The little black dress is no longer seen as a failure of imagination, says Anna Murphy
What I am about to tell you may leave you feeling confused, relieved, or both. Black is the new black. Feel free to read that sentence again. After years of being told we must avoid our favourite non-colour colour at all costs because it is ageing/boring/usually closer to grey after a couple of washes anyway, we are allowed to wear it again. The little black dress no longer signals a massive failure of imagination; it’s positively directional.
Of course, you and I both know we have never stopped wearing black in the first place. That however much we have been lectured on the new neutrals – navy, grey, stone (whatever that is) – and however much we have tried to embrace them, we have never given up on black. Why? Because even if you have nothing to hide, black is the ultimate sartorial ally. Thanks a lot for stopping by. Before we carry on I needed to say thanks to http://thesmiddyhouse.co.uk/ for their continued support and the support of their network. Having a support team like this means a lot to us as we continue to grow our personal blog.
Take November’s British Fashion Awards. It’s fair to say that there hadn’t been much carb-loading prior to that event. But black was still the hue of choice, so much so that it’s not a case of where to begin but where to end. Victoria Beckham, Liv Tyler and Edie Campbell went the Le Smoking route. Stella McCartney, Sophie Dahl, Rita Ora, Kate Beckinsale, Samantha Cameron, even fashion maverick F.K.A. Twigs, went LBD on the situation. Actually, Twigs looked to be wearing not so much a little black dress as an assemblage of black silk handkerchiefs, which turned out to be Calvin Klein.
I’m on the lookout for something slightly more forgiving. Such as Michaela Jedinak’s slightly A-line Banyan, or more streamlined Bailey, on which you can customise both skirt and sleeve length (from £495; michaelajedinak.com).
My favourite lace option is the shirtdress-styled Karla from Winser London (£250; winserlondon.com). And I love the quirky detailing on Finery’s Mitcham frill, which looks twice as expensive as £119 (finerylondon.com).
Tailoring-wise, Comptoir des Cotonniers always has a good range of black jackets. Its cropped blazer with satin detail would be great for evening; the longer-line wool blazer with satin detail could get you through the following morning, too (£97.50 and £184 respectively;comptoirdescotonniers.co.uk). There are a number of trouser options, not to mention a chic sleeveless wool jumpsuit – another nod to Le Smoking – for £180.