Frequently Asked Questions

What should you wear to a funeral?

Something simple, dark and covered. McCafferty Funeral Homes' guide to what to wear to a funeral says women can choose a simple dark dress that sits at the knee or longer, with shoulders covered by the dress or by a shawl or jacket, closed-toe shoes in dark colors and minimal jewelry. Black is the traditional choice, with dark gray and navy as alternatives, so funeral attire for women can be a black dress for funeral services as long as it skips the short hems, low necklines and heavy embellishment the guide says to avoid. For a little black dress funeral look from this rail, choose the Elastic Mesh Long Sleeve midi with its square neckline and long sleeves, or the Long Sleeve Black Plus Size Dress in sizes XL to 3XL. Shopping a funeral dress in a hurry? The same guide says the family's wishes come first, so if they ask for a color, follow it. Among funeral outfits for women, the finishing touch is the same every time: dark closed-toe shoes and small accessories complete the funeral outfit.

What should you wear to a celebration of life?

Respectful, but not necessarily all black. Smith's Funeral Homes says a celebration of life usually allows more flexibility than a traditional funeral, and suggests a knee-length dress with a cardigan, flats or low heels, and colors that meant something to the person being remembered. When you're unsure what to wear to a celebration of life, the same guide says to err on the side of conservative elegance and skip anything revealing or flashy. A covered-up midi does that without trying: the Ruffle Shoulders Turtleneck midi has a high neck and a fitted length, and the Black Floral Print long-sleeve midi adds a soft print with a square neckline.

What shoes go with a little black dress?

Almost all of them, which is the whole point. Glamour says you can almost never go wrong pairing an LBD with black closed-toe pumps, on a mini or a midi, and tights won't throw off the look. Still deciding what color shoes with little black dress looks work best? Glamour suggests Mary Janes or loafers for casual plans, knee-high boots or pointed pumps when you're dressing up, and animal-print slingbacks for a playful twist. In winter, the shoes to wear with little black dress styles are boots: Cosmopolitan calls a little black dress with black boots a classic and says brown and black can mix, so a black dress with boots is fair game all season. Our Long Sleeve Bodycon mini is styled with tights and heels, and the heels for little black dress nights are in our high heels edit.

What Halloween costume can I do with a little black dress?

More than you'd think. Seventeen's list of all-black costumes turns an LBD into Wednesday Addams with a collared dress and braided pigtails, a classic witch, Madison Montgomery from American Horror Story with a black hat and cat-eye sunglasses, or Holly Golightly with pearls and a tiara. For a black dress halloween costume with more edge, Seventeen suggests a black bodycon mini for Posh Spice, and a frilly black dress with combat boots and black tights for Lydia Deetz. So your little black dress halloween costume might already be on this rail: the Crystal V-Neck bodycon mini covers Posh, and the ruffled shoulders on the Special Flirt sequin mini give Lydia her frills. Add the props and the little black dress costume is done.

What should I wear to Thanksgiving?

Something comfortable that still looks done. Harper's Bazaar's guide says a thanksgiving outfit should put the effort from the waist up, because you spend the meal seated, so artful jewelry, layers and mixed prints earn the compliments while ruffled skirts and statement shoes go unseen. That makes the Ruffle Shoulders Turtleneck midi a smart pick, since its detail sits at the shoulders and neckline. The same guide warns that draped sleeves and flowy skirts get in the way while cooking, so if you're hosting, keep sleeves close to the arm like the Elastic Mesh long-sleeve midi. Still deciding what to wear to thanksgiving dinner, or planning a friendsgiving outfit? Bazaar's last word is a statement necklace.

What should I wear to a holiday party?

Something festive you can still move in. Anthropologie's guide says to balance festive flair with comfort, and points to velvet and shimmering sequin dresses for a festive statement. That's a holiday party outfit this rail was built for: the Black Velvet Bodycon Mini brings stretch velvet with a turtle neck and a dramatic train, the Starry Night sequin mini adds sheer sparkly sleeves, and the one-shoulder Glitter Beads style was made for holiday parties. Finish with sparkly shoes and you're the best-dressed elf at the office do.

