A little black dress is an evening or cocktail dress,cut simply and often with a short skirt,originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel.Intended by Chanel to be long-lasting,versatile,affordable,accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color,its continued ubiquity is such that many refer to it by its abbreviation,LBD.
The "little black dress" is considered essential to a complete wardrobe by many women and fashion observers,who believe it a "rule of fashion" that every woman should own a simple,elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion:for example,worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime business wear or with more ornate jewelry and accessories for evening.Because it is meant to be a staple of the wardrobe for a number of years,the style of the little black dress ideally should be as simple as possible:a short black dress that is too clearly part of a trend would not qualify because it would soon appear dated.