‘Little Black Dress’ Launch Party at Manchester House

The Little Black Dress, or ‘LBD’ is probably the most simplistic, and revered of fashion items.

It transcends generations and it is not dictated by fashion month. It is timeless, flattering and classic.

It makes sense then, that Manchester-based online dresses boutique Little Black Dress (www.littleblackdress.co.uk) has utilised the term as its site name.

And the boutique, which boasts everything you could need for a special evening out – dresses, bags and beautiful jewellery included – has just launched it’s own rage of dresses.

Three guesses what style of dress the collection is based on?

You got it: the little black kind.

Mundane and predictable, you may think, and trust me: I did too. I’m more of a Little White Dress girl myself.

But the guys at LBD.co.uk have not – repeat – have not disappointed.

There are feathers and sheer, polka dots and netting. Plus each piece, which have been assigned one of five sub-sections – Glamorous, Classic, Sexy, Unique and Feminine – are all named after famous and fabulous celebrity women.

As you might expect, the ‘Audrey’ is amongst the bunch: pleated at the bust, gracefully tapered at the knee and… abounding in gently boned Ostrich feathers!

This fantastic addition of quirk is apparent in every single one of the twenty dresses in the debut collection, transforming an ordinarily boring piece back into the exciting showstopper it used to be.

Personal favourites are the Jennifer (Lawrence) with it’s heart-shaped cut-out bodice amongst the sequin, mesh inserts, the Taylor (Swift) which boasts appliqué-detailed drop waist design and the Alexa (Chung) which nods to the fash pack queen with it’s Peter Pan collar and cuffs.

These are not dresses that will blend into the sea of body-con black that has become the snore-worthy fare of thousands of dull women; they are pieces that live up to the icons that christened them.

Pictures credit: Stewart Cartwright