White is the new black in little dresses

(AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON)

Pale colors are shaping up as real evening alternatives to black, and after a big wave of nudes and neutrals dominating runways and red carpets, designers have finally rid themselves of color altogether presenting LWDs instead of LBDs.

To be fair, the Little White Dress already emerged as a small trend last season and is expected to fully catch on this spring - together with other all-white outfits - but it manifested itself again as one of the leading motifs at the recent New York fashion week for Autumn/Winter 2011.

From Ruffian's sheer slip dress, combined with a white blazer to Carolina Herrera's retro-inspired gown, worn with a black skinny belt, and Ralph Rucci's partially transparent maxi dress, it is fair to say that things are looking bright for white.

But the trend has not been limited to the runways: the white, skintight Kimberly Ovitz dress Lindsay Lohan wore to her courtroom hearing this week sold out all over the internet, and the movie award season has seen stars including Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Winona Ryder wearing white on the red carpet.

Speaking of red, the color of next fall's little dress also seems to be found, with New York's leading designers, such as Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu, and Rodarte all sending their version of a Little Red Dress down the runway.