What should I wear to a rehearsal dinner?

Black, with a little polish. Brides says black is a go-to color for rehearsal dinner attire unless the couple says otherwise, and that a cocktail dress is the natural pick. Planning what to wear to a rehearsal dinner? Brides also suggests upgrading an LBD with drop or chandelier earrings and an embellished clutch, and steering clear of loud prints or anything overly sexy so the couple stays the focus. The Midnight Allure midi, with shimmer mesh sleeves made for cocktails and evening events, and the Black Floral Print long-sleeve midi, a flattering cocktail dress with a square neck, both fit the brief.

Who invented the little black dress?

Coco Chanel gets the credit. Wikipedia's history of the LBD says fashion historians trace it to Chanel's 1920s designs, and in 1926 she published a short, simple black dress in American Vogue, which Vogue nicknamed Chanel's Ford because, like the Model T, it was simple and accessible. That coco chanel little black dress helped move black away from mourning and into chic. Want the little black dress chanel look without the couture price tag? Keep it simple and fitted: the Ruffle Shoulders Turtleneck midi or the Long Sleeve Bodycon mini keep the lines clean, and Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's dress, worn with pearls, shows how to finish it.

Little Black Dress

Every wardrobe needs one, and every little black dress on this rail came to cause a scene. Call it the LBD, call it an LBD dress, call it your emergency plan for any invite that lands at 6pm: here it runs from bodycons that hug like they mean it to sequins that catch every camera flash. A uniform, minus the boring.

Shopping for yourself? This is the little black dress for women who like their hemlines short and their entrances long. Want it short? There's a black mini dress for every mood here, and if you'd rather call it a short black dress, same energy, same rail. There's a black mini dress for women in straight and plus sizes, plus a short black dress for women who want sleeves, sparkle or both. And the classic little black dress still has a seat at the table: the Ruffle Shoulders Turtleneck is a midi bodycon its own description calls a killer LBD for any occasion.

Short, tight and up to something

The shorter the hem, the bigger the plans, and the little black dress mini edit starts with the Crystal V-Neck, a black bodycon mini dress with a plunging neckline lined in crystals. Next to it, the Crystal Bow is a body-hugging sweetheart style with crystal bows on the hips and side slits. Want a mini black dress with more drama? The Ruby Rendezvous adds ruby-red beading to sleek black fabric, so it's the black and red mini dress for gala and cocktail nights, with side and back cut-outs to keep things interesting.

Tight is the point. The Long Sleeve Bodycon mini hugs from its high neck to above the knee, which makes it the little black dress tight enough to turn heads, and for a short tight black dress with a twist, the Black and White Striped Strapless mini is built from rows of bandage knit that hold the body in. That one doubles as the black and white mini dress and a black strapless mini dress, while the strapless feather mini with its cut-out puts the drama right on the neckline.

Sexy is a dress code too. Looking for a sexy black dress? The Sequin Metallic Patchwork mini flashes a bra-top with one spaghetti strap and a side cut-out, and the Black Bodycon V Neck Knee Length style pairs a deep V with an off-the-shoulder cut, which makes it our black off the shoulder mini dress. Each one is a sexy black mini dress, and the Crystal Bow, studded straps and all, is the sexy little black dress of the bunch.

Prefer clean lines? For a little black dress sheath, the Cut Out Glitter Slim Fit mini is cut on a sheath silhouette with long sleeves, while Shine Right, all sequin plaid, is the square neck little black dress with clear spaghetti straps. Want a black bodycon short dress with a wink? Ruffle Romance describes itself as a flirty twist on the LBD, with a contrast pink ruffle hem and adjustable straps.

