All century in one dress

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

More recently, fashion has undergone another revolution: color has returned. Not that it hadn't been used at all before, but real chic and elegance were associated primarily with black. The rest could pretend to be eccentric and sexy, but not good manners. And now, for several seasons, multicolor has been in fashion. And sometimes in an extreme form - remember the recently dominant mix, which made it possible to mix a Scottish cage and floral ornaments in one outfit. The mix is gradually losing ground, and the color is gaining momentum. The designers advised to celebrate the New Year in gold, diluting it with red, yellow, purple. The collections of winter are abundantly presented with transparent inserts, fluttering frills and ruffles, pleating, and all sorts of small, but extremely curious details. But how many are able to withstand the dominance of color over reality? There are a lot of holidays in winter … Does everyone have their own outfit? Overhead! Moreover, it is expensive not only for the average Russian citizen, but also for another secular lady with an aristocratic pedigree: the position obliges to buy haute couture dresses, and they are, oh, how expensive! You can, of course, spend money on one, but absolutely stunning. But there is an unspoken rule that almost all women obey: do not appear twice in a row in the same outfit. Here the faint-hearted surrender - and extract heavy artillery from the depths of the wardrobe. Small black dress.

Women are said to have worn modest black dresses in the past. There were special reasons for this. As a rule, it is mourning. Or poverty. A widow, a shop assistant, a lonely old maid … In any case, he was not associated with cheerfulness. Was he trendy? Sometimes. When Queen Victoria of England was widowed, the whole country followed her in mourning. However, black dress became a fetish much later. It was invented in 1926 by fashion extremist Gabrielle Chanel. But his appearance was preceded by a long work of fashionable thought.

At the turn of the century, couturier Paul Poiret suggested that ladies abandon corsets. Then the women, in a fit of coquetry and for the sake of cycling, slightly opened their legs. The First World War and economic upheavals forced women to lead an increasingly active lifestyle, which long skirts only hindered. Less and less matter was spent on outfits, and the cut was more and more meticulous. The stage was set for the appearance of the little black dress.

Gabrielle Chanel invented it in 1926. Before that there were women's trousers, sailor suit, canvas suits, knitted blouses. In everything - emphasized simplicity and brevity. They have become a symbol of new chic. But Chanel's philosophy was most fully expressed precisely in a small black dress. What did it look like then? No frills: no collar, buttons, laces, folds, ruffles and fringes. With a semicircular neckline and long, slim sleeves. A special fad is the length of the skirt. To stop in time is a great art, and Mademoiselle mastered it perfectly. Chanel said that many couturiers know how the top of a dress should look, and only she alone knows how to make it bottom. She considered the length above the knees unacceptable: the knees seemed to her the most ugly part of a woman's body.

It was no coincidence that the little dress was black: Chanel lost her lover. But everything she came up with instantly became fashionable. Therefore, half of the world dressed in mourning.

This step turned out to be symbolic: in the 20th century there were many reasons for grief. The world was shaken by wars, economic depressions. Carelessness has lost its charm. Even in the evening, after a business day, the woman seemed to remain on the alert, dressing in a dress of a strict cut.

It is surprising that the beautiful half of humanity, always so energetically defending their uniqueness, agreed to wear rather faceless clothes. It turned out that the little black dress was a double-bottomed thing. It could be so imperceptible that the beauty of the female body stood out against its background brighter than usual. It did not divert attention from the personality of its mistress to intricate outfits. It was a completely new philosophy. Even the word "dress up" suddenly took on a negative connotation.

It seemed that this dress brought democracy to fashion. Any woman could afford such an outfit - even with very modest incomes. It was enough to have only one dress in the wardrobe to feel well dressed. They say that after the death of Gabrielle Chanel (a very wealthy woman), only three outfits were found in her wardrobe. But fashion is always social in nature - so it was with the little black dress. Chanel, who invented it, had a very impressive collection of jewelry. At the dawn of her fashion career, she suggested wearing fake pearls and base metal chains. But already in the early 1920s, under the influence of her Russian friend, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, she discovered the bright luxury of Byzantine jewelry. Everything that Chanel liked was immediately embodied in her models. Therefore, the black dress has become a backdrop for jewelry splendor. And adornments give out social status with their heads. And democracy somehow faded into the background. Designer Mila Nadtochiy told how she was struck by her meeting with a "real" little black dress: it hung in the window - absolutely laconic, devoid of details, and next to it on a velvet pillow lay a luxurious diamond necklace, as an absolutely necessary detail of the toilet. The faceless dress did not at all equalize all women - for this they loved him even more. And it turned into a real nightmare of the 20th century: its shortcomings were visible to the naked eye, but it was impossible to refuse from it.

Many designers, like Chanel herself later, experimented a lot with sleeve length, neck shape, skirt length, trim. And here's what it turned out: any deviation from the original version (a cropped skirt, deep neckline, buttons, lace, collars, cuffs) deprived the little dress of its unique facelessness. It became business, cocktail, evening - and ceased to be universal, which means that it required new investments in the wardrobe. The modified dress was striking, remembered by others - and it became dangerous to wear it too often. In addition, the decorations had to be constantly changed.

Time has dispelled the legend that a little black dress suits any woman. It obliges to have a good figure: tight lines can flaunt any flaw. Legs in general should be close to perfection, because the length to the middle of the knees is the most dangerous. And the black color, which is credited with the ability to slim, requires flawless skin. There is nothing worse than a lady with a gray complexion and a swollen figure, dressed in a short black dress.

The Chanel fashion house continues to exist even after the death of its founder. At different times, different designers collaborated with him. But the Chanel style was again loudly talked about when the German Karl Lagerfeld took the helm. And they started talking because he turned the idea of style upside down. He shortened the skirts, brought in bright colors, defiant lines. And it’s hard to describe in words what he turned the little black dress into. It got to the point that it became … white. And what? Critics agreed that the great Mademauzel would certainly not have approved of such experiments. But Lagerfeld's models perfectly matched the spirit of the times - and this is what Chanel has always fought for.

Chanel's invention has long been transformed from a dress into an idea. The idea of clothing suitable for everyone, regardless of age, skin color, individual characteristics. And isn't dressing like an idea too boring? And is it really necessary to hide your beauty in the mourning of the past century?

Victoria Selantieva