The Little Black Dress has been a wardrobe staple for more than 80 years. Seen as rebellious, demure, sexy and sophisticated, it is the ultimate fashion statement a woman can buy. As Brighton Museum charts its rise and showcases some of the most glamorous celebrity gowns to date, Ruth Addicottttakes a sneak peek and finds out what makes the LBD so special

Whether it's a thigh-skimming sequin shift or a floor-sweeping velvet gown, nothing makes an impact like a little black dress.

Since it shot to fame courtesy of Coco Chanel in 1926, the LBD has remained as chic and elegant as ever, turning heads on the red carpets of Hollywood as well as at Christmas office parties.

Brighton Museum is now paying its own tribute with a major exhibition charting the history of the LBD from the Twenties to modern day.

The display, which opens this week, features dresses from haute couture to the high street, including a slinky Victoria Beckham number designed by Julien MacDonald, a Jean Muir dress belonging to Joanna Lumley and Anouska Hempel Couture gowns worn by Hollywood stars Melanie Griffith and Hilary Swank.

Celebrity designers Ben de Lisi, Giles Deacon and Bruce Oldfield are featured, along with dresses from local residents such as TV presenter Zoe Ball, Simultane designer Sarah Arnett and drag queen, Dave Lynn.

While the latter's eye-catching black and gold beaded number leaves little to the imagination, visitors will also get to see some slightly more modest versions.

One example being an original Ossie Clark dress owned by Margaret Bishop, a retired registrar from Hurstpierpoint.

It's a full-length black gown with a satin trim and tie around the neck and she bought it from Biba in 1970.

"I was 22 at the time. My then husband worked for the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and we were going to a rather special party in London," she recalls. "I was quite shy back then, I was from the Midlands and wasn't in the Brighton/London scene but I wanted to look the part.

"My husband saw it in the shop window and thought it would suit me and as soon as I tried it on it felt fantastic. It was such a fabulous dress.

I felt like a completely different person, it transported me to another world.

I'm absolutely thrilled it's going to be in the exhibition."

Margaret believes the key to finding the ultimate LBD is to find one that's comfortable.

"One of the things I also loved about it was you didn't see all the dress at once," she says. "It was striking from the front but it was also very low cut at the back so even when you turned it around it had that wow factor."

As it no longer fits and she doesn't have a daughter to hand it down to, Margaret did consider selling it at one stage. But when it came to handing the dress over, she found she couldn't part with it.

"I felt elegant, sophisticated, glamorous and sexy - but in a subtle way - when I wore it. I think everyone should have a dress they feel like that about," she says.

"If a woman finds something she feels really comfortable in, she can go anywhere and do anything."

No one knows the draw of the LBD better than the designers themselves.

Fashion director and curator of the show Andrew Fionda has been trawling vintage shops, the internet and friends' wardrobes for Little Black Dresses for 20 years, not just as inspiration for his own designs but to sell in his vintage shop in Kemp Town.

"Trends come and go but for more than 80 years the Little Black Dress has remained a favourite on the catwalk, the red carpet - and in many women's wardrobes. After nearly a century in the public eye, it is still symbolically modern and chic, "

he says.

One of its finest qualities, according to Andrew, is its versatility, enabling it to be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion.

"It has the power to make women feel effortlessly elegant. It can be the safe choice or a rebellious statement, sexy or demure," he says.

  • Little Black Dress will be on display at the Fashion & Style Gallery, Brighton Museum from now until June 2008. Free admission.