How do you guys feel about little black dresses? Have you found the one LBD to rule them all – one that’s flawless for every occasion, always in style, and fits perfectly… even after you ate four pieces of pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving? Or are you like me: half of your closet consists of black dresses, yet only a few of them would be work-appropriate if you threw on a blazer?

No shame here. The way I see it, the most important thing about LBDs isn’t how versatile your dress is, but how you feel when you wear it. What makes me feel beautiful, stylish, and confident at work isn’t what makes me feel beautiful, stylish and confident on a date. I don’t think you need to have just one LBD that fits for every occasion.

In this installment of Fashion Inspired by Art, I’m going to show you how to style five awesome LBDs inspired by the baddest boss in the LBD game: Madame X, the subject of John Singer Sargent’s masterpiece “Portrait of Madame X”:

John Singer Sargent’s “Portrait of Madame X” via Wikimedia Commons. (Click to enlarge.)

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About John Singer Sargent and Madame X

Born in 1856 in Florence, Italy to American parents, John Singer Sargent was a prolific portraitist and painter who produced nearly 900 oil paintings and 2,000 watercolors between 1877 and his death in 1925. He toured Europe for most of his youth and studied under the French painter Carolus-Duran, eventually settling in Paris. He enjoyed moderate success in Parisian salons until he unveiled “Portrait of Madame X” in 1884.

“Portrait of Madame X” featured a controversial French socialite, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, the young wife of a wealthy French banker. Known for her unconventional but dazzling beauty, Madame Gautreau was rumored to have many extramarital affairs and made no secret of her use of lavender tinted powder and henna to enhance her beauty.