Mariah dreams of a career in the fashion industry. My bet is she makes it - somehow, someway. She is applying for a scholarship to attend a fashion design camp at University of Cincinnati this summer. It's a bit pricy so we're hoping this 500 word essay hits the mark and reduces the fee.... every penny saved means another bolt of material for a pretty Little Black Dress. The prompt was to write about something that had an significant impact in the industry (you could choose a person, an object, architecture, fashion, art, etc.).
The
Little Black Dress
The Little Black Dress – everyone knows it. With elegant
and bold simplicity, the Little Black Dress has been a fashion staple since Coco
Chanel coined it in the 1920’s. The positive impact of this iconic dress is
admirable. The style changed as each decade influenced fashion, but the idea remained:
chic and sophisticated. Never out of
style, the Little Black Dress has influenced fashion for nearly a century.
Making its debut in The Roaring 20’s, it wasn’t widely
accepted at first. The original Little Black Dress was a pull-on frock,
straight lined, calf length, a simplistic beauty designed in a time of bold
prints and bold colors. However, in the Vogue
issue of 1926 it was described as a dress “that all the world would wear” and
they were right. While affected by the evolution of fashion, its revolution
couldn’t be stopped. No longer was black worn just for mourning. Chanel said, “Women
think about all colors except the absence of color. I have already said that
black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute.” Black became a color of
power and fashion. Chanel gave women confidence to challenge fashion trends and
look great by going simple in a Little Black Dress.
In the 1930’s, designers made the Little Black Dress a standard
in women’s evening wear. The dress went from a gamine silhouette to one that
accentuated feminine curves. In a nod to the conservative times, the hemline dropped
to the calf. Necessity changed the
Little Black Dress in the 1940’s. During WWII fabric was rationed, so once
again, the Little Black Dress was little. With a simple silhouette, the Little
Black Dress now performed double duty as evening and day wear due to its ability
to be played up or down with accessories. Post-war affluence and Hollywood brought
glamor to fashion in the 1950’s. Notably worn by Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn
Monroe with a full skirt and nipped waist, the Little Black Dress as predicted
by Vogue, was seen everywhere, and it had yet to hit its peak.
The
next decades would ensure the longevity of the Little Black Dress. In the
1960’s celebrities like Twiggy brought back a boyish silhouette with new hem
heights. The Little Black Dress reached a high point in fashion. During the
hippie movement of the 1970’s the chic Little Black Dress remained popular in
Paris while in America, it took on a plunging neckline and thigh-high slits,
and was also worn as a simple wrap dress designed by Von Furstenberg. The design
of the Little Black Dress became form-fitting, sexy and short in the 1980’s;
and this cut remains a classic version today. The grunge trend of the 1990’s
challenged chic sophistication but paired with flannel and combat boots, the
Little Black Dress adapted as always.
In
this new century, it is in fashion season after season; a confidence inspiring essential
in every woman’s wardrobe. Always evolving, the impact of the timeless Little
Black Dress is stunning.
Works Cited
Alvarez, Juli. Daily Worth. 31 October 2013. 7
April 2014
.
Chanel Collections. 12 March 2010. 7 April 2014
.
Glamourdaze. 17 August 2012. 7 April 2014
.
Salvadori, Irene. Vogue. 7 April 2014
.
