How to Style a Little Black Dress in a Vintage Way

September 25, 2022

Last Updated on March 10, 2023 by Dominique de Merteuil

In this article, I will show you how to style a little black dress in a vintage way and make it suitable for daywear as well as evening attire.

How to style a little black dress with the help of accessories;

1. A wide vintage belt will elevate your little black dress.
2. Colourful gloves, vintage or contemporary, will make any dress stand out from the crowd.
3. Make a statement with a detachable collar.
4. Jewellery-simple is good, but over-the-top is better and will help transform the most modest LBD into the belle of the ball.
5. Vintage Channel clip-on earrings are always a good idea.
6. Flats versus high heels.
7. Don’t be afraid to experiment with vintage hats.

If like me, you have a penchant for the LBD, you know that it’s the most versatile piece of garment one could have, and it’s also a wardrobe staple.

It can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. And with minimum effort, by adding a vintage brooch, belt or swapping flats for high-heels, as if with the touch of a magic wand, you can change its entire look.

Different Ways of Styling a Vintage & Contemporary Little Black Dress

The first one is plain and perhaps even slightly unremarkable as a piece from the 1950s. The second one, equally simple and at first glance slightly more elegant than the vintage dress, is a contemporary design.

With the help of a few vintage accessories, I will teach you how to transform a little black dress into a beacon of glamour.

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The Little Black Dress-How it all Started

The very controversial Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, once said,

When the little black dress is right, then there is nothing else to wear in its place.

Wallis Simpson

And I have to agree with her wholeheartedly, as there is nothing more elegant than a little black dress. It’s a real fashion saviour when you need to shift from daytime to evening and flit from one event to another.

Its Parisian chic, lauded by Simpson was the trademark look of Edith Piaf and owes its fame to Coco Chanel. Her Model T (as in Ford) design for a little black dress first appeared as a drawing in a 1926 edition of American Vogue. And while Chanel may have laid down the design principle and made it accessible to women of all classes and financial backgrounds, it was Christian Dior, who gave it drama, and Hubert de Givenchy’s creation for Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that defined the look forever.

And in case you’ve ever wondered, I would be in the Christain Dior camp, had the opportunity presented itself and I was so lucky to wear an original 1950s Dior dress. Especially if it looked like the one in the middle

The Little Black Dress Will Make You Feel Like Million Bucks

We may take it for granted now, but at the time, Chanel’s choice of colour for her creation was bold, although women wore black dresses before the 1920s, and not necessarily because of the mourning tradition.

Chanel certainly cemented the position of a black dress in fashion and by making her design so simple, she made it possible for women on even the smallest budget to feel like a million bucks.

The Seductive Black Dress-From Widow’s Weeds to the Streets

Victorian mourning attire paved the way for the little black dress that became the symbol for women’s liberation, and dare I say, sexual freedom, in the 20th and 21st centuries.

When we look at paintings and fashion plates from the 19th century depicting mourning dresses, it’s fair to say that the clothing worn during bereavement was, at times, more extravagant and beautiful than everyday wear. It was governed by its own rules of fashion. And this explains why black evening gowns were gaining in popularity amongst non-grieving ladies.

Many people felt that it was inappropriate to put so much emphasis on Widow’s weeds. After all, It was impossible, for those on minuscule income to follow the newest mourning fashions.

Sarah Stickney Ellis described it best in 1843, Chapter XII ( Public Opinion-Pecuniary Resources-Integrity.)

The Woman of England: Their Social Duties, and Domestic Habits.

One would suppose, however, on a superficial view of it, that the wearing of black, as a general costume indicative of the absence of festivity or merriment from the bereaved family, was all that had been originally intended by this custom; and that it should thus become an outward testimony of respect and sorrow for the dead. The fashion of the world, however, has imposed upon this custom. (…) So extremely becoming and lady-like is the fashionable style of mourning, that under the plea of paying greater respect to the memory of the dead, it has become the object of ambition to wear it in its greatest excellence; and equally an object of dread and source of humiliation, to be compelled to wear it in an inferior style.

Sarah Stickney Ellis

‘A Widow and her Freinds’ by Charles Dana Gibson

In 1901, one of my favourite illustrators, Charles Dana Gibson, published a series of illustrations depicting a beautiful widow, and her journey of bereavement and recovery.

This is a perfect example of a widow as the forbidden fruit and object of sexual desire.

