Hands up if a big chunk of your wardrobe is black? Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone! It’s considered a wardrobe staple for many people, a colour that suits everyone and can match anything. But the problem is, it very quickly becomes a security blanket. Before you know it most of your clothes are black, and you start feeling a bit afraid of wearing anything with colour. Colour feels daring and different, and most of the time you stick to the basics you know and love, especially that LBD that gets rolled out for the party season!
But black is not the be all and end all of your wardrobe, and today we’re going to show you how to NOT wear black, and bring some life back into your clothes.
Why Do We Get Stuck Wearing Black?
For a lot of people, black is the staple because black is safe. It’s the colour that will match anything else you wear, and it doesn’t require you to think too much about it. So there’s less coordination to do, which makes it a firm favourite of the time-poor. It’s also considered a ‘slimming’ colour, so if you want to minimise the perception of your size, then black is seen as a good go-to colour.
The problem is, not everyone looks good in black. So while it feels like a ‘safe’ colour, in reality, it could be washing out your complexion, too harsh for your hair colour or just too severe for your personal style. That’s not to say that dark colours won’t suit you – but pure black might not be one of them!
Even if you do look good in black, when it makes up most of your wardrobe it can become too much of a good thing. You lose variety and colour, which not only provide you with some contrast in your clothes but allows you to fully express yourself through your appearance. Remember, black is a slimming colour because it makes you disappear, but wearing it actually makes you disappear. You become a background character, shrinking down until people stop noticing you altogether. And girl, you are better than that!
So whether you rock black or not, it’s time to put it on pause for a little while.
How To Stop Wearing Black
If black has become the dominant colour in your wardrobe, it’s best to phase it out rather than stop wearing it all right away. You need to ease into wearing other colours and feel comfortable with them – plus buying a whole new wardrobe at once is expensive! Here are a few things you can do to start the process off:
Stop Buying Black: This one is nice and simple – stop buying new clothes or accessories in black. Ban yourself from buying black anything, and instead, anything new you purchase has to be a colour. Depending on your buying habits this may be easy or a bit challenging, but it’s the best way to start!
Accessorise With Colour: Next, accessories. These are usually where people feel the most comfortable with colour, because it isn’t covering such a large expanse. Wear bright scarves, neutral-coloured watch straps, pastel bracelets and colourful earrings. You’ll find people start to notice you and compliment the colours you’re wearing more and more as you stop wearing blacks and bring in the colours.
Experiment With New Neutrals: Black goes with everything because it’s a neutral colour, so you need to find some new neutrals that work for you. These neutrals would eventually take the place of the black in your wardrobe as the foundation shade, which you can build more colour off. A few popular neutrals include olive, brown, camel, grey, and navy.
Ditch The Black Shoes: Shoes are one of those things that people default on the colour of, and more often than not the default colour is black. But there are so many more stylish options out there that can bring your outfits to life, and give you a more ‘put together’ look. So, experiment with tan and beige boots, colourful pumps or nude heels to give your outfits some lift.
Alternatives To Black
Whenever we talk about not wearing black, the question we get is ‘but what else will I wear?’. Well, any other colour in the world! Clothes come in pretty much every colour you can imagine, and with just a little effort you can turn your all-black ensembles into jaw-dropping outfits. Don’t worry, you don’t have to wear neon! Instead, here are a few alternatives to black that can work for almost any garment, or occasion:
- Charcoal grey
- Navy blue
- Espresso brown
- Dark plum
- Indigo
- Rich teal
- Deep grey
- Camel
Of course, there are some areas where black is still going to be appropriate. Fancy events, funerals and the like will almost always be dominated by black – and that’s OK. The trick is to bring out your personality in colour everywhere else, so that when you do need to be head to toe in black, it’s not like every other day. Instead, it becomes a statement in itself! We’d love to know how you get on, and what colourful changes you make to your wardrobe.