Did you see last week’s episode of Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation? The dynamic duo had it in for black clothes this time, saying British women wear far too  much black, and that it’s time we stopped. Claiming that they were going to disprove the ‘myth’ that black is slimming and flattering, they took a woman who loves wearing black, and dressed her first in the most shapeless, baggy, sacklike black clothes they could find, and then in a neat little red dress that fitted her perfectly. Surprise, surprise, the red outfit was judged more flattering, but come on ladies, isn’t that cheating just a little bit? I’d totally agree that the black outfit they chose did nothing for their model, but the same thing in red or blue or yellow would have been just as bad, if not worse. If you really think black isn’t slimming or flattering, why not compare two identical outfits in red and black?

What made me laugh even more is that both Trinny and Susannah are often either photographed in the press or appear in their own shows wearing black themselves!
There is absolutely no denying that black is one of the most versatile, chic and flattering colours a woman can wear and that is precisely why we all do! It would have made a lot more sense if Trinny and Susannah had talked more about how to wear black clothes and how to team them up with colours and accessories that will create fabulous outfits.

Whether it’s a classic little black dress or the perfect pair of black trousers, I don’t know a single woman who wouldn’t put something black on the list of clothes that make her feel confident, stylish and yes, slimmer as well. So sorry, Trinny and Susannah, but I don’t think you’re going to banish black any time soon!

Have you got a little black dress in your wardrobe, that takes you anywhere, always looks flattering, and never seems to date? Then congratulations: you’re wearing a fashion icon. The Fashion and Textile Museum in London is holding an exhibition devoted to the LBD, which it calls ‘an icon of modern dressing’.

Apparently, before Coco Chanel invented the Little Black Dress in 1926, black dresses were only for funerals and domestic servants; the sleeveless silk shift she created rewrote all the rules, and hasn’t been out of fashion since.

There’ll be over 60 on show, from designers including Zandra Rhodes, Biba, John Galliano, Nicole Farhi and Ben de Lisi, and celebrities have lent their own favourites (rather them than me; if I lent mine out, I’d be sure to find myself with nothing else to wear one night and have to break in to get it back).

There’s a Jean Muir that Joanna Lumley says ‘transformed her life’, the sexy Julian McDonald number that Victoria Beckham wore on the cover of her fashion book, and a vintage LBD owned by supermodel Erin O’Connor, who says she never travels anywhere without one. ‘It’s like a blank canvas that can be dressed up or down, whatever the occasion,’ she said at the opening. ‘I think when you buy your first LBD, it’s a sure sign you’ve grown up.’

If you want to see how your own little fashion icon measures up to the ones in the exhibition, it’s on until August 25, at the Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF.