2009 in West Hollywood, California.
Designer Liz Goldwyn and Dita Von Teese attend the Le Bon Marche Paris' LA Exhibition Launch Party at Sunset Tower on June 16, 2009 in West Hollywood, California.   (Getty Images)
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