The year of the dress part 3: the Little White Dress

While the little black dress (lbd for short), which Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's propelled into iconic status, will remain an closet favourite for years to come, its lesser known cousin the little white dress (lwd, also featured in the film but for some reason was not as popular), is fast picking up on the popularity stakes. Particularly now with white such a prominent feature in the Spring 2007 collections, and its airy colour very suitable for spring.



The famous little black dress.



The, until recently, sidelined little white dress.

Catwalk options:



From Balmain. As you can see, it takes "little" literally.



From my current favourite label---3.1 Philip Lim. For a very "white" collection, check out Badgley Mischka's Spring 2007 show. It is a bride's, and those harbouring bridal ambitions, dream.



From Michon Schur. White, short and chiffon-y. What's not to like.



From See by Chloe. Love the Grecian details.



I got this from www.net-a-porter.com. Forgot the name of the designer, but it looks really 1920s. Would be lovely to pair with ballet flats and wear to school.



From Theory. I like the detailing. The hardware toughens up this piece and the juxtaposition is just great.



Prada. Can't or won't afford this? Miss Selfridge has a similar option at a fraction of the Prada price.



This is from Alice + Olivia.



This is also Alice + Olivia. I prefer this piece. Very Merrakesh or Ibiza.



I'm not sure where i got this picture from. But i really really like this dress and the way the model's hair goes with it. I'd wear this to school too.



From Milly.This is a cute interpretation of the Little White Dress. It's mod shape provides a nice difference from the other floaty white pieces.

For high street options, besides the Miss Selfridge number shown above, there are these:



This Bebe piece is just pretty and can be easily dressed up or down.



From Mango. The buttons are a cute touch.



Mango was really smart to get Milla Jovovich as their spokesperson. Not only is she gorgeous but she has a very cool sense of style and her label Jovovich-Hawk stands out from most celebrity labels as actually being creative and chic (L.A.M.B is another one). This tunic and the gold lining is a great combination, and it has a gives out a easy elegance vibe.


Photographs: www.mango.com, www.elle.com, www.missselfridge.co.uk, www.bebe.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.imdb.com, www.style.com

The year of the dress part 2: the tennis dress

I usually boil it down to my love of the 1920s, but there is something about the tennis dress that I am particularly fond of. Perhaps it is its casual elegance, the short hemlines, and the swinging-ness of its pleats that suggests carefree and youthful attitudes of the 20s flapper girls and debauntes. Maybe it is because a dress of this type is so fuss-free: just put it on, match it with brogues, keds or ballet flats and you're ready to go! It could also be that it mainly comes in white, one of my favourite colours. Whatever it is, I'm dress glad this dress is back in season---makes it easier to find one to buy. I present to you the tennis dress:




The Chanel version aka ultimate embodiment of the perfect tennis dress: short hemline (check), swingy skirt (check), airy material (check), white colour (check check).


These other versions are also pretty nice:




From Dsquared.

From Chloe.

And if you prefer it in colours other than white, there is the 3.1 Philip Lim, and the Iisli versions.




From 3.1 Philip Lim




From Iisli.


Photographs from: www.net-a-porter.com, www.elle.com, www.style.com