the little black dress

The little black dress of “Coco” Chanel, celebrates its 80th birthday. So, where is the future? In November 1926 French Vogue published a sketch of the Chanel petite robe noire in its original incarnation, labelling it the ultimate “uniform for the modern woman”.It was cut in matt black crepe, had a high neckline, long, narrow sleeves and stopped just above the knee. Unusually for its time - statement dressing was then, as now, a rather more ostentatious affair - it had no collar, no buttons and neither embroidery nor any other surface embellishment. Simple, graceful, eternal, for a woman of 21th century.