How Do You Shift the Core Color of Your Wardrobe? (Long)

Lisa

Hello.

I recently made the decision to shift my wardrobe away from a core of black to a core of navy.

Why?

Every time I wear black (especially near my face) I feel like it washes me out. It's also a color that I've never gotten compliments on (compared to when I wear other neutrals such as navy, brown, or white).

I do own quite a bit of black though, and since I'm not willing to toss out all of my black clothes at one time, I expect this process to take years.

Instead, here is my plan to slowly transition from black to navy as a core color:

Don't Buy More Black. This seems like an obvious place to start. If I don't want to keep black in my wardrobe, I shouldn't buy anything new in black.
Wear Current Black Items With Color. I often default to wearing a column of black (especially when I travel like in this post, photo #3). My current black pieces can get new life by mixing them with colors (versus neutrals) more often.
Replace Activewear First. My black clothes cross multiple capsules in my wardrobe including casual wear, workwear, and activewear. I've noticed activewear is an easy area to find lots of colors and with WFH it's my most heavily used capsule so these pieces will need replacement first.

Questions:

Have you ever shifted the core color of you wardrobe?
How long did it take you?
Do you have any tips to share?
Was your change away from black permanent?

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

2 weeks ago

Dressing

29 replies

Latest reply was from Lisa

Sisi

Veteran

I have stopped buying black a few years ago and slowly replaced black pieces with blue and navy ones. It took a couple years. Not that black was the core colour of my wardrobe - the core colour has always been blue. But at a certain point I was fed up with black and I think the change will be permanent. I still own and occasionally wear an old black piece of outerwear and I always keep in my wardrobe a black t-shirt - I love black tee/white pants in Summer. But nothing else! No tips, sorry, but the idea of replacing activewear first is good - actually activewear comes in many merry colours.

2 weeks ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

When I started on YLF, I had quite a bit of black in my closet. As most of us probably do! I liked it, and it looked good enough on me (far better than beige, for instance!) and it was widely available. But I had always preferred navy as a dark neutral for myself, and especially as my hair began to turn silver, I started feeling that black was less than flattering. So I have in fact phased it out, with a few exceptions, those being footwear, one belt, one rarely-worn and very old jacket, and a pair of winter hiking pants. My core neutrals are now ink/navy, grey, and white/off-white.

My strategies were similar to yours, but not identical.

1. Don't buy more black. At first, I allowed black and white patterns, but as time went on, I weeded most of those out as well. I will still accept a bit of black in a pattern, as long as the pattern is not predominantly black.

2. Wear black with colour and lighter neutrals (like white or very light grey.)

3. Focus on phasing out black on top before black on bottom.

4. Focus on phasing out winter black before summer black. (I actually like myself a lot more in black in the summer and enjoy summer black. So I continued to wear some black in summer until quite recently.)

5. Don't worry about the activewear. It lasts so darn long. But there, too, I got rid of black on top before black on bottom. Luckily, my activewear tops wear out faster than my bottoms as a rule.

6. For those black items you do decide to keep, focus on shine and/or texture. My black footwear is patent, or suede. My black jacket has a crinkly, interesting texture. A black velvet item could work as well.

The change for me is permanent, yes. I am not sure how long it took...maybe five or six years, all told? I think the length of time it takes will depend on your budget, the size of your wardrobe, how hard you tend to wear your items, etc.

2 weeks ago

cat2

Veteran

I have been heading the opposite direction. I have always loved black and never really liked navy. But I had a lot of navy for work because it was the only other readily available dark neutral for many years. It’s taken me 4 years to wear out most of the navy. I still have maybe a half dozen pieces, including accessories, but expect most of them won’t make more than another year. I stopped buying new navy, and didn’t really buy new pieces to replace it. I already had a closet well stocked with black and some grey. So by cutting out a color I shrunk my wardrobe, which is also another of my long term goals.

