So you’ve got a bunch of black items in your wardrobe that you can’t afford to get rid of (or just don’t want to), but you know that black isn’t the most flattering colour on you. How do you get your wear out of them and make them work?
Here are my top 3 tips
1.Find a top with a pattern that has some black or dark grey in it to blend the black with to create a harmonious outfit.
2. Think about using scarves to tie the black in, but provide a better colour to frame your face.
3. Don’t forget to work with your ideal contrast levels when incorporating black. Particularly your value contrast so that it’s less obvious as a colour that doesn’t suit you.
Further reading:
3 Simple Steps for Wearing Black When You Have Light Colouring
Thanks for this timely reminder Imogen. Black is the never ending love-hate color for me as I don’t care to wear it by my face yet have too much of it in the closet. It’s slimming but also aging for me. Also for those who must wear as a uniform this is helpful. The scarf trick is my go to more often than not.
Catherine in Dubai
Thank you for these ideas!
Excellent post, as usual. Black used to be my signature, but as I grow older, it’s too stark for me. My neutrals now are navy blue and grey, but I still have a lot of black. These tips are useful.
I am one of those who can happily wear black, but I hope these tips could help with other less flattering colours that happen to be in my closet… Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Yes you can use these tips to mix any colour that’s not so great into your wardrobe.
Thank you ☺ Of course, it’s easier if the less than great colours are farther from the face…
Thank you, this is very helpful! Since black is cool, and it’s best not to mix warm and cool colors, do you have ideas for warm skin tone people who are transitioning away from black but still need to wear it at present for reasons you describe in your post? Would we use our best warm colors with the black, or is it best to go with the cool versions of those colors when wearing black?
Mix your better colours with black to mitigate the unflattering effect of black.
This is very helpful since most of us have more black in our wardrobes than we want, at least I do. I find that there are just so many clothes that only come in black so I often buy black out of desperation–especially in pants. Also I do find that black pants or dark denim jeans are much more forgiving than light colors on the bottom. But then (since I am petite) I often end up with the dark on top as well.
Often when I see a dress in black that is also offered in another color the color version will sell out much faster. I think women want more color but the selection isn’t there.