Dresses5 minute read

How to style a little black dress, one hundred years on

In October 1926 Vogue printed a plain black dress by Chanel and called it the Ford. A hundred years on, here is how to wear one to dinner, to a party and by day.

By MasidasNov 12, 2026

Simplex munditiis. Plain in thy neatness. Horace, Odes, book 1; English by John Milton

To style a little black dress, add one thing at a time and stop early. The dress stays the same. The bag, the shoe and the coat decide where it goes.

That rule is a hundred years old this season. Here is where it came from, and how to use it with the three black dresses at Masidas.

The little black dress at one hundred

For most of the nineteenth century, black meant grief. A widow was expected to wear it for at least a year.

Then, in October 1926, American Vogue printed a drawing of a plain black dress by Coco Chanel. It was straight and calf length, with a few diagonal lines for ornament. The magazine named it the Ford, after the Model T: simple, and meant for everyone. It would become, Vogue said, a sort of uniform for all women of taste.

It did. In 1961 Givenchy designed a black dress for Audrey Hepburn to wear in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In December 2006 one of the originals sold at Christie’s in London for £467,200.

1926 Vogue prints a plain black dress by Chanel and calls it the Ford.
1961 Givenchy designs a black dress for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
2006 One of the originals sells at Christie’s in London for £467,200.
2026 The little black dress turns one hundred.

The idea is far older than the dress. Two thousand years ago Horace wrote of a woman binding back her golden hair. His words for her were simplex munditiis. Milton turned them into English as plain in thy neatness.

Black was for grief. Then it was for everyone.

How to style a little black dress for dinner

For dinner, choose a dress with some structure and add very little. Our puff sleeve V neck midi dress is a leather look midi with puff shoulders, a V neck and a close fit. Its page says that it suits dinner or a winter wedding.

The shoulders are the statement, so keep the neck bare. Add one small bag and a low heel, such as the pointed toe block heel loafers. If the room is cold, lay a knit over your shoulders, as in the third picture.

A woman in the puff sleeve V neck midi dress in black, turned to one side, one hand at her neck — The puff sleeve midi, for dinner.

Close up of the V neck, the puff shoulder and the waistband of the puff sleeve V neck midi dress in black — The neck stays bare.

Puff sleeve V neck midi dress, Black, full look with a knit over the shoulders, walking — A knit over the shoulders, one small bag.

How to style a little black dress for a party

A party dress should carry its own ornament. Our one shoulder ruched evening dress is floor length, in a matte jersey. Fine ruching runs in diagonal folds from one shoulder to the opposite hip. A gold tone pin sits at the hip, above a high slit.

That pin is the jewelry. Add earrings and stop there. Wear your hair off the bare shoulder, and carry a bag small enough to hold in one hand.

A woman in the one shoulder ruched evening dress in black, one hand on the hip, the skirt open at a high slit — The one shoulder evening dress.

Close up of the one shoulder neckline, the diagonal ruching and the gold tone pin of the evening dress in black — Ruching, and one gold tone pin.

A woman walking in the one shoulder ruched evening dress in black, the long skirt moving around a high slit — It moves when you do.

How to style a little black dress by day

By day, a black dress wants texture and a belt. Our ribbed V neck sweater dress is a fine rib knit with a standing collar that opens into a deep, narrow V. It has long fitted sleeves and a hem at the lower calf.

Belt it, and add tall boots. The woven leather belt is braided, with a square antique brass buckle. The tall riding boots are knee high, with a plain shaft and a low heel. Brown against black is the oldest daytime trick there is.

Ribbed V neck sweater dress, Black, full look, with pointed loafers and a top handle bag — By day: a belt and tall boots.

Ribbed V neck sweater dress, Black, close up of the standing collar and the V neck, a hand on the hip — The standing collar.

A woman in the lapel collar longline overcoat in apricot, worn open over black, both hands in the pockets — A pale coat over black.

What to carry with a little black dress

A black dress is a blank page for a bag. There are two honest choices. Match it, with a black bag that disappears. Or set one pale or warm bag against it, and let that be the only contrast.

Our East West shoulder bag in black is the first kind: long and low, it sits under the arm. The pebbled top handle flap bag in cream is the second, and its page says to carry it by the handle to dinner. The belted baguette shoulder bag in coffee warms a black knit by day.

The East West shoulder bag in black, on its own: a long, low bag with two slim shoulder handles — Match it: the East West bag in black.

The pebbled top handle flap bag in cream, on its own: a small structured bag with a top handle and a strap — Or contrast it: cream.

The belted baguette shoulder bag in coffee, on its own, with a buckled belt across the front — Coffee, for the day.

What to wear over it, and how it should fit

A long coat finishes the line. Our longline tailored coat hangs open over a dress, and the lapel collar longline overcoat has wide notch lapels. A pale coat over a black dress is the same contrast as the cream bag, only larger.

As for fit, the dress should skim and never pull. Check the bust and the length in each size table against a dress you own. All three of ours can be machine washed cold, as their pages say.

A woman walking in the longline tailored coat in coffee, worn open over a black turtleneck and black trousers — A long coat over black.

The one shoulder ruched evening dress in black, on its own, showing the ruched bodice and the long gathered skirt — The dress itself: nothing to add.

Questions about the little black dress

What color shoes go with a black dress?

Black makes the longest line. Brown boots suit the day, and a metallic or deep red heel suits the night.

What jewelry goes with a black dress?

Gold tone or pearls, and one focal point. If the dress has its own ornament, earrings are enough.

Can you wear a black dress to a wedding?

To an evening wedding, in most places, yes. Add color in the bag or the shoes. Our guide on what to wear to a fall wedding covers the dress codes.

Who invented the little black dress?

Fashion historians credit Coco Chanel and her designs of the 1920s. The drawing in Vogue in October 1926 made it famous.

Masidas sells knitwear, coats and dresses for women and men. See every style in women’s dresses, and the coats in women’s coats and jackets. For the season ahead, read what to wear to a holiday party.

A hundred years on, the advice has not changed. Plain in thy neatness.