Black Summers

With the summer comes a burst of happy, fresh, bright colours. High street shop windows ooze these colours like the flowers in our garden. It’s a refreshing delight to the dark tones of winter, but for us colourphobes who wear a lot of black, it sends us into this scary, unknown, vulnerable territory where we begin to panic and get the fashion sweats.

So the question I’m asking is, can you wear black in the summer? The answer should be clear and simple. Of course you can! But for some reason, there is almost a taboo surrounding the colour whilst the suns out. You end up standing out from the crowd, like you’ve got your own rain cloud following you, when in fact you’re just championing one of the most iconic, versatile colours there is.

There is however, a way to get round this and give the colour black it’s timeless, seasonal wearability and credibility it deserves. Vogue found that hints of “pattern play, couture detailing, geometrics and intelligent design all have their part to play in this style story, with fashion luminaries Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham, Rodarte and Celine – among others – all performing their role to perfection.” These names have shown the colour can be as strong a contender for the spring summer catwalks as the dominating pastel palettes and innocent whites.

Fendi

Kenzo

So here’s our guide to wearing pitch black in summer:

1. Opt for airy, light fabrics that are diaphanous and allow movement so your summer skip can show through.
2. Match with colourful accessories. Black is a great canvas to work on and is the perfect accompaniment to the reoccurring neon pop trend.
3. Avoid items that cover you in head to toe with fabric. If you’re going to wear black, may we suggest refraining from high neck collars and long sleeves, even if they are of the bat-wing type.
4. As with your play on colour when accessorising, work with different textures and fabrics too. Add in some raffia or lace detailing, maybe even some cork or wood? You can afford to be more daring when wearing black.
5. Last but not least, match your style with a fresh faced beauty look. Avoid heavy eye liner and dark eye shadows. Instead, sweet peaches and pretty nudes will ensure you still look as fresh and bright as a bunch of beautiful summer peonies.

Richard Nicoll

Roksanda Ilincic

So in answer to the question? Yes you can wear black, and damn well if I do say so myself.

By Marni Banks

All images courtesy of Vogue.com