Chloe Fox tells us why you’ll never go out of style in a Little Black Dress

Nadia Catherine ?Zegmott, Journalism Undergraduate, University of Roehampton

The topic of conversation at Wimbledon BookFest with Chloe Fox and Camilla Morton was, of course, fashion and more specifically highlighted two rather compelling trends: leopard print and the little black dress (LBD).

From the offset, Chloe Fox admits that she was a total nerd and not a trendy teenager, in fact she openly says: “I’m no fashion expert.” Regardless, Fox has climbed up the fashion ladder and has worked for some of the leading names in the industry, this includes her role as a fashion associate at Vogue, as well as the recent publication of her book, Vogue Essentials: The Little Black Dress, which was the focus point of conversation between the two fashionistas.

Whilst the LBD and leopard print appear as contrasting opposites to look at, in the fashion industry they are held in high regard. Leopard print allows you to be bold and fierce, while the LBD acts as a blank canvas, awaiting us to put our own twist on the timeless classic.

It goes without saying that many of us women can proudly hold our hands up and admit we are proud owners of one, if not more LBDs. And rightfully so we should be.
“It’s not even 100 years old; 1926 Coco Chanel’s LBD appeared on the pages of American Vogue,” Fox says. “This was going to be the dress for all women, for every day and everywhere.”

Despite there being the stigma attached to the colour black: it is the colour of mourning and grief, Fox says that, “it was quite scandalous to wear black for anything but”.

The now, timeless classic, first became an iconic garment when worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Since then, the LBD has been seen on countless occasions on designer runways, red carpet events and in high street and high-end stores.

The black dress empowers women because its main form of beauty holds that there are no rules with how you should wear it. “It’s what you make it, and that is the secret of its endurance,” says Fox. Accessories and a LBD should become your best friends; the LBD is only boring if you think it’s boring – accessorising will bring it to life.

The LBD can be seen as prim or sexy depending on how you wear it. This is part of the beauty of the LBD; block colours tend to change as the seasons pass, however, black has become a universal colour that makes an appearance no matter the weather.

It is rare that pieces of garments are able to have stories of their own, but this is precisely what the LBD is; it consists of a long history, stigmas that have now been turned into successes and is a fashion must-have for every woman for every day.