2 weeks ago

Star

Veteran

When I was growing in my natural silver hair I read a lot of articles about black not being so flattering as we age. Suz looks so amazing in navy with her silver hair so I envisaged exchanging my blacks for navy, pairing it with pastel lilacs, greens, blues and optic white. I have light blue eyes. Black has always suited me along with optic white. So over the two years of 'growing in' I acquired a navy puffer jacket, navy combat boots, navy moto boots. Well it turned out that when I wore black with silver hair I still garnered many compliments, along the lines of 'black is your colour!' The contrast was good on me. Optic white was suddenly terrible and the paler pastels made me look so washed out. So so much for all of that! Clearly although Suz and I have similar natural hair colour, our colouring must be quite different. After another two years of silver hair I decided to tone it copper red, which fades to pinkish-blonde. I am still happy in black, as well as navy, and even wear them together sometimes. So not really answering your questions, just sharing my experience. Your ideas are all on track. It is going to take a long time though, but probably not a train smash as you can wear them together as I do.

2 weeks ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Yes to your first two strategies, Lisa. But don't worry much about the activewear.

Yes to Suz's strategies.

I moved away from black ten years ago. I don't even do black in patterns. The transition took a long time. Years.

I started replacing black items with solid navy items as far as my budget allowed.

I passed on black items I wasn't wearing much anyway - like a black pencil skirt.

I wore new navy items WITH old black items, adding lots of cream and white.

Like Suz, my switch to navy as the dark neutral for my style is permanent, and I couldn't be happier about it. I look good in solid black. But look better - and FEEL better - in solid navy. It brings out my green-blue eyes, and is prettier against my skin tone. The colours I wear look better with navy than black too - like orange, citron, and lime. It was an organic transition.

ETA: Keep things fun, and enjoy the process. It all works out in the end.

2 weeks ago

kinnick

Active Member

I actually prefer navy to black. But when I tried to switch to navy I found that different shades of navy in an outfit looked odd to my eye. I decided I would rather wear black with navy rather than mix navies when wearing separates which means, for me, black pants and shoes with navy on top. You might want to assess your tolerance for mixed navies before going all in.

2 weeks ago

slim cat

Veteran

I keep some black pieces for work and still like black jeans.
I did go off the black color for a while and then brought some of it back to my wardrobe - mostly graphic tees and black pants/jeans.
The charcoal is a better alternative for jackets/pants and black topper with some shine and texture like @Suz recommended . I like to add some patterned tops with black/white/blue colors that will lightened outfits.
It's a process and it'll take time - important is not to stress too much about it and have fun .

2 weeks ago

Lisa

Veteran

Excellent advice and insights here, thank you ALL for sharing your journey.

Sisi - I also have a lot of blue in my wardrobe, I always have. I find it ironic that it's taken me this long to consider removing the black for more blue, my favorite color to wear! And I agree, a black tee and white shorts/jeans/pants in the summer is a beautiful, classic look.

Suz - It's interesting to see where your strategy deviated from mine. I especially like the suggestion to wear my current black items not only with color but also lighter neutrals. It's easy to forget that black and white is a beautiful, classic look!

Phasing out black on top is a brilliant suggestion! Black looks harshest up against my face (at least to my eye) so trying to soften it (maybe with scarf if it's say a v neck sweater) or removing it completely is a good first step.

There will definitely be some black pieces that remain in my wardrobe. They are high price point items, sentimental items, and often both (a Hermes belt I purchased in Germany, an Aspinal of London bag I got in London, a Soukajan Bomber Jacket I picked up in Japan). All of these items have texture to them (pebbled leather, crinkly fabric) so conveniently they fall under the shine/texture that you've used for your own black pieces, how nice we are aligned!

cat2 - Removing a color is a great way to reduce wardrobe size! My situation with work clothes is similar to your own. I have a core of black for my workwear, because it's a lot easier for me to find and travel with black as the base color.

