2 min readNew rule: There’s nothing basic about a little black dress, at least not when it’s in the hands of Kaia Gerber and Givenchy designer Sarah Burton. On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, Gerber stepped out in a runway look from the French label that was literally grabbed from the runway six days ago. (It appeared on model Mahi Kabra, who, like Gerber, is a California girl.)
Gerber’s Givenchy dress has a plunging V-neck bodice made of sheer handmade French lace, with a party-girl skirt that froths in two ruffled layers like the coolest tutu you’ve ever seen. She’s wearing it with an opaque black panty and simple black pumps. If you want the same look but you’re not quite as skin-forward, try it with a tank bodysuit, like this one from Wardrobe NYC.
Kaia Gerber in Givenchy…
…which appeared on the Paris catwalk six days earlier.
If you’re a fashion fan—or a classic movie junkie—you know Givenchy has long had the little black dress, or “LBD,” on lock. Audrey Hepburn famously wore one, created by Hubert de Givenchy himself, in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (Coco Chanel “invented” the look in 1926, but it took off in the 1940s when dye and fabric were rationed, and simple but fantastic tailoring was seen as a sign of both wartime patriotism and serious style.) Today, the LBD is getting a revamp thanks to sheer textile trends on the red carpet and the runways. That includes Alexa Chung’s own lacy spin on the staple out at Paris Fashion Week, and Tyla’s pinup girl take in the Jean Paul Gaultier front row.
Alexa Chung in Givenchy by Sarah Burton.
Tyla in Jean Paul Gaultier by Duran Lantink.
Does this mean black is back for this weekend’s Oscar festivities? If the Actor Awards are any indication, it’s a big possibility. But with more daring nominees like Teyana Taylor and Jessie Buckley—who shares a stylist, Danielle Goldberg, with Kaia herself—don’t expect it to be simple, even if it’s classic.