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Vogue Essentials: Little Black Dress
Discover the most covetable Little Black Dresses in fashion history, with this beautiful book from British Vogue.
Ninety years after Vogue dubbed Coco Chanel's simple short black 'Ford' dress 'the frock that all the world will wear', the perfect Little Black Dress continues to be every woman's most sought after fashion essential. At its classic best, the LBD doesn't just make its wearer look beautiful and stylish; it empowers her too. Dress it up, pare it down, wear it forever - the Little Black Dress is a fashion essential.
From the bold, dramatic designs of Zandra Rhodes to the eye-catching LBDs by Vivienne Westwood, from Elizabeth Hurley's iconic safety pin Versace number to the tight off-theshoulder Christina Stambolian dress worn by Princess Diana, Vogue Little Black Dress celebrates the very best of the LBD.
"One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress" - Karl Lagerfeld
Ninety years after Vogue dubbed Coco Chanel's simple short black 'Ford' dress 'the frock that all the world will wear', the perfect Little Black Dress continues to be every woman's most sought after fashion essential. At its classic best, the LBD doesn't just make its wearer look beautiful and stylish; it empowers her too. Dress it up, pare it down, wear it forever - the Little Black Dress is a fashion essential.
From the bold, dramatic designs of Zandra Rhodes to the eye-catching LBDs by Vivienne Westwood, from Elizabeth Hurley's iconic safety pin Versace number to the tight off-theshoulder Christina Stambolian dress worn by Princess Diana, Vogue Little Black Dress celebrates the very best of the LBD.
"One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress" - Karl Lagerfeld
160 pages, Hardcover
Published April 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2026
“Vogue Essentials: little black dress” by Chloe Fox. Found this book at my South Carolina airbnb. It was a refreshing read. We all love a little black dress. They are elegant and you can dress them up and dress them down. This book is great for fashionistas, or people who have passion for fashion! I loved learning about the colour black and what it represents and the history around it.
This book has 7 chapters:
- introduction: Fashion’s Best Friend
“When a simple, short black dress, designed by Coco Chanel, appeared in American Vogue in 1926, it was dubbed “Chanel’s Ford”. Like the Model T, Henry Ford’s popular car of the time - available in every colour “so long as it is black” - the inimitable French couturier’s design was hailed as accessible to women of all classes. The dress, announced Vogue, was a “sort of uniform for all tastes… the frock that all the world will wear.” How right they were. Today, almost a century later, the Little Black Dress - or LBD to its admirers - is the most dependable, go-to item in any woman’s wardrobe.”
Black - versatile - figure-flattering.
“Black was traditionally the colour of mourning” - in Western countries not in Eastern countries!
“It wasn’t until World War I that wearing black in public became socially accepted across the board. Not only did black express the collective grief and devastation causing by the war, it was also utilitarian.”
“Darker shades were more practical at a time when increasing numbers of women were working outside the home for the war effort and getting dirty in the newly industrial world.”
“By the end of the Twenties, as Technicolor films became more popular, filmmakers relied increasingly on Little Black Dresses because they didn’t clash with the other colours on screen.”
- Sleek simplicity
- All in the detail
- Vamp it up
Loved the photos in this section, especially on page 92! “Mods and rockers-style image”, “LBD with wide fishnet tights” and with the headline “‘Hike up the hemline and prepare to pout’ which shows the LBD at its most vampish and rebellious.”
“Worn in the right way, it can be anything the wearer wants it to be, and more. Empowering or demure, eye-catching or elusive, sensual or sensible, it is the fashion statement to end all fashion statements.”
- Modern twist
- Index
- Acknowledgments
“First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Conrad Octopus Ltd. This edition published in 2021. Text copyright ©️ The Conde Mast Publication Ltd 2018.” Wow I’ve worked for them!
The great thing about this book is that it makes you think about how you wore clothes as a child, teenager to adulthood. How wearing a LBD is a way of expressing yourself and whether you choose to accessorise or not.
