THE LBD: AN EDUCATION

The little black dress is an item of clothing that unites all women in style. It is the epitome of staple-dom, and a steadfast 'fix-it' item for any and every impromptu fashion dilemma. 

The little white dress tried to get a look in over the summer months but the longevity just wasn't there (forget cost per wear, the ratio of concern is 'wear vs wash' - obviously black overrules white in this ongoing rivalry). The ubiquitous LBD was deemed 'a uniform for all women of taste' by Vogue in the 1920's and has since become somewhat of a cult classic with Chanel bringing the LBD to the masses whilst Hollywood embraced it's mysterious/sexy/polished/femme fatale qualities in numerous films (e.g. Holly Golightly's chic LBD and pearl set in Breakfast At Tiffany's & Marilyn Monroe in 'The Asphalt Jungle').

(The iconic image that a million women have tried to emulate)

However, all of this had no effect on the Boyfriend as I tried to convince him of the LBD's necessity to my closet's well-being; plus he'd never heard of 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' - it pained me to type that. Selecting Christmas presents with your loved ones remains a place of contention. They plead for you to 'help them out' and select a few items - 'to make a list' - only for them to  nitpick over everything you've chosen. Your preference doesn't matter. But I thought, "not this time pal!" 

Versatility doesn't translate into the male lexicon it would seem. Whether he thought I was exaggerating the potential outfit possibilities of the LBD I'm not sure, but after a quick google search to back up - what he considered to be my postulations - the dress was bought. In spite of this however, he continued to question the place of the LBD in my wardrobe. Did I need it? What shoes would I wear with it? How would I style it? This last one irritated me to breaking point. Was he fishing for further gift ideas? Or was this an affront to my styling capabilities? I couldn't be sure either way. 

(Casual dressing down to a T - or should I say, LBD?!)

I can kinda see his lack of understanding. In man land the closest thing to the LBD is erm, clean underwear? In that every man should own at least one but that doesn't necessarily mean that they do. I guess you could say that what the LBD does for female fashion, fresh underwear does for male cleanliness. However, I digress… 

(Monroe, exposing her lesser known asset…)

The only resolution I figured, was a show and tell, so I took to polyvore to bring my LBD to life, going from night to day - and hopefully putting this issue to bed. The *intended* lesson here: LBD's rule! 

The Day Time Look

(Dress: Zara; Jumper: La Garçonne; Jacket: modekungen; Hat: Vans; Sunglasses: Net-A-Porter; Backpack: Mulberry; Shoes: Superga; Necklace: Pink Mascara)

Keeping it casual in neutral colours; offset with warm reds, dark teal suede and layers galore & Nothing says 'off-duty' like a contradictory woolly hat and shades combination.

The Night Time Look

(Dress: Zara; Jacket: Moschino; Heels: Valentino; Clutch: Poppy Lissiman; All Jewellery: House Of Harlow 1960)

Amping it up with a slinky pair of heels and fun accessories - because nothing says 'night on the town' quite like red, orange and green. Are you with me? There's nothing like a colour clash to lift an LBD!

I plan to leave my computer casually lying around in his company; open on this very page and hope that this becomes the catalyst for his indoctrination education into the realm all things fashion - dahling. Will it work? Who knows but my back up plan is to play 'Coco Before Chanel' on repeat while he sleeps and hope that seeps into his subconscious. Watch this space. 

(Images Via: lovelyish.com, atelierblog.com, vogue.fr, lamodelmafia.com & Pinterest)