How to wear black— I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness. — Ossie Davis
Do you know when to choose and how to wear black clothes? Imagine going to a seminar or conference and seeing a mass of black clothes everywhere. The best way to stand out in a crowd like this is to wear coloured accessories in your signature colours.
Listen to Moana Robinson’s interview on Presentation Boss for tips on standing out in a crowd of corporate workers when most people will wear black. Click and play the podcast below:
Here is a blog and video from Moana when she was given an amazing public speaking opportunity to give a TED Talk. Wearing clothes in colours that suit you and suit the occasion makes creating that first impression so much easier.
Achromatic means a colour without a hue. Like white and grey, black is considered neutral. Technically, it is a shade rather than a colour. A black object absorbs all the colours of the spectrum. Moreover, it reflects none of them to the eyes.
Many people wear black to look thinner. Think of an image. One is a solid black box. The other image is a solid white box. Which looks heavier? The solid black box looks heavier. Looking slimmer in black can depend on the cut and style of the clothing. Because dark colours are receding and lighter colours are the first colours you see it does pay to wear darker colours on any areas you would like to draw attention away from and lighter colours to highlight or bring forward other areas. Ideally it is always good to wear lighter colours up towards the face.
Wearing black can depend on whether the outfit is fitted or loose. A black dress can be very flattering if it is the right fit. Loose clothing can actually add to a person’s size if it is too voluminous.
People with a cool undertone will generally suit black better than people with a warm undertone.
The texture of the black material makes a difference. Shiny black material looks darker than matt black material. Very textured black fabric can sometimes look like faded black or charcoal grey.
In the 14th century, only wealthy people and kings could afford high-quality black dyed garments. A symbol of power and importance was designated to the colour black. Nowadays, Judges and Barristers in Court wear black.
Steve Jobs always wore black turtle neck shirts and blue jeans. He did this so that he didn’t have to think about what to wear every day. According to Insider, wearing black saves decision fatigue.
Coco Chanel was known for coining the term "the little black dress" or “LBD”. LBD showed up in a lot of her designs. Based on Wikipedia, women could have at least one in their wardrobe today.
Moana Robinson used to work in a legal office. She frequently wore black dresses, different corporate jackets in colours to suit and accessories as this was quick and easy for travelling to work in the city on the train after taking children to school and daycare before and after work.
You've got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that's real. — Amy Grant
The trick to wearing black if it is not in your colour palette is to wear it away from the face. Use accessories such as scarves and jewellery to draw the eyes up to the face and detract from the black.
Sheer fabric or lace worn around the decolletage area with some skin showing through will soften the black colour.
Visit our shopboards! Browse items on the right section of the shopboard. Some prices may vary at any time. B Styled for Life provides a service to find garments for you depending on your Body Shape and Style Personality. For special events, Moana can put together some suggestions for you. You may contact Moana or leave a message below. Happy shopping!
Have you thought about an online personal style consultation? Now is the time to prepare and look, feel and be your absolute best.
