Little Black Dresses

The dependable answer, in every dialect. A little black dress is less a single garment than a category of confidence, and this rail collects its best accents: velvet with a front split for winter invitations, tweed with a decorative bow for cocktail hours, a backless halterneck for evenings with no daytime alibi, and padded shoulders over tulle for entrances that intend to be remembered.

Black earns its reputation by working with everything — silver jewellery cools it, gold warms it, a red lip sharpens it — and by re-wearing without apology. The same dress reads differently at a dinner, a party and a gallery opening, which is the entire economics of owning one.

Fit is where these pieces separate: ruched sides that sculpt, inner grips that anchor strapless necklines, pleated bodices, invisible zips with hook and eye clasps. Pick the neckline that suits the occasion — high and covered, deep and open, or bare at the back — and the colour will handle everything else.