Basic Black is a Bore

I found a picture of myself with my three best girlfriends and it looked like we were at a funeral when in fact we were at a party. We were all wearing black tops, skirts and dresses and the people in the background were wearing the same. Hmmmmmmmmm the 80's still has a hold on us. When I showed up at an art opening wearing a white linen dress I was applauded and praised beyond belief. Oops, I thought and began my plight towards less black in the closet.

Just as the beehive updos still date some women, I'm afraid the wearing of the black everyday could date us. I'm sure other things will eventually come to date our generation but let's focus on black. I love a nice black and white striped tee and black is basic and classic but if you wear it everyday it's as boring as khaki. I went through a grey/black phase and that was sad, my plum/olive phase was a bit better and eventually I worked my way to yellow. I have the cutest yellow sun dress, well, I have 3 cute yellow sun dresses.

Every now and then I'll fall of the wagon but for the most part I try to limit the black and white combo or black solitaire ensemble to one day a week. It is hard come Winter because my favorite outfits include a cute, black, ballerina cut or boat-neck cut top with a plaid wool skirt and black tights. But I have found that it's not even black in those skirts but navy and that red and wine sweaters/shirts, work just as nicely with them .

If you find that in every photo over a span of three years you are wearing a black tee and variety means black and white stripes, black and white plaid etc... then you are in a rut. Nico, Yoko, they pulled it off but they are what you call icons. Wearing black and black and white won't make you an icon. You can wear those colors for years and nope, not even honorary icon status. What does happen is you start to fade into the background, blend in with the crowd and then, not realizing this is stemming from your basically boring wardrobe, you compensate by upping the personality a little. You laugh more, you cut up more, you get louder and louder and before you know it your annoying. Friends don't want to hang with you anymore, and there you are, depressed in your black tee.

You might fear color thinking: black is arty, black is cool, black is sexy, black is deep, black is beat and black is always in etc....
Yeah sure, I won't argue those irrational ideas but I will say this: black is easy. Try red or white one day and see what happens. I know you'll work your way up too a small palette of choice primaries and then flow naturally into patterns and voila: A better you is born.