About that Little Black Dress

I wear a lot of black. A lot. Head to toe, I have used it as my wardrobe solution and signature for years because it is easy, flattering, versatile, sexy and symbolic, (during my years in the fashion industry, it was the only color that any of us would dare to be seen in). My ex-husband used to laugh when he would watch me pack, wondering why so many pairs of shoes and pieces of clothing needed to be packed when they were all, after all, black.

I am not the only woman to feel and dress this way, and the term "Little Black Dress" (LBD) is a common one in the vernacular, shorthand for the go-to piece in a wardrobe which makes a woman feel fabulous in an instant. It is no surprise that the great Cynthia Ashby dress pictured here has been a huge hit at my company since it first appeared just a month ago, providing a mix of artful, sexy, and flattering
in one fell swoop.

And yet... I recently met a woman who is an image consultant. She advises clients on what to wear for their business and personal lives, helping them prep for media appearances, presentations and, yes, dates. Her advice to me, a single woman interested in meeting fabulous single men? Don't wear black. Men don't like black. Wear color. Wear prints.

My first thought was uh oh, no wonder I hadn't yet met Prince Charming. My second thought was F(orget) that! This woman(me) wears black. It is who I am, and if a man is not going to fall in love with me because of the (lack of) color of my dress, then he is clearly not my guy! Having worn many an LBD to many hot dates,it hasn't seemed to be a deterrent nor have I had to compromise who I am to satisfy some externally imposed restrictions. Long live the LBD!

Designing Women

Although I tired of fashion trendwatching a while ago, I love clothes and have always enjoyed expressing a part of myself through what I wear. It has been a personal and professional mission for me for some time to find interesting clothing for mature women, clothing which allows a woman to express her femininity and individuality, make her feel comfortable and pretty, and act as that punctuation point to a wardrobe of go-to staples. How lucky I am, then, to now be able to do this as part of the Artful Home business.

I am currently enamored with the clothes of Cynthia Ashby. Working out of Chicago, Cynthia has been marching to her own drumbeat for more than a decade, applying an artist’s hand – a woman artist’s hand – to the design of her clothing. Clearly she is a master of the cleverly cut seam, and she manages to create designs which flatter and forgive, are attention getters but feel right at home.

I wore one of Cynthia’s pieces at TEDWomen a few weeks ago, and was stopped often by women, wondering where I had found such an interesting piece which transformed my basic black into something outstanding. This is what women want and need and deserve: clothes to feel fabulous in, clothes which recognize their curves and allow their flaws, clothes which celebrate the fun of getting dressed.

This was the original concept for my business, Fifty/Fifty, and I am thrilled to see it coming to light under the auspices of artfulhome.com.