Star - We've probably read the same articles! I always read how black isn't good for aging and I completely disagree with those authors. There are some women with grey or silver hair who I think look amazing in black!

2 weeks ago

Lisa

Veteran

Angie - Good to know activewear isn't something to keep at the top of the list because then I can focus on other capsules first instead.

Wearing new navy items with black and adding cream and white is a brilliant suggestion! I liked the navy and black outfit formula from this past summer and can see me doing more of that combination in the future. I think my light colored handbags and footwear will be really helpful with black outfits moving forward too.

And yes, it's important to always remember to have fun!

kinnick - A great point about mixed navies in the same outfit. Black does pair very nicely with navy, versus say, two different navies together. This is something for me to consider!

slim cat - I don't think I'll ever be able to completely remove black from my wardrobe. I was just thinking about how I not only have black items that are sentimental, but I'm also a big hockey fan and my favorite team is red/black/white (NJ Devils). Your comment about keeping black jeans made me realize that it'll be hard for me to wear team colors to the games without keeping at least a little black in, like a pair of black jeans to pair with my team jersey!

2 weeks ago

Kate

Veteran

Yep, about 10 or so years ago, I noticed black up by my face was washing me out. Back then, black was my core color, and my closet was a sea of black. Without good lighting in there, I would have been lost!

The whole process took about five years. With the exception of my sleeveless black turtleneck tops, all black tops and sweaters but one very expensive one went. Black dresses went. I kept one short sleeved gear tee and one sleeveless black rayon button up top for summer, because black is not so draining when there's a lot of skin showing. I did keep all my black jeans. I didn't even own blue jeans.

Getting rid of black gave me the permission to add color to my wardrobe. I indulged in the neutrals I love, and kept finding more of them. Varying shades of olive and brown replaced black. Then mustard came in. Orange landed in my closet for summer, and then made its way into my winter closet and then into my outwear. Later I found cream to be a good neutral for me, and finally, after resisting navy for many years (too close to black), I found a bright shade of navy that works for me, and I have nice assortment of tops and a pair of trousers in that color.

I still happily wear black bottoms, but over time, color has also invaded my jeans and trousers. I have chestnut, oak, olive and mustard colored jeans, and would love to have a pair of burgundy ones.

My outwear closet is a riot of non-black.

What color has done for my bags and shoe wear is whole other story.

Getting rid of black turned out to be a great thing for me. I have a much more pleasing wardrobe. And weirdly enough, as my hair turned from blonde to silver gilt to silver, that one lone black sweater I did keep looks unexpectedly good on me now!

2 weeks ago

Sal

Veteran

I have tried to minimise black in my closet but have not transitioned it out. I like black for work, for activewear and occasionally at night. I like it best with other neutrals.

I think not adding any more in is the key point. And working out how you do like to wear any existing pieces.

For me the place where I don't feel happy is with flat black pieces in the weekend. And when I wear it without sheen or texture or skin showing.

2 weeks ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

So this is very interesting to me. I used to be an all black all the time type, but have shifted quite a bit since joining YLF and don't now consider black a very good color on me near my face (I still like it for pants and jeans). On the other hand, as a second hand shopper I sometimes run across a black piece that I simply will not say no to. Generally I do not have hard and fast color rules, although I know this works well for many.
Anyway, I think your strategies sound good!

2 weeks ago

RobinF

Veteran

I am like cat2 in that I like black better than navy. I always have some navy, probably because I think I "should", but don't feel great in it. I also don't like it with black so it bothers me to wear black shoes with it but I don't have navy shoes. I should probably weed out my navy.

Anyway, I think your strategy sounds good so that you can still get the use out of existing items but start moving away from black.

2 weeks ago

cat2

Veteran

Robin F: I am like you in not liking navy with black. After I wore out my casual navy shoes, I went with my old cognac bag and shoes instead.

