My Short Career as a Style Stalker (Part One)

This melancholy looking girl is wearing a ubiquitous little black dress. I can't really say it's a super duper fantastic outfit, but it's certainly a welcome change from all those people in Boni High Street wearing jeans and slippers or office wear. It's definitely understandable, since I decided to stalk people during the weekdays (having spent my weekend in the hot springs of Laguna. Certainly fun, but hardly teeming with fashionably dressed people. Or even dressed people for that matter.) I really like how this girl made a black dress seem appropriate for summer. The sandals are pretty and her hair is worn long and free without fuss. It's easy, comfortable and perfectly appropriate for the weather and the time of day (which was a really hot Monday night)

The little black dress is one of the most versatile article of clothing that a woman can have in her wardrobe. It's a blank canvas that can be worn dressed down with no ornamentation, or dressed up with a rope of pearls and a tiara. It fits every budget, can be bought practically anywhere and its neutral color goes well with anything.

Historians say that the little black dress originated from a design from Coco Chanel in the 1920's. But black dresses have been worn earlier than that. The most noteworthy example is during the Victorian era when mourning had become fashionable and had all sorts of rules for the proper wearing and use of fabric, color and trim.

The little black dress continued to be popular through the Great Depression, predominantly through its economy and elegance, albeit with the line lengthened somewhat. Hollywood's influence on fashion in North America helped the little black dress's popularity, but for more practical reasons: as Technicolor movies became more common, filmmakers relied on little black dresses because other colors looked distorted on screen and botched the coloring process. During World War II, the style continued in part due to widespread rationing of textiles and in part as a common uniform (accessorized for businesswear) for civilian women entering the workforce.

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s epitomized the Chanel ideal for wearing little black dresses, accessorized with pearls, as was frequently seen throughout the early 1960s.

Edith Piaf performed in a black sheath dress throughout her career: for this habit she was nicknamed “little black sparrow." It was thought that the dress helped audiences focus more on Piaf's singing and less on her appearance.

In my opinion, the Little Black Dress is such a staple that in the Trend Cycle Chart, it still is at its Peak with so signs of ever going down the arc. It's that universal and that fabulous.

-Lyra Kristine Meneses