She is the centre of wanted or unwanted attention from both; men, and women. The first wants her, the latter wants her gone. It’s like Oscar Wilde said,

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

Oscar Wilde

The widow’s black but very revealing gown emphasised pale skin and the fact that she was unattainable, which made her truly desirable. The forbidden fruit. A beautiful woman of means and sexual experience.

“Some think that she has remained in retirement too long. Others are surprised that she is about so soon.”

Here, you can buy the original 1901 edition of the ‘A Widow and Her Friends‘ booklet.

As a Goth, I find the black dress against pale skin, incredibly erotic and judging by the fascination of the Victorians with death, I think many of them would have agreed with my ideal of beauty, corseted pale beauty that is.

Black Was no Longer the Colour of Mourning

The strict rules of mourning etiquette ceased to exist with the start of WWI. After all, everyone was grieving the passing of a family member or a spouse. A black dress was no longer associated strictly with widow’s weeds.

The Little Black Dress-Symbol of Independence, Power & Sex.

The little black dress is a true classic. It gave noir to the films of Rita Hayworth as Gilda, Joan Crawford, Veronica Lake and Lana Turner, to name but a few. And its simple elegance never goes out of style.

In the picture on the right, I’m wearing my favourite little black dress from the 1940s. And how similar is it to Joan Crawford’s dress in the picture on the left? I call it the understated chic.

What makes the dress so perfect are the beautifully proportioned padded shoulders, adorned by velvet detail on the sharp collar, and sash, that no accessory in the world could do justice to.

In this instance, all that’s required are red lipstick, and perfectly manicured nails, preferably in ‘Jungle Red”. And if you are familiar with The Women from 1939, you will get the reference.

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How to Style a Little Black Dress the Vintage Way

How to Style a 1950s LBD

I chose a 1950s little black dress to show you how to style it in different ways. The same rules apply to any other vintage or contemporary attire.

When people say that the devil is in the details, I always respond that the devil is in accessories. With the help of a 1950s black patent belt and olive leather gloves, I turned the dress into an outfit suitable for lunch with friends, a date or a cocktail party.

Accessories that will Transform a Little Black Dress

THE BELT

1. A wide patent belt, like the 1950s one I used here, is the perfect accessory to add some sex appeal to a plain black dress. It also emphasizes the waist beautifully. In case you are new to my blog, and for full disclosure, I often wear the CS 201 Orchard Corset waist cincher under vintage clothes, and the little black dress was no exception.

If you wish to draw attention to your midriff, I suggest that you experiment with different colours when choosing a belt. Green, red or purple would look incredible against the sumptuous black fabric.

THE GLOVES

2. I’m an ardent collector of vintage gloves because they are an integral part of any vintage outfit regardless of the season. They also look incredible paired with an LBD, vintage and contemporary.

The statement elbow gloves, leather or suede, will add a lot of va-va-voom to your outfit. And don’t think that they are reserved for a night at the opera because the strict glove etiquette from the 19th century is no longer valid.

When looking for gloves, follow your own taste when choosing the colour, fabric and length. Are you familiar with the saying that something fits like a glove? Make sure they are not too snug, or you will damage them, and not too big because they will not look right.

THE DETACHABLE COLLAR

3. As much as I love silk scarfs because they are so effortlessly chic, and require little effort on the part of the wearer, I find detachable collars much more glamorous and fun. They make for the perfect accessory for the little black dress and are suitable for the day and evening.

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And for those of you who can’t imagine an outfit without a scarf, I suggest something unique, like the Abbie Walsh necktie.

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JEWELLERY

You can never go wrong with a (faux) pearl necklace, ostentatious costume jewellery, and, of course, Chanel clip-on earrings.

Let your imagination & budget be the guide in your choice of statement jewellery, and remember, that you don’t have to spend a fortune on bijouterie. I would rather buy a 1950s Coro brooch embellished with rhinestones than something contemporary adorned with diamonds.

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SHOP CHANEL CLIP-ON EARRINGS

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FLATS OR HEELS?

There is no right or wrong answer. You can wear high heels with a little black dress in the evening and flats during day time, or vice versa. The one thing I would note is that flats should look as if you chose them because they look like a work of art, and not simply because they are comfortable.

And remember,

One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress.

Karl Lagerfeld

Where to Find the Perfect Little Black Dress!

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