When Audrey Hepburn emerged from the taxi in a black Givenchy dress, no one raised an eyebrow at her attire. That outfit seemed more appropriate for a formal evening affair, but Audrey challenged it by sipping coffee and biting into a scrumptious croissant Tiffany’s shop front. This opening scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s waved goodbye to the stereotype of the colour black, and started a revolution in fashion.
A revolution of the colour ‘black’.
Look around you, at this very moment, how many people are wearing black? I’d spare you the trouble of counting – don’t even bother.
It’s almost every day when I come across terms like “Black is back”, “The new black” and “How to wear black”. It goes into saying that this is probably the most overused and persistent topic in fashion. Yet, we never get bored of it.
Some believe ‘black’ to be slimming, while others call it the age-barrier. Black is like fashion’s comfort food. It takes care of you when you are having a bad day. It embraces your body to give you the warm, comfortable feeling. You can never go wrong with black. It is casual, semi-casual, formal, semi-formal – you name it and ‘black’ is the answer.
It has always been an iconic and classic option for designers. Every designer has showcased an all-black collection, at least once in their career. And they all are very proud of it.
Japanese designer, Yohji Yamamoto finds black modest, arrogant and mysterious.
“It means that many things go together, yet it takes different aspects in many fabrics…But above all, black says this: “I don’t bother you – don’t bother me!” says Yamamoto in his book, Yohji Yamamoto.
The black dress has been the foundation of a woman’s wardrobe for centuries.
In the 15th century, when black was the official colour of mourning – it was a symbol of wealth and power. A sieved stratum of the society could afford to wear it.
Gradually the queens took over and tagged ‘black’ as the colour of elegance, sensuality and modernity. It became mandatory for every high-class woman to own a chic black evening gown. This was followed by the birth of the little black dress, famously known as the LBD (That is an entirely different story, which I might dig into some other day).
And today, as the chilly winter winds slam against my window pane, I wonder, have we stepped behind the yellow line, when it comes to wearing black? Are we being safe, or extremely boring?
Black gives a leeway to be daring and experimental, but it’s also liberating you to get lost in the crowd. You tend to lose your identity. It’s the safest bet – wear black and you won’t stand out. That blue scarf might, but the outfit in entirety is fused with the background.
Even though, black blurs the gender boundaries, it holds the irony torch. This mask of versatility can sometimes be mistaken for an “I-am-boring” one.
The streets are buzzing with dark-coloured moving objects and it is the default option when your inner stylist has gone on a holiday. Your retina doesn’t have to dodge in a fiesta of colours. You can experiment with varied cuts, styles, fabrics – anything that will suit your body and skin type. It’s amalgamates with every culture and race.
This fashion classic can never go out of style especially if you live in Melbourne. Wearing black is a social uniform in this Australian city and if you are a rebel – there shall be consequences.
This glamorous, seductive, powerful and practical colour is leading the fashion industry to a whole new level.
Nothing can replace its elegance and charm, whether you like it or not!
-Shitika Anand.
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