This book has 7 chapters:
- introduction: Fashion’s Best Friend
“When a simple, short black dress, designed by Coco Chanel, appeared in American Vogue in 1926, it was dubbed “Chanel’s Ford”. Like the Model T, Henry Ford’s popular car of the time - available in every colour “so long as it is black” - the inimitable French couturier’s design was hailed as accessible to women of all classes. The dress, announced Vogue, was a “sort of uniform for all tastes… the frock that all the world will wear.” How right they were. Today, almost a century later, the Little Black Dress - or LBD to its admirers - is the most dependable, go-to item in any woman’s wardrobe.”
Black - versatile - figure-flattering.
“Black was traditionally the colour of mourning” - in Western countries not in Eastern countries!
“It wasn’t until World War I that wearing black in public became socially accepted across the board. Not only did black express the collective grief and devastation causing by the war, it was also utilitarian.”
“Darker shades were more practical at a time when increasing numbers of women were working outside the home for the war effort and getting dirty in the newly industrial world.”
“By the end of the Twenties, as Technicolor films became more popular, filmmakers relied increasingly on Little Black Dresses because they didn’t clash with the other colours on screen.”
- Sleek simplicity
- All in the detail
- Vamp it up
Loved the photos in this section, especially on page 92! “Mods and rockers-style image”, “LBD with wide fishnet tights” and with the headline “‘Hike up the hemline and prepare to pout’ which shows the LBD at its most vampish and rebellious.”
“Worn in the right way, it can be anything the wearer wants it to be, and more. Empowering or demure, eye-catching or elusive, sensual or sensible, it is the fashion statement to end all fashion statements.”
- Modern twist
- Index
- Acknowledgments
“First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Conrad Octopus Ltd. This edition published in 2021. Text copyright ©️ The Conde Mast Publication Ltd 2018.” Wow I’ve worked for them!
The great thing about this book is that it makes you think about how you wore clothes as a child, teenager to adulthood. How wearing a LBD is a way of expressing yourself and whether you choose to accessorise or not.
November 20, 2018
This is an attractive volume of fashion photos of famous models by well-known fashion photographers. The pictures are creative and elegant. Of course many of the dresses. like much fashion depicted nowadays, have no practical value. The woman wearing them cannot sit down in them, let alone do some useful work like conducting an orchestra, driving a truck, or coaching an NFL football team. Actually you might be able to drive a truck in most of them, but they still have no useful value. No one would wear one to drive a truck. Their value is mostly limited to being displayed in a book like this one where future historians, in a saner and simpler world, can look back and see the ridiculous extremes of the times in which we live.
May 9, 2022
- Black was considered as a mourning color, that's why when Chanel first introduced the "Ford dress", it was controversial
- LBD's popularity steams from the fact that it is a very practical dress. In addition, it also is a way for the fashionistas to show off their style within a framework: almost like a jazz standard
- Accessories: very important to complete the LBD look, and is what "make or break an outfit" according to Chanel. Historically pearl necklace has been the staple, but the modern day accessories has since expanded
- LBD's popularity steams from the fact that it is a very practical dress. In addition, it also is a way for the fashionistas to show off their style within a framework: almost like a jazz standard
- Accessories: very important to complete the LBD look, and is what "make or break an outfit" according to Chanel. Historically pearl necklace has been the staple, but the modern day accessories has since expanded
February 15, 2022
A well written look at the little black dress over time. The photos were well selected and the book was extremely well organized and very beautiful to look at.
March 22, 2024
ZANGGGG BRA!!!
October 13, 2024
[comicbook] found this randomly, in the “new-out” hardcover books section…and i need to be honest, this is less a book and more a fashion article, printed high-quality.
these should not be our books, we risk confusing an addiction (clothes and consumerism related to them, and potentially the cult of the ego) with something useful.
the content, the text information felt irrelevant, it’s mainly images of still too-skinny models (another bad standard) promoting shopping a new idem as luxury and some form of success.
…”vogue essentials”…and there’s an entire series.
i guess i’m not a fan of the values, but this book reached me still. DNF, felt like a waste.
these should not be our books, we risk confusing an addiction (clothes and consumerism related to them, and potentially the cult of the ego) with something useful.
the content, the text information felt irrelevant, it’s mainly images of still too-skinny models (another bad standard) promoting shopping a new idem as luxury and some form of success.
…”vogue essentials”…and there’s an entire series.
i guess i’m not a fan of the values, but this book reached me still. DNF, felt like a waste.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews