2013 April 24, Alexandra Petri, “The peculiar brilliance of that sorority e-mail”, in The Washington Post[1]:
The F-bomb is the little black dress of vulgarity. Noun, verb, participle, verbal noun — it goes with everything.
2013 July 9, Angie Quaale, “Potato Salad”, in Langley Times[2], page 20:
I think potatoes are the little black dress of cooking – you can dress it up or dress 'em down, add a string of pearls or a jean jacket and it's like a brand new outfit!
2014 February 11, Leigh McMullan Abramson, “A Pre-Conversion Shabbat Chicken Dinner”, in The Jewish Daily Forward[3]:
I think of her roast chicken as the little black dress of the Shabbat meal: it’s simple, elegant and always gets compliments.
2014 May 6, Laura Reiley, “Top 10 places to get mac and cheese in Tampa Bay”, in Tampa Bay Times[4]:
This free event presented by Friends of the Riverwalk in conjunction with the city of Tampa and the mayor proves one thing: Everyone loves mac and cheese. It's the little black dress of foods — perfect for every occasion, but accessorize it right and get ready for drop-dead glamor.
2014 August, Sarah Hazelwood, “5 of the Best…Fruits and Vegetables to grow this August”, in Buzz[5], page 27:
Who, excepting fictional fanged creatures of the night, doesn't love a bit of garlic? It goes in anything and is like the little black dress of the food world.
2014 August 10, Karen Crouse, “After Tuneup for Trials, American Swimmers Evaluate Potential”, in The New York Times[6]:
While Phelps might have been the headliner, Ledecky became the little black dress of American swimming; unpretentious, regal and ridiculously versatile.
2014 December 5, Victoria Moore, “Ultimate Christmas wine guide: 12 star buys for 2014”, in The Telegraph[7]:
This has a hint of button mushroom to it: it’s a little black dress of a wine, good for parties – or try it with salmon fishcakes or roast chicken.
Noun: "(fandom slang) a character who is shipped with many other characters"[edit]
Snape is truly the Little Black Dress of HP pairings. There are very few pairings with him that can't be made to work somehow. 😊
2019 January 31, Yule B. Next (@vulgarweed), Twitter[11]:
Marene, Johnlockary, Johnlockolly, Johnlockstrade, (I love Johnlock +1 poly ships), also Sherlock is my Little Black Dress character and I'll give a shot to reading him with just about anyone.
2019 July 6, K. C. York (@kimboo_york), Twitter[12]:
tbh I think BOTH MCS and Lin Chen are little black dresses, like, they go with everything 😂