Little Black Dress

100 years ago this week, Women's Wear Daily launched. It commenced life as an insert in the Daily Trade Record (later DNR), and aimed to supply relevant news to “important men in all departments of women’s wear.” It wasn’t to be an insert for long, however: on July 13 1910, a mere month after the Daily Trade Record insert, Women’s Wear announced its quotidian intentions. It cost just one cent a day, or three dollars for a year subscription. Damn. That's cheaper than a coffee for one morning!


The paper rang in the new year in 1927 with a new name, Women's Wear Daily, and musings on the popularity of green for holiday eveningwear.


On its first front page back in 1910 though, it was all about black's future in fashion - at that stage only being appropriate for mourning attire (now it's the party colour du jour). It had this piece of important fashion crystal-balling to proclaim to 20th Century fashionistas, titled Talk of a Craze for Black in Paris.

"Much has been said of the Black Ascot. The obvious fact, however, that the peculiar beauty of the Englishwoman, particularly the blonde, is never seen to better advantage than in mourning, has not been generally admitted. Certainly, rarely or never have the well known beauties of London society been better appreciated than by their admirers of 1910. Foreign visitors are said to have been particularly impressed on this occasion, and there is already talk of une mode noire in Paris."

And they were right! My whole wardrobe is chockers with black items!