Building A Capsule Wardrobe: The Little Black Dress

Building A Capsule Wardrobe: The Little Black Dress

"When a little black dress is right, there is nothing to wear in it's place." -Edith Piaf

During the 1920s Chanel created a little black dress which popularized black dresses for women. After her lover Boy Capel died in 1919, Chanel wore and made black dresses inspired by the women in mourning she had seen in the French villages as a child. In 1929 Vogue printed an image of one of Chanel's black dresses in their article on Parisian Fashion. Implying the popularity and instant long term appeal of the 'LBD', Vogue dubbed the dress 'the Chanel Ford', linking it with the popularity of Henry Ford's Model-T motor cars. 

Ford was known to have said "any customer can have a car painted in any colour that he wants so long as it is black". 

Practical, flattering and sophisticated, the little black dress could carry women from the afternoon through the popular cocktail hours. Made from crepe de chine, the 'Chanel Ford' dress featured a slashed neckline, a bodice that bloused slightly at the front and sides, a tight bolero at the back and diagonal pin-tucks across the front. It was simple, elegant and very in keeping with the modern way of life. Over time the dress grew to become a staple in the wardrobe, as women heeded Chanel's advice. 

"One is never over nor under dressed in a little black dress."

In 1961 the world went a little mad for the wardrobe of Holly Golightly, elegantly portrayed by Audrey Hepburn, dressed in Givenchy for Breakfast At Tiffany's. Personally this one is my favorite. Adopted each generation in a different way, the little black dress is synonymous as the essential item in a women's wardrobe. Today it can take you across any occasion, it can be styled simply or paired with accessories. I love that a black dress offers a reliable outfit in my wardrobe that I can turn to knowing I will have something to wear, no matter the occasion. Somehow, even wearing the same one again and again, (something a little taboo of a printed or coloured dress) is not an issue. Should you choose to wear a little black dress again and again, it is simple attributed that you have 'style', are 'classic' and elegant. 



Cue The LBD. New to Australia, The LBD is a manufacturer and online retail boutique with a unique concept certain to revolutionize how women source and select their perfect LBD. Finding the perfect LBD until now, could prove to be a challenge. Fit, price, availability and seasonal collection changes all conspire together to make it a challenge to find the right one for each woman. Over the past 12 months, the design team at The LBD have been crafting the capsule collection, built around classic, timeless designs to create a versatile foundation wardrobe. Each LBD is available in styles to enhance the individual customer's assets. These days the average Australian adult female is an average size 14, but the LBD designed to suit body shapes rather than label sizes. Adapting necklines, sleeve and skirt styles and hemlines, there is a whole range of silhouettes to choose from, each dress is made of trans seasonal high quality fabric for year round wear. The site also features a unique Dress My Shape Guide complete with a shape guide and calculator. Each dress has been sized against its counterpart, meaning the sizes remain the same no matter which style of dress you choose. I personally find the unstandardized clothing sizing system in Australia to be extremely frustrating. I am a size 8, no a 6, no a 10... or all three, depending on a garment or brand. Not with The LBD! I calculated my size, and it fit perfectly.   

I will share my outfit post in the dress I chose in the coming days, (below is one of my styling boards I have made up featuring it) but in the mean time, I thought I would share a link to The LBD so you can check it out. I can not stress enough how useful a little black dress is in building your capsule wardrobe! 

If you have missed any of the 'Building A Capsule Wardrobe' series, check out the previous posts here. 

I will be bringing you more of this sort of post in coming weeks, so stay tuned, and please share any comments or ask any questions below. 

Happy Capsule creating! 

xx Jenelle

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HEAVY WEATHER - About ART Last Night at China Heights..

HEAVY WEATHER - About ART Last Night at China Heights..

Heavy and heavenly weather it would seem with Sydney throwing out the dubious cold and bringing back spring warmth and sunshine which no doubt put one in a fine frame of mind when looking at the beautiful and colourful cloudscapes of Brooklyn Whelan. Also great to see the colours co-ordinate across these artists work and seeing the (new for me) folded-reflective works of Dion Horstmans; the forms of the open work sculptures working very well with these flat formed pieces. And of course a fabulous and styling art crowd, if it's art on a Friday night, it must be China Heights! Web links below, mouse over for details.

Brooklyn Whelan

Dion Horstmans

http://www.chinaheights.com/
http://www.brooklynwhelan.com/
http://dionhorstmans.tumblr.com/


Need Art Documentation?

