History of the Little Black Dress Articles by MagellanTV 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, Chanel introduced My First Little Black Dress: Tatum Gardner: 9780692769270: Amazon.com: Books Doen Black Satiny Floral Krista Mini Dress The Curatorial Dept.