But why do we love black so much?

In May, as I was making video reels for my Instagram platform @the_restyler, working my way through what I thought will be a month of colourful outfits, I realised that I could only manage to go through the black that I have in my wardrobe. To be honest , it is way more than I thought I had. So it got me thinking of the reasons why we are always attracted to brighter colours but we keep wearing dark colours and black in particular.

If we look back at history ,and before Coco Chanel, famous lover of black decided to invent the now-iconic ‘little black dress’( petite robe noire) and ‘little black jacket’( petite veste noire), Black was the colour of mourning in the western culture and was mostly reserved for funerals.

Coco Chanel really pioneered and stated that black had it all.

Fast forward to the 1980’s , the ‘anti fashion‘ garments from the label Comme des Garçons from designer Rei Kawakubo really helped assert black as a must have and a must wear for women wardrobes.

All of a sudden, black was making a statement without needing to shout about it.

I get it and I agree with most of it , Black is modest and arrogant at the same time.

But I wanted to dig a little bit more , so I asked the question around me and and I found some other obvious reasons like

- it makes the morning routine easier, black is lazy and easy.

- there is no time wasted figuring out which clothes work together

-no matter what we pull out of the wardrobe, we can create a decent outfit with black in less than 3 minutes,

- with black, there is no style error.

- black gives you more outfit combinations, so we don’t buy so many clothes

- black is slimming

- you can easily achieve a capsule wardrobe with black.

- black is chic and elegant

For many years , I must admit, Black has always been one of my go to colours, especially in my 30s when I just had to slip into my “petite robe noire” to look and feel amazing.

I also thought for a long time, that looking professional involved wearing a white shirt , gold jewellery and a black or navy blazer.

As years went by, I realised the value of adding colours to my life in general and my outfits in particular. It changes your mood, it enhances your complexion, it adds some interests and you radiate a different energy.

The 7 outfits below are just examples of how I wear black these days.

I hope you find some inspiration for your outfits too.

My go to work/meeting Combination

A black silk shirt worn tucked in my jeans, worn with a blazer.

I always add interest either with a brooch on the blazer or a scarf and always with a pair of longer earrings.

Style tips:

- when you choose a black shirt, make sure it is in a soft, flowy fabric ( prefer silk to viscose or polyester), it is more feminine and flattering.

-When you wear a collared shirt and a blazer , avoid wearing a statement necklace, prefer a shorter chain or a beautiful scarf

A Casual Day

This dress is so comfy in this sweat shirt fabric, it hides all the bulges and is ideal on a day I want to relax. But let’s admit it, it doesn’t look very flattering l when I wear it on its own, and I can’t really belt it either. So my trick is to always wear something funky with it to draw attention to my face rather.

Style tips:

- Add a big bold and colourful necklace or like here a beanie and a big scarf.

- Wear it with funky sneakers , or like here with a colourful of high converse and leg warmers ( home made- ex sleeve from a cashmere sweater).

A Night out

My idea now if I wear a full on black outfit , is that the cut must be different and add originality. No more traditional black slack trousers. Here I like to wear my “harem/zouave” pants with a short boxy tops. It adds a bit of structure to my body shape and it is very comfy.

Style tips:

- once again with a full on black outfit , draw attention to your face and top of your body with a nice pair of colourful earrings .

- when wearing this type of outfit , quite loose , prefer flat shoes as heels will make you look disproportionate.

Day wear for my Harem pants

Another option to wear those nice loose pants is to tuck in a black top and add a very large belt to create this time a more balanced silhouette with a defined waist.

Style tip:

- This belt is so easy to make: Take a t-shirt in a colour you love but that is too long for you, and cut the bottom part ( about 20cm), wear it on your black outfit to create a nice colour contrast.

Birthday party for my Harem pants

Here I am wearing a longer kimono over my pants. but my top is well fitted and colourful and I wear a colourful choker too.

Style tips:

-if you wear a kimono over loose pants , prefer wearing a well fitted top, otherwise you will definitely appear bulkier than you are.

- this top is just made with a square silk scarf folded in triangle and knotted at the back.

Remember: It is all about creating definition in your silhouette, not hiding or showing off.

Cocktail party after work.

Slip on a long dress over your black silk shirt and reuse the black leather you were wearing over your jeans during day time.. It is a quick and easy change and it does the job! looking stunning and you made the effort to up your Style!

Style tip:

Don’t forget statement earrings.

Hope this article will inspire you to create new outfits with your black items of clothing in your wardrobe.

And get in touch if you would like to chat about black and how best to wear it .