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Since the times of the Roman Empire unadorned black dresses were used as a gesture of mourning. The colour Black in an European sense symbolises evil, death and mourning. It was both men and woman who wore these plain black clothes such as in the Shakespearean Hamlet. Black clothing in recent times does not symbolise anything like this. The reason behind this sudden change lies on the discovery of artificial light. Now the blackness of the night does not overwhelm people and the usage of the colour black to represent the fear of the dark has little effect. Throughout history until the recent past, the only large-scale source of light was the sun. As the sun set there was absence of light almost everywhere. Black was the colour of the dark. The unknown in the absence of light was most unfairly described to be in the colour of black. Therefore throughout history we have unfairly used the colour black to represent the unknown. When we make or buy something we always have the option of choosing its colour. In this age of globalisation the most choices does not depend on culture. Rather it depends on taste. Unlike in the past when one looks at black clothing, such as Black Dresses, one does not think of any underlined reason for the choice of that colour being something bad, but rather one always looks at it from the viewpoint of style and fashion. Clothes that seem different are always favourable. One such article of clothing that became so popular because of the difference it showed is the Little Black Dress. Since the discovery of artificial light all aspects of the way we live have changed. No one would wear black clothing without a bright source of light. When there was enough light especially at night, in the absence of the sun, black clothes soon became a hit. It was inevitable that Black Dresses would or should soon replace the white ones ladies wore and Black Dresses certainly did. In addition to the change of colour, clothes especially women’s clothes changed with their flexibility. Artificial light increased night time activity and soon fast paced parties were held only at night. As there was no need to watch out in dimly lit places people moved more with the availability of light and this demanded flexibility in clothes. Soon women’s dresses changed allowing them more flexible movement. It started to reveal more because there was no risk of their skin being scratched or bruise when moving in enough light. A good example of black dresses being sought after would be the Little Black Dress.
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