I have a complicated relationship with solid black wardrobe items. I either absolutely love them, or I dislike them intensely. Black turtlenecks, dressy black trousers, and a black moto jacket are wardrobe essentials for my style. I wear pretty black underwear very frequently, enjoy a pair of classic black riding boots, and adore black lace tops. I also love wearing black and white outfits, and black and blue outfits.
On the other hand, I am not at all drawn to solid black dresses, pencil skirts, jeans, coats, trench coats, blazers, puffer coats, casual tops, bags and belts. I am rarely drawn to solid black footwear, although a pair of black booties does come in handy from time to time and they are currently on my shopping list. Having bought all these items in the past, I learned the hard way. They’ve either been passed on, demoted, or are currently orphaned.
This brings me to the (almost) orphaned black wardrobe items that you can see in the collection below. I’m not going to pass them on. They fit perfectly, look good in the mirror, and are impeccably made. They have a high-longevity factor, and two of the items are very practical.
Once a year, the cropped black tuxedo jacket comes in handy – like it did for my birthday outfit last week. The Canadian black puffer coat is the only topper that keeps me warm in below freezing temperatures, (and as far as puffer coats go — it’s quite flattering). Oh, how I WISH it was navy or cream, but what can you do. I hardly ever wear my black Matrix coat because it’s awfully hard-edged for my style preferences. I bought it because I thought Greg would love it — and he does! But I don’t. I will wear it once a year with white jeans to temper the black and leave it at that.
I don’t feel my best in these three solid black wardrobe items, but I will continue to wear them occasionally. Each season I do a little more soul searching about the colour black and how I want to incorporate it into my style so that I can make more informed shopping decisions. I’m closer to nailing what works and learning from my mistakes, but it’s not yet a flop proof shopping strategy.
