Which French fashion designer introduced the little black dress?

Coco Chanel introduced the little black dress as a modern fashion staple.

Fashion historians commonly trace the little black dress to Coco Chanel’s designs of the 1920s. Chanel helped transform black from a color strongly associated with mourning or servants’ clothing into a versatile, elegant choice for women’s everyday and evening wardrobes.

The landmark moment came in 1926, when American Vogue published an image of a simple, straight Chanel black dress. The magazine compared its accessible design to the Ford automobile, suggesting that it could become a broadly available uniform for stylish women. Its restrained cut also suited the economic pressures of the Great Depression, when affordable clothing had particular appeal.

Chanel is not the only designer associated with famous black dresses. Hubert de Givenchy designed Audrey Hepburn’s celebrated dress for Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961, but that garment popularized an existing fashion idea rather than originating the LBD concept. The little black dress remains defined by simplicity, versatility and the ability to shift from daytime wear to formal dress through accessories.