Back To Black

So there I am, sitting in front of my laptop, green tea to my right hand side, stash of magazines to my left; yet nothing seems to be compelling me to write. Then I have a flash back to NYE and my sister stating that she 'preferred' the way I looked when I wore my best friend's dress for a change. Said dress was a strappy, white and gold stripe sequin number - potentially consisting of everything that I have never ever wore in my twenty something years of existence. Why did she prefer this look you may ask? Well, it wasn't black.

Anyone who knows me will know that colour isn't exactly something that I particularly warm to. Perhaps it's the fact that as a teenager, I went through the typical goth/emo phase and chose to wear nothing but head to toe black. Whatever the reason, I have just always loved it. It's like my favourite colour (it is a colour, I don't care what anyone says), clothes-wise anyway. I love that it's mysterious, 'slimming', generally inoffensive, but most of all, it's unassuming and modest. I recently saw a tweet from one of my favourite Scottish fashion girls Cara Eve Dunlop, stating that "Modesty breeds happiness" and to be honest, I thought that it was a fantastic little mantra to live by. It also made me think about my decisions to wear black and how I genuinely feel happier and more secure in myself whenever I do so. There was definitely something to go by in that quote.

Another connotation that I immediately think of with black, is power. It's undeniable that some of the words most powerful and influential leaders - not just in fashion - have been seen in an all black ensemble. Chanel created her signature dress around the colour, Kelly cut throat Cutrone is pretty much always seen in it and even Simon Cowell, Johnny Cash, Joan Jet and Batman to name but a few, love(d) the dark side. A woman recently came into my work (ironically I work at The White Company) and told me that her New Year's resolution was to wear less black, so she was purchasing a few navy and white dresses to kick start the year. I immediately had the response to ask her why. Why do people think that wearing all black is a crime? Some of the best designers in the world like Rick Owens create collections with nothing but black. 

Over the years, it's has proved a defining feature for myself and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can understand that if everyone were to think the same as me, the world would just be a sea of black, but for the minority of us who prefer to dress this way, do not think of it as something that you need to change or amend. Wearing black is classic, empowering and can be styled in any way that you wish; so please, respect it, own it and make it your own.