2 weeks ago

Lisa

Veteran

Kate - I am finding that as I've added more color to my wardrobe, I want to wear black less often. It seems to be a natural transition. Cream as a neutral is a great idea! I had not thought of that. I feel like when I read about neutrals or basics in a wardrobe dark colors are usually mentioned (black, brown, grey).

Sal - I agree, the most important thing to do is not buy any MORE black. Something I have to keep top of mind, because black is always available.

Jaime - I can see the black bottoms in my wardrobe sticking around longer than the tops, because my tops always wear out faster than my bottoms. And keeping black away from my face with certainly lighten up my outfits.

RobinF - You're reason for having navy is a lot like my reason for having black. Owning a basic [insert item] in black is usually on any wardrobe must have list and I have certainly fallen for those over the years. It's led me to own lots of black over time even though it's not my best color. I've also fallen into the trap of black for workwear because it's easy to find and easy to travel with.

cat2 - Cognac is a lovely color to pair with outfits that used to have navy shoes. How fun that you have both cognac shoes and a matching bag! My matchy-matchy gene likes when bags and shoes match.

2 weeks ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Lisa, this is sort of veering into a different topic, but re neutrals, I think for many of us (depending on our personal colouring and preferences, of course) it can be helpful to think in terms of dark and light neutrals. And maybe a "medium" neutral, too. Or at least it has been helpful to me, LOL.

So my core dark neutral is navy. (Luckily for me unlike some, I don't mind slight variations in my navies across different items, but that might be because I rarely wear a plain navy top and bottom together -- usually I'll be wearing the top or topper with denim, or vice versa, or with something that has pattern or texture. Anyway, I wear a lot of navy both summer and winter.

My core light neutral is white and/ or winter white/ ivory. (I can wear both as long as the ivory doesn't skew too yellowish.) Again, I wear white/ ivory all year and try to have summer and winter weight items in this neutral. Including a coat or two or a jacket.

I also have a sort of medium neutral, which is grey. I wear many tones of grey, from charcoal (very little of it, and only in winter) to a light silvery grey (worn much more often, across seasons). I used to own grey coats/ jackets, but I don't really, any more, because they tend to depress me in grey weather. Grey looks good on me, especially with white or a colour, and I do wear it frequently, but if I let it dominate my closet I start feeling very sad.

I think for some people (esp. those with brown or blonde hair) various tans might fit the "medium neutral" category -- they can range from toffee to oatmeal.

Also, I forgot to mention that as i was transitioning away from black, it helped me to think of it as a colour in my wardrobe. An accent rather than a core neutral. To the extent I still use black, that's how I think of it.

1 week ago

Sal

Veteran

I agree with Suz re neutrals. I used to default to black as a neutral. Now I have more white and off white I wear less black. I have also experimented with blush, camel, navy and olive as neutrals. Olive doesn’t work for me but all the others do.

1 week ago

JAileen

Veteran

Back when I worked, my neutrals were navy and brown. When I went grey I started wearing grey, and dropped brown. I knew brown wasn’t my best anymore so I just stopped wearing it. It was a couple years before I cleared out what I wasn’t wearing.

I’ve never worn much black. When I was young my hair was a medium brown with lots of red and gold. My mother dressed me in lots of greens and olives. She saw something I didn’t see until I was much older. I have a friend who wears almost nothing but black and looks fab. Her coloring is just like Joan Baez, with the same silvery hair.

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1 week ago

Star

Veteran

Suz that is clever, thinking of black as a colour while transitioning and now. (or 'smart' as people say in the US :).)

1 week ago

RobinF

Veteran

Suz - interesting to think of black as a color instead of a neutral. In my mind navy is a color and that is one reason I don't find it as versatile as black. But maybe if I stop trying to make it a neutral then it is fine to just have a little bit. Food for thought.

Cat2 - love your idea of wearing navy with cognac. I do wear it with tans and creams. Kind of the same idea I guess.

1 week ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Good food for thought!

