About Beyond the Little Black Dress
Beyond the Little Black Dress deconstructs this iconic garment and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion.
In 1926 Coco Chanel designed a simple, short black dress. The little black dress became a wardrobe staple and a blank canvas for future generations to reflect broader political and cultural shifts, challenge social norms around race, gender and sexuality and reflect evolving ideals of beauty and identity.
Featuring over 60 garments, this exhibition charted a century of fashion through a series of themed, immersive displays. On display were early 20th century pieces by Chanel, Dior and Jean Muir alongside contemporary looks by designers such as Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha, Comme des Garçons and ground-breaking Black British designers like Joe Casely-Hayford and Maximilian.
The exhibition featured Black British designers whose work explores both Blackness in terms of identity and the role the colour black plays in crafting a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. Elsewhere, the exhibition considers how perceptions of the colour black differ in a global context, as well as how the intervention of smart technologies is establishing a blueprint for a more sustainable future.
"A model fashion exhibition: stylish, surprising, sexy..."
Image gallery
Exhibition highlights
Stories from the exhibition
100 years of the Little Black Dress
Explore the evolution and reinvention of the LBD in popular culture in the 20th and 21st centuries, through garments from our collection.Find out morePreparing garments for display
Beyond the Little Black Dress (2023) showcased almost 100 years of the little black dress. Go behind the scenes and discover how garments were cared for and handled in preparation for this exhibition.Watch
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