Wednesday 6 February 2013

Black is Easy

Black is easy ….. or so they say – according to many people, some professional Style Consultants included, you can wear Black with anything.

Well of course you can… but why would you want to?

For the past 15 years I haven’t had black in my wardrobe, with the notable exception of a pair of maternity trousers, all I could find in a moment of need!  As a Summer, black wasn’t a good look and while it was below the waist, my husband and I both noticed the ‘killer effect’ it had compared to wearing other trousers which were from my colour palette.  And it was a killer – it drained the life from my outfit and from me – the last thing I needed given how I was feeling! 

I’d known from the age of about 16 that black didn’t suit me – somewhere I have a picture of me in a black sweatshirt proving more ‘deathly pallor’ than ‘porcelain glow’.  Unfortunately, this revelation wasn’t entirely valuable, seeing what DID work would have been far more useful. So, what of the other belief that ‘Black is slimming’?  It’s true, within the visual effects caused by colour, that Black is slimming; however, it is not so much the colour, rather the dark shade, inherently in black, which is the slimming element.  In Feng Shui, black is a colour which ‘absorbs’, thus darker colours absorb the light, causing objects to recede or disappear; lighter colours reflect the light making objects appear larger or more visible. (Consider painting a room white vs. a darker shade of any colour and the room will appear larger in white).  This tends to translate for me as wearing a belt that is the same or darker shade as the rest of my outfit, rarely lighter – to make my waist look slimmer. 

Thus, while you can wear Black as a slimming colour, surely it’s far better to choose one of YOUR dark colours i.e. a colour from your palette, in this way you will look slimmer AND healthy, not just slimmer!

Nicole Kidman demonstrates this:
 
 

 

 
Or better still, step out confidently in one of your 2-star colours knowing you look fantastic:
 
 
And in the words of Gok Wan “Black is easier than you think ……to get it wrong”


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Ditto the 'no black' rule in my wardrobe. My exception is my choir uniform which is a black top and skirt. Head to toe black is not exactly flattering for a vibrant autumn but I do make sure that my makeup and the style of my black outfit are true to my clothing personality in order to make the best of a bad lot!!

Thanks for the blog - I've only just discovered it from the House of Colour facebook page and am now enjoying reading all the previous episodes.

Unknown said...

Just realised that my photo also contains black clothing!! Cycle shorts and armwarmers pretty much only come in black and, as a tandem team, I have to match my husband - a jewel winter!!

House of Colour said...

You're welcome Tessa, I'm glad you are enjoying it! Remember your glasses and jewellery also contribute to you looking your best in your right colours, styles and metals!
We've got some exciting new products coming at House of Colour, keep an eye on the website and in touch with your consultant for more information!