Please contact me about my art documentation services.
Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

kent@artcommunication.com.au

www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au

www.fashionphotographysydney.blogspot.com/

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Building A Capsule Wardrobe: Pants and Shorts

Building A Capsule Wardrobe: Pants and Shorts

Let's get it straight, pants, are the greatest freedom. Pioneering for women to wear pants was one of the greatest things women like Gabrielle Chanel ever did. Now, I love dresses, skirts and feeling feminine, but I like to do this with a touch of manliness. The juxtaposition between male/ female is the perfect spot to reside in for me. Comfort, is a major factor for me when it comes to getting dressed, women who kill themselves to fit into something uncomfortable for days on end make me frustrated. A lot of primping and product application can be fun, but everyday it is just tiring. I am not a fan of lots of hairspray, product, etc. I do love to dress up and feel beautiful, but I do not like to sacrifice my sanity and comfort to achieve this. In the world of fashion, I often feel perplexed watching what I dub as 'overdressed' women. Posing in platform neon heels, a bikini and bangles for photos is confusing. Wearing heels on grass, is confusing. If you are going to an event like the races, or a picnic, please do not wear heels! I feel at odds with myself the second I step on to unsturdy ground in a heel- even if this is for a moment. I find flatform shoes confusing, they are just so unattractive! The list goes on, but at the end of the day, to each their own.

I wear jeans, a lot. For a while, when I had gone through a super girly phase, jeans really bothered me. I hated seeing them on everybody- all looking the same. The thing is though, it is comfortable, often warmer, and you CAN personalize your style even if you are simply 'in jeans'. These days they are also widely worn in dressier circumstances, with a good pump heel, or ankle boot they can elongate the legs and look amazing. Find a good brand and stick to it. For me I love Rag and Bone, J-Brand (they are worth the $$ because the fit it is incredible), Sass and Bide, Dr.Denim and One Teaspoon. 

I do prefer to wear trousers or jeans as an everyday thing- rather than when going out for dinner, to a show or the like. For occasional wear I will switch back to a skirt or dress. Don't underestimate how valuable a well tailored black trouser can be, they will come in handy, are great for the office or official business and work in summer or winter. I ensure I have a matching black blazer, just in case I want to suit up.

For years I thought shorts were for men in summer, for Mickey Mouse and for children. I didn't see that they had much of a place in a womens wardrobe. It took me a while to see how I could feel like they were appropriate and found a place in my own day-to-day. Now I wear them all summer, and consider them to be a staple- again, in my day-to day, I leave shorter shorts out of the office and prefer not to wear them out to an event or dinner. They certainly can be worn in dressier ways- when tailored correctly, I feel they can look rather nice. The trick is to get the proportions right. A short short with an exposing cami top feels to me like I am showing too much skin. A cami top and longer shorts, is a little better, but best suited to culottes. Shorter shorts I feel team up best with a shirt or tee which has full or 3/4 length sleeves. When it comes to buying denim shorts I tend to go up one or two sizes, so they are looser around the thigh area. It is more flattering that way, and gives you plenty of room to move. I don't mind the torn hems, as long as the overall short covers your butt (ensure you bend down when you try them on- just to check you actually can without exposing cheek!) and I tend to stay away from embellishment, at least when building the essential capsule wardrobe.

Here is the breakdown of my 'Must Have Pants and Shorts For Any Woman':
- 1x Dark Denim jeans (skinny, fitted or flared- to suit your own body shape best)
- 1x Blue, Khaki, Bone, White or Oxblood coloured jean (again to suit your own body shape)
- 1x Torn 'Boyfriend' jean (I love the One Teaspoon Awesome Baggies, buy in a size or two larger)
- 1x Black linen long shorts- around knee length, slightly wide in the leg
- 1x Black tailored dress trousers for occasional wear and office wear
- 1x Black jeans (again, in a cut to suit your body shape)
- 1x Light Grey suit-shorts, can be short or longer, wear with an elegant flat or kitten heel for a dressier look
- 1x light washed denim or black denim cut off shorts (long enough to house your butt and worn tastefully!)
- 1x White leather shorts (or black- you would wear both, but start with one)
- 1x Black Leather Shorts (I wear mine too much!)
- 1x Culottes (not pictured) midi length, wear with cropped tops or blouses

If you have missed any of the 'Building A Capsule Wardrobe' series, check out the previous posts here. 

I will be bringing you more of this sort of post in coming weeks, so stay tuned, and please share any comments or ask any questions below. 

Happy Capsule creating! 

xx Jenelle

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Instagram @jenellewitty

Times Square Fashion Launch SS13/14

Times Square Fashion Launch SS13/14

Earlier this week I attended a launch at Times Square Claremont of the Spring Summer collections now in store at Sana, Betty Tran, Poppy Lissiman, Jomay Cao, Ruth Tarvydas, Leona Edmiston and more. 

The event was certainly interesting, with beautiful food care of Lemongrass Thai and a signature floral 'White Lady' cocktail care of Cocktail Gastronomy. I assume due to the event being a sell out, the seating ran low-- I didn't love sitting on the pavement in heels for that long...

The last dress pictured was my favourite- no surprises there huh? Pretty sure that's Kate Sylvester from Sana. 

The social pic I regrammed on Instagram of Sharon and I was probably my favourite of the night, you'll have to take a look! ;)

xx Jenelle

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