THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS (LBD)

The short black dress, the Little Black Dress, the LBD… A thousand names designate a versatile and striking garment. Circumstantial and timeless. Past, present, and future: the black dress for women. Over nearly 100 years of history, the black dress has become a key piece in all types of wardrobes. From the simplest to the most complex.

And the LBD is both a messenger and a blank canvas. A piece that speaks for itself but also leaves room for imagination and self-expression.

The History of the Little Black Dress

Despite its long journey, its official debut as a star of the women’s wardrobe is credited to the October issue of Vogue in 1926. On the cover, a sketch by Coco Chanel showcased the revolutionary design with its simple lines.

Since then, the black dress has conquered subsequent eras, earning the name "the Ford of fashion" (the dress every woman wanted to own). Thanks to the powerful identity of major brands, the little black dress has embraced different facets that have shaped the history of fashion and culture. This leaves us with iconic moments, such as Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy in the window displays of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to its revival by legends like Karl Lagerfeld, Prada, Jil Sander, The Row, or the black dress by Azzedine Alaïa.

The black dress, simple only in appearance, is a universal canvas that has adapted to eras, trends, and been subverted by the identities of great fashion houses. Its simplicity elevates it to an object of desire and endless design possibilities. Each brand reinvents it, transforming it into a true reflection of their vision.

But how have the great brands deciphered and reconstructed the foundations of the black dress?

Miuccia Prada's Black Dress

In Miuccia Prada’s cinematic world, the Black Dress never loses its meaning or place. A revolutionary thinker, for Miuccia, the black dress is the perfect embodiment of her philosophy: complex yet practical, refined yet utilitarian, simple yet profound. The black dress is a manifesto.

For Miuccia Prada, known for subverting classic ideas with intellectual complexity, the LBD is a garment loaded with symbolism. As she once stated:

“Designing a black dress means trying to express, in a simple and banal object, the great complexity of women, aesthetics, and the present.”

At Prada, simplicity is never flat. In fact, quite the opposite: behind simplicity lies intricate juggling acts, reflections, and phases leading to the final result. A staunch fan of wrinkles in fabrics like silk or satin, the creative director always finds her way to translate human complexity into the black dress. Every cut, every fold, every volume is crafted with precision and thought.

Prada’s LBD may appear minimalist in silhouette, but it is in the details—such as a structured neckline or pleating with subtle volume—where we find the unmistakable signs of Prada’s design path.

Jil Sander’s Black Dress

As a pioneer in dressing women for their integration into the workforce, Jil Sander drew very clear lines in her designs. Heidemarie Jiline Sander led the generation of designers like Miuccia Prada and Martin Margiela—a generation that began in the 1980s by stripping women’s clothing of unnecessary elements. By the 1990s, their work culminated in a movement we now know as minimalism.

For Jil Sander’s legacy, the perfect little black dress is one that powerfully dresses women without superfluous elements. The LBD finds in Jil Sander a vision of elegance that is both austere and conceptual. Under Lucie and Luke Meier, the Jil Sander black dress incorporates architectural elements. Volumes, metals, feathers, or cuts strike a complex balance within Jil Sander’s dresses.

Maintaining an obsession with clean lines, yet allowing for greater ornamentation, the brand transforms the black dress into a symbol of stylistic purity. For Jil Sander, less is more, and the LBD needs no distractions to be memorable.

The Black Dress According to The Row

The Row ’s interpretation of the black dress is a verse in an ode to understated elegance. The Olsen sisters, founders of the brand, are the perfect heirs to 1990s minimalism. Focused on creating perfect garments that look spectacular, The Row considers the black dress a key piece. The Row ’s black dress is a timeless element, designed with meticulous attention to form, drape, and material.

The Row’s black dresses are often characterized by oversized silhouettes that fall impeccably. Iconic silhouettes like the Isora or the Lilibet are perfect examples of classic shapes reimagined for the contemporary world. A black dress from the brand can be recognized by its understated neckline, flawless seams and layers, or a silk lining that only the wearer can feel.

