The little black dress (LBD) was popularizedand effectively invented as a modern fashion stapleby French designer Coco Chanel in 1926. At a time when black was largely associated with mourning, House of Chanel Dress French The Metropolitan Museum of Art A Coco Chanel Little Black Dress, released in 1926. Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. Gift of Mrs. Georges Gudefin Elegant Black Lace Bolero Shrug for Evening Wear LIFE OF CHANEL Dressy Shrugs: Elegant Bolero & Cardigans for Dresses