You taught me this a few years ago and I love it. I have a lot of black items in my closet (and black is a basic work pant color), so adding white or bright colors brings out the sunny feel. I also love bright yellow with black (another combination you endorsed).

great tips Angie! i like wearing black even in warm temps, but as u mentioned i prefer a contrasting white or bright colour. wearing all black makes me feel hotter in warmer temps…

Like Eva, I like to add bright yellow — or turquoise — to my summer black & white outfits. I love the clean look of black and white in summer. Of course, if it’s 90 and humid, I’d probably opt for something other than a black top!

This was really helpful Angie, thanks. Black is a huge part of my wardrobe, and I still wear it through the summer. I like the black tops paired with white bottoms idea and vice versa. I haven’t done that in awhile.
I find that I like to wear black prints (floral, polka dot, etc) in the summer as well. The prints feel lighter than a solid.

This post was very helpful. I’ve always liked wearing black in hot weather. For some reason I feel cooler as if I’m in a shady spot. Brights are my least favorite for hot weather. You have given me some new ideas for wearing black and for using brights when I don’t usually wear them. My favorite color with black, besides white, is robin’s egg blue or a soft aqua. I saw it all over Italy several years ago and was smitten.

I practically live in my black capris (soon to be hemmed to ylf-approved length) during the short summer we have here in Seattle. So I’ll look for some white tops to pair with them. It looks great on the second model- there really is something classy about black and white.

I also found a pair of lightweight black pants (a thin polished cotton) and have been wondering how to make sure they look summery. Thanks, Angie, for reminding me to “lighten up”.

I love wearing black in warm weather too!

The other day when it was pretty warm out I thought of wearing a lightweight black sweater with a white skirt, and I was surprised by how well it worked–it looked completely seasonally appropriate.

Where I live in the South, black clothing in the middle of summer isn’t practical if you’ll be spending any time outside, but in terms of the look I think it’s just fine.

Great ideas – I’m trying to break of out the rut of wearing mostly black and have been trying to minimize how much of it I wear as the weather warms up. I feel like a waitress wearing black & white without the addition of another color or pattern/texture/detail or some fun jewelry though. I already have black hair so I guess I am always wearing black in a way!

Temperatures don’t soar here very often;-) Perhaps that’s why I actually quite like the look of monochromatic and textured black, regardless of the season. I’ve seen it done very stylishly here and it can look very chic.

But I love the idea of adding white (a full B&W outfit also has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that appeals to me a lot) or a contrasting colour just as much. It does make the look more Summery and ‘airy’, and you gave some fantastic tips on how to go about this Angie!

Such interesting perspectives on wearing black in warm weather. I too am a BIG fan of black and white combinations and it goes without saying that I am an even BIGGER fan of white or cream items in general.

Sarah, excellent point about black prints and patterns feeling lighter than black solids.

Joy, I enjoyed your shady take on black

Shana and Eva, white is one of your best colours. I hope to see you both wearing lots of it this season.

I agree! I also tend to steer clear too if it’s 80’s and higher because of the heat black absorbs!

I love my black and white and usually do as you suggest, lighter fabrics of black, colorful acessories or just black and white summery stuff.

I run a little counter to the wisdom on this question. I *like* seasonality in my wardrobe so I do phase out black in Spring and minimize it in Summer. I am very prone to falling into a rut in my clothing choices, so I actually take things away from myself during certain seasons to break my habits.

By putting away my black items, I rediscover gray and blue and white and warm brown. I just find I won’t reach for the white pants if the black pants are there too.

I also enjoy the lovely little reunion in the Fall when I take them out again

I just don’t wear black. At all.

I find the colour doesn’t do anything for my complexion, and greys with navy blue look a lot better on me.

I do think black should be treated differently during the warmer months, and I love your suggestions, every one of ‘em.

These are wonderful tips! Warm weather has never stopped me from wearing black.

Angie, thank you for including a plus size top in your roundup.

Yep, great tips. I think most people have a fair amount of black and do wear it in the summer as well. It gets very hot in the summer here, 100’s some weeks,but paired with your suggestions it looks appropriate.

Thanks, Angie, for including a “goddess” size model in your line up! Can’t get away from black, it’s such an intregal part of my wardrobe. But thanks for the tips to make it seem less fall and winter and bring us in to the warm summer season.

Great tips Angie! I hardly ever wear white or really bright colors. I wear cream, khaki, orange and all shades of green in addition to black in the spring and summer. Bright white is too much contrast for me but I think I get the idea and as try to adapt it to fit my style. I do try to wear light shoes with dark jeans and visa versa depending on of course what else is going on.

I use black all around the year. It depends a lot on the fabric and shape for me. There are black pieces I would not like to wear in cold weather and there are ones not appropriate for warm weather. I noticed over time that I hardly use my black leather handbags during warmer summer months in San Diego.

I mostly wear black with white I think, but I sometimes wear all black with a white belt, bright shoes, scarfs and handbags as long as the shades of blacks match. Black shades that don’t match feel like denim jackets on jeans to me. I used a lot of black bottom and jackets with graphic print tops when I was pregnant which was by far the time I used black the most.

I guess what I have to say doesn’t count since I don’t group colors by season, but I’ll say it anyway :p

I wear black this way all year long. I love black and white, and black with bright colors. I have yet to find a decent pair of clams or white jeans, but I’m sure I would have worn black that way too. Black has a bad reputation since so many people use it as a security blanket, but it is my best neutral so I continue to wear it in abundance. White looks nice too, but black is just fierce. Long before I knew about style or fashion, I always noticed how good I looked in it.

I LOVE black!!! It’s slimming and you always look dressed up. I am wearing a black skirt today and thought it would look to “night” for the day but you’re right – topping it with bright colors and bright accesories makes it more playful. Loved this post!

clothedmuch.blogspot.com

Great tips, Angie! I’ve been a a black rut before but rediscovered the beauty of black/white ensembles thanks to you. I’m loving it! I was wondering if black/white combination is something that goes in and out of style or is it always popular?

I am glad to read this post as just bought a summery, sleeveless black top today. So proud of myself as it covers a few trend categories – volume, banded and black!
I really like the suggestion of robin’s egg blue with black. My go to has been cream/khaki or the white accents and accessorized with one of my turquoise pieces.

I wear black (sleeveless tops, walking shorts) in the summer, too. Since the Seattle area is usually still breezy and cool except for a few weeks, I don’t mind the heat-absorbing properties of black. However, I do feel funny wearing ALL black – it’s too much of a contrast when I am already super pale, and it seems seasonally out of place.

I’ll wear black until it reaches 30 degrees celcius, but after that it’s just way too hot and holds too much heat.

Black does tend to look too hot to wear in summer, even if the garment is made of a light fabric and you feel cool enough wearing the item, so I try mix it with white and other light colors. This is a very timely post, as I still tend to reach for all dark colored clothes for their slimming appearance.

I feel the same way about black footwear – it just doesn’t feel summer-y, unless it’s a strappy sandal (and even then).

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