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The Asphalt Jungle

Style

History of the little black dress

With its fashion debut in the 1920s, the classic frock has become a must-have in every woman’s wardrobe.

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Coco Chanel, French couturier. Paris, 1936. LIP-69

The original

FRANCE - CIRCA 1936: Coco Chanel, French couturier. Paris, 1936. LIP-6958-101. (Photo by Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty Images)
Lipnitzki / Roger Viollet
The Asphalt Jungle

A girls best friend

1950: Full-length view of American actor Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) reclining in a black cocktail dress, in a promotional portrait for director John Huston's film 'The Asphalt Jungle'. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive
Sophia Relaxes

Ciao bella

30th January 1957: Film star Sophia Loren relaxes on a couch in her Rome apartment before an evening out. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)
Keystone Features / Hulton Archive
(FILES) -- File photo dated 30 December

Songbird style

(FILES) -- File photo dated 30 December 1960 shows French singer Edith Piaf performing at the Olympia in Paris. Six songs recorded by French singer Edith Piaf during World War II and long since thought lost have been discovered in the archives of the National Library in Paris, the two music specialists who found them told AFP 01 July 2003. The tracks were part of a stack of master recordings the music company Polydor cleared out of its basement in the 1960s to make room, the pair, Eric Didi and Marc Monneray, said. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STF/AFP/Getty Images)
Afp / AFP
Hepburn In 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

Hello dahling

Belgian-born actress Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993), in a black, shoulderless dress, matching gloves, and a tiara, smiles with a cigarette holder in her hand, in her role as Holly Golightly the film, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' directed by Blake Edwards, New York, New York, 1961. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images)
Paramount Pictures / Hulton Archive
Deneuve At Premiere

French connection

French film star Catherine Deneuve in London for the premiere of her new film 'Repulsion', a thriller directed by Roman Polanski, 11th June 1964. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Keystone / Hulton Archive
Actress Elizabeth Taylor Poses

Screen siren

384120 05: Actress Elizabeth Taylor Poses In An Old Film Still. Taylor Is An Award Winning Actress Who Has Appeared In Such Films As \"Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? And \"Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.\" (Photo By Getty Images)
Getty Images / Getty Images North America
56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals

LBD and the city

LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 19: Kristin Davis nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for \"Sex and the City\" attends the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium September 19, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Kevin Winter / Getty Images North America
Quest for the Perfect Black Dress

Dress for a cause

WESTWOOD, CA - JUNE 7: A mannequin stands at the annual \"Quest for the \"Perfect\" Little Black Dress\" gala to raise mone for STOP CANCER! at the W Hotel on June 7, 2005 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Marsaili McGrath/Getty Images)
Marsaili Mcgrath / Getty Images North America
A model displays a creation by Mexican d

Runway ready

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: A model displays a creation by Mexican designer R.G.Sanchez during Mexico Fashion Week's \"Little Black Dress\" show, in Mexico City, 15 March 2007. AFP PHOTO/Omar TORRES (Photo credit should read OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)
Omar Torres / AFP
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