Forever fashion: Back in black

Sure, the LBD may have become a bit of a cliche, but ask any woman if there’s a black dress lurking somewhere in her wardrobe and the answer will more than likely be “yes”.

“One is never overdressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress,” Karl Lagerfeld once said of the garment, which was made ubiquitous by his predecessor, Coco Chanel. But there’s more to black than the LBD, which is why so many of us love that dark shade so. A black dress, whether a mini, shift or off-the-shoulder number, can act as as your own personal classic to see you through countless social engagements — and that old cliche will serve you for years to come.

THE SHIFT. The black satin gown originally imagined by Givenchy and worn by Audrey Hepburn in the opening scene of 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany’s might be the star’s most iconic look, but the romantic comedy is filled with neat black shift dresses modelled by the petite star. Ergo, Edith Head, the film’s costume designer, proves that the simple style of straight dress is apt for taking a lady for a visit to prison, as Hepburn (Holly Golightly) does in the film, and all manner of other engagements. An investment dress, if ever there was one.

THE HARD-WORKING DRESS. As Sugar Kane, the gold-digging singer/ukelele player in 1959 film Some Like It Hot, Marilyn Monroe, by way of costume designer Orry-Kelly, framed the actress’ famous frame in a figure-skimming black dress that hugged her in all the right places. As Jack Lemmon’s character, Jerry, quips: “Look how she moves. That’s just like Jell-O on springs. She must have some sort of built-in motors.” No, Monroe just has a long-sleeved dress that worked really hard for her.

THE OFF-THE-SHOULDER. Rising to fame in the 1950s, Grace Kelly, as a member of European royalty, was fortunate enough to have the couture houses of Paris, notably Dior, at her fingertips. The screen icon became synonymous with the off-the-shoulder, cinched-waist silhouettes of the ’50s, which were perfect for highlighting her collarbones and slim figure. The style, though oft deemed old-fashioned now, is a no-brainer for showing a little skin around the decolletage.

THE GOWN. Interestingly, that Givenchy satin gown in Breakfast At Tiffany’s was deemed too racy for the role, due to a daring slit and, consequently, Edith Head had to redesign the bottom half. For Jean Louis, the man behind Rita Hayworth’s gowns in the 1946 film Gilda, the slashes were not an issue. Think ahead to the Met Balls and Oscars ceremonies of recent years and that risque dress theme just kept on running.

THE REINVENTING-THE-RULEBOOK DRESS. Shifts, slips and full-blown gowns might be immediately recognisable tropes in the mind’s eye, but designers are ever-experimenting with form and silhouette. Modern style maven Alexa Chung’s Dior LBD plays with an almost bib-like feature of delicate embroidery. The proof is in the pudding that it pays to step outside the box. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH