THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS

The Little Black Dress, or LBD, is one of the staples of the 20th century woman's wardrobe. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the LBD as "a simple black garment suitable for a woman to wear at most kinds of relatively formal social engagements." But where did this style come from?

According to the OED, the first use of the phrase was in 1902, in Henry James' The Wings of the Dove: "She might fairly have been dressed tonight in the little black frock..that Milly had laid aside." Of course, by the 20th century, women had been wearing black dresses for hundreds of years. Traditionally, black dye was one of the most expensive dyes and difficult colors to maintain, thus it served as a signifier of wealth. Many people were painted in black in the 16th and 17th centuries, but it wasn't because they were particularly conservative. It was to express their wealth, showing that they could afford the most costly garments.

Most people trace the modern idea of the Little Black Dress to the 1920s. The LBD is most famously associated with Coco Chanel, but it is worth noting that Chanel did not invent the Little Black Dress. She helped to popularize the LBD, it was an important part of her fashion aesthetic, and Chanel's Little Black Dresses are important to the history of fashion. But Chanel was neither the first nor the only designer to embrace the style in the 1920s. British designer Edward Molyneux was also crucial to the promotion of the LBD, and many designers had their own take on it. In 1926, Vogue published a picture of a Chanel LBD. Although it was not referred to as a "Little Black Dress", Vogue did call it "Chanel's Ford", implying that the style was as popular and indispensable as Ford's famous cars. Many historians consider this moment important in the history of the LBD.

Every woman looks great wearing it, and every woman has her own. It is the default date ensemble when it is one of those "I have nothing to wear" days. In fact, it is so popular, so necessary, and so much an institution in women's fashion that we had to ask: "Where did the "little black dress" come from?"

To properly understand the fashion environment necessary to produce such a simplistically fabulous necessity for any wardrobe, we must visit the 1920's. As women shed their long, layered dresses, cut their hair and enjoyed the fast-paced party life, society slowly became more accepting of women baring slightly more of her shoulders, back, and legs. The coveted silhouette of the era was generally very slender and youthful.

It was during the 20's that the legendary fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel first stitched her name into the history of women's clothing design. In fact, Chanel's designs are often considered to be the epitome of the 20's style because her work was so fresh, modern, and updated.

Chanel encouraged and inspired the style we typically envision when we think of flappers. She was fond of working with neutral colors and soft easy-to-wear jersey fabrics that were simple in shape and cut. Chanel was able to infuse comfort and sophistication into fashion, and this combination was considered revolutionary. It was during her early work, that Chanel designed and introduced the first little black dress to the world.

source:http://www.thefashionhistorian.com/2013/01/the-little-black-dress.html

source :http://www.fashion-schools.org/littleblackdressarticle.htm

                                                             HISTORY OF THE  LITTLE BLACK DRESS

11 INSPIRING QUOTES FROM FASHION ICON IRIS APFEL

Fashion legend Iris Apfel turns 95 today. Here are 11 of her saltiest, chicest insights on life and style. 

 "geriatric starlet" Iris Apfel has her priorities straight. According to Apfel, great personal style is about knowing yourself, staying curious, and maintaining a sense of humor. Her career as an interior designer and textile maker has taken her to far corners of the world: to obscure Tunisian bazaars in pursuit of rare antique fabrics, or to Washington D.C. to spearhead a White House restoration project for the Kennedys. In 2005, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art showcased her explosive, exuberant personal collection of accessories, fabrics and garments. Iris, a documentary about her life, hit theaters this past April. When it comes to expressing your individuality through fashion, there is no authority more seasoned than Iris Apfel. Take a look at a few of her pearls of wisdom, and get some serious style inspiration.

                             

source: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/news/a11893/11-inspiring-quotes-from-eternal-fashion-goddess-iris-apfel/

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YOHJI YAMAMOTO DEFINES HIS FASHION FASHION PHILOSOPHY

PARIS, Oct. 21— Yohji Yamamoto may stand barely five feet tall, but his effect on world fashion in the last two years has been enormous. Many people at the recent Paris showings said he is the best of the new Japanese designers - a distinguished group that includes Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Gar,cons, Issey Miyake and Kansai Yamamoto (no relation). Some say he is the best anywhere. His fans use his first name when they discuss his clothes, a sure sign that a designer has arrived. Fashion experts and retailers are often inclined to exaggerate, but Mr. Yamamoto's influence is hard to dispute.'

'When I started designing clothes 12 years ago, I knew there were two ways,'' Mr. Yamamoto, who is 40 years old, said in an interview. ''The first is to work with formal, classical shapes. The other way is to be very casual. That's what I decided on, but I wanted a new kind of casual sportswear that could have the same status as formal clothing. So I use fabrics that are heavy-duty, like army fabrics, or just look heavy-duty, to give the kimono shape a new energy.'' He spoke in English as he sat in his spare white and black showroom near the Les Halles district of Paris. The room, cavernous and brightly lighted, was filled with buyers, trying clothes on from his spring collection.

Loosening the Silhouette

What Mr. Yamamoto and the other Japanese designers have accomplished is a general loosening of the female silhouette. This they have done with large, loose-fitting garments, such as jackets with no traditional construction and a minimum of detail or buttons; dresses that often have a straight, simple shape, and large coats with sweepingly oversized proportions. In general, there is a generosity of proportion and size, often with the kimono as a starting point of design, and fabrics that range from fresh cottons to robust linens to heavy wools. All of this came at a time when women's clothes by most traditional designers were moving in the opposite direction, toward a snugger fit and formality.

For fall, one of Mr. Yamamoto's most successful coats is made of a pressed wool in mustard and brown that has the look of great weight but is as light as a raincoat and has no definable shape, except perhaps a generic coat shape. Worn with simple Western day clothes, a pair of black trousers, a black shirt and black heels, it is one of the chicquer designs this season. Moreover, it can be worn during the day or at night.

It is also a good example of the flexibility of Mr. Yamamoto's clothes because it shows that they work best when they are mixed with Western clothing. When the new clothing from Japan is worn on the street in exactly the same way it is shown on the runway, the result often becomes a shapeless heap of fabric. Mr. Yamamoto is aware of that problem.

''I've become very nervous myself about the volume of the Japanese clothing and the kimono shape, so loose and oversized,'' he said. ''If you go too far with a kimono, the final conclusion is just fabric. That is not fashion. The kimono is easy to copy but difficult to make work. It must be done in a technical way, or it becomes sloppy, too big and too baggy. That is why my new collection has shapes that are narrower. I wrapped the body very tight.''

Mr. Yamamoto also continues to break new ground with his men's clothes. His men's spring collection, for example, has sports jackets, in navy or black, that are loose-fitting, with generous, rounded shoulders and gored backs. They are made of 90 percent cotton and 10 percent polyurethane and, as a result, have the stretch of running clothes. There are ankle- length classic trench coats, in tan or black cottons, with shoulders extended by tailoring, not padding. The trousers, some with elastic waists, are loose-fitting. And there are black cotton pullover shirts with zip collars. What strikes one about Mr. Yamamoto's men's clothes is that they would work as well on women.

Men's Shirts, Women's Skirts

A number of women have, in fact, been buying Mr. Yamamoto's men's clothes in New York at the Charivari Workshop, Columbus Avenue at West 81st Street. According to Jon Weiser, who will be adding a 1,900-square-foot Yohji Yamamoto boutique to his next Charivari store, scheduled to open this fall on West 57th Street, women shop the Yamamoto line in his store by moving back and forth between the men's and women's sections, mixing men's shirts with women's skirts.

''I think that my men's clothes look as good on women as my women's clothing,'' said Mr. Yamamoto. ''And more and more women are buying my men's clothes. It's happening everywhere, and not just with my clothes. Men's clothing is more pure in design. It's more simple and has no decoration. Women want that. When I started designing, I wanted to make men's clothes for women. But there were no buyers for it. Now there are. I always wonder who decided that there should be a difference in the clothes of men and women. Perhaps men decided this.''

In the United States and Europe, Mr. Yamamoto's clothing is bought primarily by professionals, largely because of its cost. A blazer usually sells for around $500. But in Japan his biggest fans are students.

''I am designing for my generation,'' he said, ''but in Japan people are very much seeking the old way of life again. Sexual differentiation in clothing is more important. My major customers there are still the unversity students. My generation isn't ready for me yet. They think Yohji is not fashionable enough for them. They will see.''

source:

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/23/style/yohji-yamamoto-defines-his-fashion-fashion-philosophy.html

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Style Icon  Diana Vreeland

When people ask me who I am inspired by, one of the very first names off the tip of my tongue is Diana Vreeland. She isn’t known to everyone, & she was no great beauty, but then, fame & good looks aren’t everything!

Diana Vreeland was an incredible woman. Born in 1903 in Paris, she spent most of her life in New York & rose to acclaim for her work as fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar & then at Vogue. Later in life, she did a tremendous amount of work for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Flitting from Paris to London & all over the place, her husband’s job caused them to move to New York City in 1937, & she lived there until her death in 1989.
She was brilliant, & of course, that also means she was a little bit nuts. She pronounced her name not as “Diana” but “Dee-Ann”, & loved to invent words, including “pizazz” & “faction” (a combination of fact & fiction)! She obsessively searched for the perfect red, & wore hair blue-black hair slicked back with lacquer. She believed that a “good hairline” was a hallmark of elegance.Diana was not a flashy dresser. She appreciated quality & described her ideal outfit thusly: “I’d like to have on the most luxurious cashmere sweater; the most luxurious satin pants, very beautiful stockings, very beautiful shoes — marvelous — & whatever would be suitable around the neck.”
She spent her mornings in bed, dictating & making notes, & usually showed up at the magazine around noon. Diana is the woman who popularised animal print — when a young Yves St Laurent showcased them in an early collection, she was the one who pushed them to the public.

Diana wrote a fantastic column for Harper’s Bazaar called “Why Don’t You…?” which offered creative — & not necessarily practical — ideas for its readers.
Diana styled her environment just as much as the pages of her magazines. From her flaming red living room to her royal blue floral bedroom to her office which was absolutely covered in pictures, they were all an example of her larger-than-life sense of style.

Bettina Ballard said Diana’s living room was “one of the most attractive atmospheres that I know,” comparing it to “an over-crowded Turkish seraglio on a rather elegant boat.” Books, bibelots, calculated clutter, personal pictures (among them, sketches by Augustus John, Bébé Bérard, & Cecil Beaton of herself), & “treasures, many Scotch snuffboxes in horn & silver, are massed on tables, walls, & shelves looking as if one could never get around to seeing them all. A long-stemmed anemone stands in a long-stemmed vase. There are oriental divans against the wall covered with inviting cushions, & she dines at a table pushed against a divan with bright cushions propped behind her back. She presides on a big Indian print-covered sofa like a sultan’s favourite, before & after dinner, with everyone gathered on small chairs at her feet. She lives in an atmosphere of informal luxury confined in crowded quarters, in an aura of intimacy & mystery.”

This is what her living room looked like.When she was having it designed, she told a friend, ,,I want this romm to be a garden''-but a garden   in hell.''

''YOU  gotta have style, it helps u to get up in the morning. it's a way of life . Without it u're nobody.''(DIANA  VREELAND)

“For years I am & always have been looking out for girls to idealize because they are things to look up to, because they are perfect,” she wrote in her diary. But since she had never discovered “that girl or that woman,” she announced, “I shall be that girl.” (Diana Vreeland)

“The idea of beauty was changing,” she said. “If you had a bump on your nose, it made no difference so long as you had a marvelous body & good carriage. You held your head high, & you were a beauty… You knew how to water-ski, & how to take a jet plane fast in the morning, arrive anywhere, & be anyone when you got off.” (Diana Vreeland, on the 1960s)

“Never worry about the facts. Just project an image to the public.” (Diana Vreeland)

“Don’t look back. Just go ahead. Give ideas away. Under every idea there’s a new idea waiting to be born.” (Diana Vreeland)

Part of the reason I find Diana Vreeland so inspiring is that she was such an original. Her sense of personal style was strong & she did exactly as she pleased. I really admire anyone who puts themselves out there, without censorship or fear of rebuke. She had many cruel things written about her: journalists mocked her starry-eyed “Why Don’t You…?” column & passed judgment on her appearance, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

Being a critic is easy, but Diana changed the course of fashion forever.

“Give ’em what they never knew they wanted!” (Diana Vreeland)

SOURCE:http://galadarling.com/article/style-icons-diana-vreeland/

20 Types of Fashion Styles

1. Trendy
Yup, you guessed correctly: the girl who follows a trendy fashion style is always up-to-date on the latest trends, and probably refreshes her wardrobe four times a year with the changing seasons. She always makes sure she’s following the latest fashion news and always looks like she just stepped off the runway.

2. Casual
When you hear ‘casual’, you probably think ‘frumpy’; and the casual fashion style could really be ANYTHING but frumpy! Women who indulge in the casual fashion style don’t grab the exotic and bold items off the shelves. They would much rather prefer a simple white tee and a pair of black pants with a coordinating and trendy purse. The entire look is very modern and uncluttered with an extra touch of subtle elegance

3. Exotic
Just as the name would describe, exotic fashion is all about wearing something nobody has ever seen before. It’s a collection of bold, mysterious, and eye-catching pieces, usually consisting of vibrant colors and intricate embroidery, fascinating prints and standout jewelry that can be seen from a mile away.

4. Vibrant
A vibrant fashion style is reserved for the lady who wants to say “Hey, look at ME, world!” This energetic and intense fashion style typically features garments with wild patterns and exaggerated embroidery as well as asymmetrical designs and tons of colors. Most of her wardrobe will be lined with super light and pastel colors that draw the attention of everyone’s eyes, no matter where it’s worn.

5. Sexy
There is two main goals of the sexy fashion style: gain the attention of every male around you and show as much skin as legally and humanly possible. Sexy style is all about showing off your *best* features, those being your breasts, stomach, and legs. A woman whose fashion style is set to sexy is usually loaded with plenty of miniskirts, body-con dresses, high heels, and crop tops or low cut tops.

6. Preppy
Preppy girls, often named simply ‘preps’, love to rock a college-inspired wardrobe. Their hangers are lined side to side with girly blouses with matching collared tees as well as a-line skirts and tights. Her hair is almost always amped up with a cute little headband and she usually wears glasses- whether she really needs to or not! This style may appear geeky and slightly luxurious, but the look itself is really not expensive and extravagant at all.

7. Elegant
With the elegant fashion style, refinement and glamour is key. The woman with this type of fashion style won’t step foot outside without looking her best, and pays close attention to creating a wardrobe filled head to toe with the most glamorous and classy pieces. She is a lover of all things that dazzle and wouldn’t be caught without her diamonds and jewels, as well as a very stunning outfit that makes heads turn. She’s the perfect combination of sophisticated and sexy!

8. Bohemian
The bohemian fashion style- always referred to commonly as the ‘boho’ look- can easily be described as a style that focuses mainly on wild and intricate patterns and exotic textures. They get most of their inspiration from gypsys and hippies, creating a standout finish with plenty of tie dye, geometrics, chains, fringes, and other eye-catching designs.

9. Girly
A girly fashion style can most easily be described as the popular vintage style. Most of her outfits consist of plenty of beautiful lace as well as ruffles, hearts, flowers, and pale colors, especially pink and white. She’s a romantic at heart and wants to be treated like a lady at all times. She’s awaiting her prince charming and thus, adorns herself with only the girliest and most lovely fashions.

10. Cowgirl
It’s not hard to point out a gal that wears the cowgirl fashion style! In this particular style, there’s a few staples that are an absolute must for the wardrobe: undoubtedly an adorable cowgirl hat, typically in either some shade of brown or pink, a pair of flared blue jeans with western themed leather belt, denim jacket to match, a pair of cowgirl boots, and a few white t-shirt and plaid button-ups.

11. Girl Next Door
The girl next door. The classic style that’s been around for ages. This fashion style doesn’t pay attention to the latest trends and doesn’t involve anything wild or exotic. This trend focuses on simplicity and cuteness, with a striped tee, shorts, and tennis shoes enough to make her happy. At the end of the day, she just wants to be adorable and casual!

12. Punk
The punk fashion style is all about SCREAMING edge and attitude. Punks like to wear plenty of leather- especially when it comes to jackets and pants- and they wouldn’t be caught in the streets without studs, spikes, and chains. They tend to also indulge in spandex and wild animal prints as well as band tees, boots, and skinny jeans

13. Artsy
Women who enjoy the artsy style tend to stay away from the traditional ‘trends’ of the fashion world and love to make a statement with their clothing. Oftentimes they will be the creator of their own fashions, designing and creating their own blouses, hats, and jackets. Each artsy style will be different per woman, as everyone has their own idea of what ‘art’ truly is. That’s what makes this particular fashion style so unconventional and interesting.

14. Businesswomen
The woman who dresses like a businesswomen is a smart, sophisticated lady who demands and deserves respect from everyone around her. She won’t settle for less and is an over-achiever who considers herself to be high up in society. Her wardrobe is incredibly smart and snazzy, with plenty of blazers and pencil skirts.

15. Tomboy
Tomboys are anything but dowdy; in fact, this style can easily be described as simple and modern. Girls who wear the tomboy look don’t like to wear frills or lace, pinks or other bright colors. They prefer the boyish look, typically wearing jeans with a graphic tee or button-up and a pair of flat shoes to match.

16. Gothic
There is only one thing you need to create the gothic fashion style: BLACK. Everything about the gothic style is black, from black hair to black lips, black shirts to black boots. Women who wear gothic fashions will typically be seen wearing tight-fitting clothing, intricate black dresses, and tons of chains, spikes, studs, and other exotic accessory styles. The overall look is designed to say ‘morbid’ and ‘mysterious’, and that is easily accomplished with the super dark clothing and accessories from head to toe.

17. Rocker
The rocker style is very versatile and will change from person to person, depending on the particular type of rock they love. However, whether you’re sporting a Ramones t-shirt or a Metallica sweatshirt, you’ll have a few things in common: ripped denim, boots, leather jackets and pants, and studs.

18. 50s
A super adorable blast-from-the-past fashion style, the 50s look is all about bright and pastel colors (unless you’re doing a more ‘pinup’ theme, then you’ll wear black and red very often!) in adorable fashions, usually featuring an assortment of flowers and polka dots. Women will typically either wear a high ponytail or lovely curls with this fashion, and poodle skirts are an absolute must.

19. 70s
The 70s fashion style can also easily be referred to as the ‘hippie’ look, where women leave their hair long and straight and add an adorable little flower or stem of flowers to create a natural finish. Their wardrobe will undoubtedly have the classic super-flared jeans and tons of tie-dye tops and accessories, as well as simple white tees to go with their look. Floral patterns are also common in this fashion style and makeup is minimal to maintain a simple and natural appearance.

20. Sporty
It’s rather easy to describe the sporty fashion style: it’s sporty! Girls will typically wear some popular sport companies like Adidas or Nike and will always have runner shoes (or similar style shoes) on. They prefer a simple and subtle look that oozes ‘sports’, with plain colors like white, black, and gray being BIG hits. They won’t strive for anything fashionable or flashy and would prefer sweatpants, tight runner pants, and basic tees. Don’t forget the ponytail to finish it off!

There’s so many fashion styles out there! Which one do you prefer? Would you ever try one of these other styles? Let us know below<3

 source:  http://www.herinterest.com/types-of-fashion-styles/

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