Thus, The Row becomes an intimate and personal experience, far beyond a piece that merely looks aesthetically pleasing. For The Row, luxury is the absence of ostentation. The brand upholds that true opulence lies in the experience of wearing something perfectly crafted. Like the canvas of the artists who inspire them, The Row’s black dress serves as a medium of expression that comes to life on the body of a woman in motion.

Bottega Veneta and Its Vision of the Black Dress

The classic black dress from Bottega Veneta is a testament to innovation. Like the rest of the brand’s ready-to-wear collection, Bottega Veneta’s black dress navigates the boundaries between artisanal craftsmanship and glamour. The WOW factor of the brand’s dresses is evident from their presence on red carpets around the globe. Under its various creative directors, the brand’s dresses have played multiple roles.

One of these roles is innovating in shapes and materials. This is evident in the use of feathers, stitching, leather, subtle volumes, details in precious metals, and curves that seem impossible. Known for its materials and tactile expertise, the Italian house elevates the LBD by incorporating elements that reflect its mastery of textiles.

Recently, under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta has reinterpreted the black dress as a piece where texture takes center stage. From leather dresses to designs crafted with mixed materials like silk and wool, every LBD from the brand tells a story through its details.

But even with Giles Deacon, starting with his first ready-to-wear collection for the house in 2005, silhouettes and textures have been an indispensable part of Bottega Veneta’s DNA.

Azzedine Alaïa’s Little Black Dresses

Alaïa’s legacy is deeply rooted in fashion history. His mastery in sculpting fabrics and creating silhouettes that embrace the female form has gone down in history as a precursor to the modern dress. In his hands, the black dress transformed from being overly sober to a work of art that celebrates the female shape.

Known as the "King of Cling," Alaïa was renowned for his command of elastic yet structured fabrics. He revolutionized the conception of the little black dress, infusing it with a restrained and modest sensuality that was nonetheless powerful. Alaïa elevated his dresses to an art form, crafting them by hand directly on the bodies of models before sending them to the runway.

Today, under the creative vision of Pieter Mulier, Alaïa’s legacy is revisited with a balance of innovation and reverence for the house’s archives. Mulier has introduced a contemporary language that retains the pure essence of Alaïa: dresses that embrace the body with near-surgical precision, emphasizing freedom and sophistication.

The black dresses of Alaïa by Mulier traverse the line between classic and avant-garde. In his debut as creative director, Mulier presented dresses that blend Alaïa’s sensuality with a new sense of drama: sculptural pieces, fabrics that feel like a second skin, and cuts that play with light and shadow. Under his direction, Alaïa’s black dress takes on a unique duality: on one hand, it evokes the iconic forms that Alaïa perfected throughout his career, while on the other, it introduces elements that adapt it to the modern woman.

Saint Laurent and the Black Dress

We cannot talk about the black dress without mentioning Saint Laurent. If anyone has elevated the Little Black Dress to another level, it’s Saint Laurent. From Yves Saint Laurent’s original designs to Anthony Vaccarello’s contemporary reinterpretations, the LBD from the French house is a true symbol of sensuality and drama.

Saint Laurent’s black dresses are known for their blend of sensuality and mystery. While the 1980s were a period of bold exploration with color for the brand, jet black remains perhaps its most representative tone. Upon hearing "Saint Laurent," one can close their eyes and envision that slender figure in an all-black ensemble, sunglasses, and stiletto heels. So iconic is the Saint Laurent image that Anthony Vaccarello achieved record sales with his interpretation of it.

For YSL, the dress is an essential element of the mystery that surrounds the brand. From sequined mini dresses to long, ultra-light designs with plunging necklines, the Saint Laurent black dress captivates with its versatility. Key materials include velvet, satin, and lace. These are complemented by ’80s-inspired shoulders or side slits, adding a final touch of theatricality.

Thus, the Little Black Dress has proven to be a reflection of fashion history. Unifying styles and aesthetics, the same canvas transforms on the figure that wears it, either collaborating with or diverging from the aesthetic of the brand behind it. Throughout this historical journey, there is no doubt that the black dress is a multifaceted weapon, indispensable in the wardrobe of the 21st-century woman.