Shine first, questions later

Glitter counts as a personality. Among the sparkly black dress options, the Isabella cut-out style is a black sequin mini dress with a high slit made for formal parties, and the Starry Night sequin mini adds sheer long sleeves sprinkled with sparkle. After a sparkly black mini dress that moves? The Special Flirt black sequin style pairs ruffled shoulders with a plunging V and a front belt for the dance floor.

Prefer glitter to sequins? The Cut Out Glitter Slim Fit is a black glitter dress with cut-outs at the back and waist, and the one-shoulder Glitter Beads style makes a short black glitter dress worth the photo dump. Need a sparkly black dress short enough to flash the heels? The Glamour Night Crystal bodycon is covered in large crystal stones and comes with matching crystal gloves.

Texture is the other kind of shine. Feathers turn the strapless cut-out mini into a black feather dress, and the plus size strapless feather maxi does the same in sizes XS to 2XL. Stretch velvet makes the Black Velvet Bodycon Mini our black velvet dress, high neck and long train included. And when you want a black satin dress, the Black Plus Size Long Sleeve Mini is a black satin mini dress with ruffles down the front, while the Plus Size Backless Satin maxi pours liquid shine all the way to the floor.

Sleeves on, standards up

Cold snap? Sleeves don't have to mean safe, and a little black dress with sleeves proves it. The Eclipse Elegance mini pairs a high ribbed neckline with flair sleeves and a circular open back, while the Black Metallic Foil style is a black long sleeve mini dress with ruffled shoulders and an asymmetric high slit. Starry Night counts as a little black dress long sleeve pick too, and the Ruched Plus Size Mini brings metallic shine and long sleeves up to 3XL. Need a short black dress with sleeves that lasts all night? The Long Sleeve Bodycon mini is styled with tights and heels for exactly that.

Every invite, one dress

Got a party? In the black party dress lineup, the feather mini was made for parties and nights out, and the Pearl Strap midi adds pearl spaghetti straps and a deep V for anyone after elegant black dresses for party nights. Birthday on the calendar? The Isabella sequin mini is described as a go-to sequin birthday dress, so it leads the black birthday dresses edit, and a little black dress for birthday photos doesn't get easier. Add metallic heels and your black birthday outfit is done.

Date booked? For a little black dress for date night, the Delicate Diva off-the-shoulder style is billed as the perfect date night dress, high front slit and all, and the Amor cutout midi was made for a sophisticated date night too. Cocktails at eight? The Crystal V-Neck is the little black cocktail dress with crystals on mesh, Ruffle Romance keeps its fit clean for cocktails, and the Isabella doubles as a black mini cocktail dress. Pick any of the three as your short black cocktail dress and keep the dance floor on standby.

Dress code says formal? The Isabella was cut for formal parties and black tie, and the Black Bodycon V Neck mini lists formal events, so a black formal dress short enough to dance in is sorted. Hoco coming up? The Special Flirt lists prom among its occasions, which makes it an easy short black homecoming dress. December fills up fast, and the Glitter Beads style was made for cocktail and holiday parties, ready for every little black dress christmas party invite. Wedding on the calendar? You can wear a little black dress to a wedding when the couple's dress code allows it, and the Backless Rhinestone Strap midi is described as a chic black-tie wedding guest look.

Off duty, still iconic

Not every day needs a dance floor. For a black casual mini dress, the Cute Cat style is a black skater dress with a mid-thigh flared skirt and an elastic waist, and when the plan is errands and a lazy weekend, our cat-print black t shirt dress comes in 2XS to 6XL.

Curves, front and center

Curves get the full menu. The Black Plus Size Long Sleeve Mini is described as the perfect plus-size little black dress, sexy and classy with ruffles down the front, in sizes XL to 3XL, and the Ruched Plus Size Mini adds a deep V and an asymmetric hem. Want it longer? The Long Sleeve Black Plus Size Dress is a ruched mesh midi with long sleeves, also up to 3XL.

Want more black? See the full black dresses edit for midi and maxi lengths, more shine in sequin dresses, more short in mini dresses and plus size mini dresses, and finish the look with high heels and earrings.