About Life and Death! The Obsession With Black, From Mourning Dresses to the Little Black Dress

How did black, a color historically reserved for the clergy, the monarchy, and mourning, come to epitomize the height of fashion? From mourning attire in the Victorian era, to Coco Chanel, Henry Ford, and Princess Diana, this lecture will follow a surprising, at times amusing journey in the footsteps of the color black, exploring its manifestations of protest, sex, and punk.