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Logan's Style Watch
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That Little Black Dress: It Will Never Go Out of Style
by Logan Bentley Lessona
ROME -- The little black dress. Where did this expression come from and when did women start using - and wearing - it? Probably during the twenties or the thirties. It conjures up visions of tea dances, meeting dates under the clock at the Biltmore in New York for cocktails, attending the opening of a chic art gallery, and, yes, Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
I once owned a black silk shirtwaist dress with long sleeves, which I ordered after seeing it in Vogue magazine. I wore the dress for years in a variety of climates and places that ranged from Las Vegas to Paris. But I couldn't bear to look at it after I wore it to my father's funeral so I gave it away. I regret it to this day.
The truth is that the little black dress has been a godsend to women for decades. It's suitable for so many occasions, can be dressed up or down, and depending on the accessories, can go from 8am to well past midnight.
Fashions may come and go but it will never go out of style. The wonderful thing is that you can spend $50 (even less if you find one at a thrift shop), $ 500, or even $ 5,000 if you are so inclined. Obviously the less money you spend the more careful you must be before handing over that piece of plastic. Check the lining if there is one, check the cut of the dress, look at your rear and side views carefully in the mirror. If the fit is not perfect, then spend the extra money to have the proper alterations made.
This is one case where it makes more sense to spend as much as you can afford. I always start out in a department store by checking the "clearance" rack in the designer salon and working my way down pricewise from there. Never buy something on sale just because it's a bargain, but only because you look terrific wearing it.
Since the right black dress can be very versatile, depending on what you wear with it, spending more makes sense when you consider the "price-per-wear" factor. A good fashion buy is something that ends up costing a few dollars if you divide the cost by the times you wear it over several years. It took me a long time to come around to this reasoning because I always felt guilty spending a lot of money on myself, but better one great item that ends up costing the same as several mediocre ones.
If possible, avoid synthetic fabrics. The dress should be comfortable (be sure to sit down and cross your legs in the fitting room), and flattering. You should imagine the different accessories you already own that will complement it.
It's always nice to be able to go home and shower before dressing to go out to dinner, but it's not always possible. For the office you can wear a jacket over the dress, along with daytime shoes, handbag, and accessories. When the sun goes down substitute a pair of glamorous, strappy sandals, or fishnet stockings, a small evening purse, and pretty jewelry. If you can't leave things at the office, a small bag or tote, preferably with lock, can be checked.
The variety of choices available today is incredible. One of my favorites is a little sleeveless number from Emporio Armani in silk crepe with ruffle trim on the deep V-neck and the shoulders. Max Mara proposes a camisole dress in silk crepe with wide floating ribbons made of voile.
Krizia has a crew-necked dress in silk stretch georgette, cut on the bias so the skirt flares out, and with long skinny, flared sleeves. You could let your imagination run wild with such a dress, and wear it with a tweed or flannel jacket to work.
It comes in two pieces but can still be considered a little black dress: Anna Molinari made a sleeveless top in stretch silk with an important bow at the high neck and paired it with a chiffon skirt with flat pleats. I'm not always that crazy about Prada but they have a winner in a dress with a ruched velvet and chiffon bodice, a high, round neck and cap sleeves, and below-the-knee skirt cut on the bias.
It would be hard to wear Gucci's dress to the office, but there's no equal for drop-dead glamour. Made of silk organza, the deep V-neck is bordered with six layers of ruffles, as are the long, loose sleeves. It's expensive, I admit, but this is a dress that would pay off in spades over the years.
For utter simplicity, you could go for the little number in wool voile by Jill Sander, the queen of minimalism, cut like an extended T-shirt and ending at the knee. Meanwhile, I'll slip into my little black dress from Lands End, which has a round neck, long sleeves, high waist, and a skirt to the knee cut on the bias.
© 2000 Logan Bentley Lessona
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