Art of the Black Dress: Over 30 Ways to Wear Black Dresses

The LBD – or 'little black dress' – debuted over 70 years ago by legend Coco Chanel and is still a perennial fashion staple. As most women know, it's impossible to have a 'nothing to wear' crisis with this trusty item in your wardrobe. 

The Art of the Black Dress celebrates this essential wardrobe item, offering ideas on how to maximise the wears of your best-loved piece, and cataloguing the most iconic black dresses throughout history. Dress it up with heels and jewellery, or dress it down with your favourite sneakers: the possibilities are endless. From sexy to timeless, bodycon to maxi and more, this book offers ideas on how to transform your dress from office-worthy to special occasion with a few simple accessory tweaks. As well as this, hear the stories behind some of the most iconic black dresses in history, from Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy number in Breakfast at Tiffany's, to Princess Diana's 1996 'revenge dress' and Elizabeth Hurley's game-changing Versace safety-pin piece, you will see why every woman should have one in their arsenal.

Featuring stunning illustrations throughout by Libby VanderPloeg, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves fashion, and appreciates the power of the black dress.

Maggie Davis Westhead is a style journalist and digital editor based in London. After studying at the London College of Fashion in the late '90s, she went on to work on the fashion desks at Vogue, ES Magazine and Time Out. She has since run a successful kids' style blog and worked as a consultant for big brands including Marks & Spencer and John Lewis.