Neither black nor navy are good face colors for me, except summer T shirts in navy or black work ok because, skin, and because are worn with lighter- colored jackets. Hence why I bought a very lightweight woven cotton shirt recently, as is warmer weather wear.

But, more medium blues, heathered or denim-y blues, slate blue, are good, my main alternative to berry colors and deep lavender, and they go well with black pants because provide a bit of contrast but can still create “ tonal” outfits. And black pants are very available in a range of fabrics, styles, and level of dressiness.

So you might want to consider whether you like NAVY blue or perhaps like other blues more. I just mean, it’s not necessary to think that black basics must be replaced with navy basics because of an idea that one must have one or the other as a dark neutral , unless the navy looks really good, especially jackets. Which on you it might! Also, consider which “ neutral “ works best with your favorite main- colors and accents.

Like you, I also found that black helped me with travel capsules, mostly pants of course. Easy to find items that pack well, travel well, from joggers to a dressier pant, and comfortable shoes in black or gray-whites.

I also. for better or worse, run a kind of “ alternate palette” of very cool browns and almost taupe colors. Fortunately these mix with black and denim, but not with most of my grays, not with khaki colors I wear in summer pants, and not all with each other! So I try to focus on a “capsule” in these colors.

Hopefully you will avoid my tendency to jump on colors I love and have sometimes bought a poorer quality item just because it’s one of my best colors. Which can be okay to test the waters before investing in very well- made items.

Anyway, it sounds like fun to re- think the color paleo!

1 week ago

Star

Veteran

Unfrumped I actually like cool brown with grey and with khaki. Probably will depend on if the grey and khaki are cool too...

1 week ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Star, just so! I try to keep my eye out for items that will do the “ mix of neutrals” so that my items will be more versatile.

Overall I have run myself into a more complicated color palette because, one, I lack discipline! I’ll find a good- fitting pant that is warmer- toned like a more golden khaki when a cool dark beige might be more versatile color- wise. And in part because I lean toward murkier colors, which often don’t mix with each other, and also I don’t wear many very pale neutrals ( white and ivory) which might separate darker colors.

I do find that color depth contrast helps— a medium- charcoal is not-black but works with khaki pants, whereas a light heathered gray looks not as good.

1 week ago

karen23

Active Member

I am also thinking that too much of my wardrobe is black.

It seems that most of you are in a different phase. Those strategies could work well.

Given a choice, I would pick any of several shades of brown, taupe, bright navy, navy or olive. I do hesitate to have navy take over, with its associations with police uniforms and Dress For Success job-hunting looks. As a core neutral for me, beige, camel, white or gray seem impractical and/or unflattering. Shoes are easiest to find in black.

Right now, my wardrobe lacks a center. I am thinking that possibly I should just wait for a color to present itself, be open to keeping black, and just make sure I still have at least one outfit that would work for a day trip to Chicago.

1 week ago

Lisa

Veteran

Suz - A great point about grouping neutrals to dark and light. With outfits sometimes you need something to brighten or soften a look and shading (versus colors) can do that well.

Also thinking of black as an accent is great insight. Especially since some of the items that will stay in my wardrobe over time because they are sentimental will be accessories (belt, bag, etc).

I think I can pull that idea through further, with using lighter accessories to brighten black outfits (ie white sneakers and bag with black pants instead of black sneakers and bag).

Sal - You've experimented with some lovely neutral shades, I think blush, camel, and olive all would work well with a core of navy.

JAileen - I think some people look amazing in black, and others, look better in another color, such as grey. I find it ironic that one color does not suit all, yet articles on fashion always speak as if black can work on everyone.

Star - Yes, Suz has a great suggestion to use black as an accent color.

RobinF - Thanks for adding your thoughts!

unfrumped - An interesting insight for me to think about, if navy which is also a dark color is the core color I want. Black is quite dark, and navy is too! Something for me to think about! My wardrobe has sort of three colors it revolves around right now, black (especially workwear), navy (heavily for spring/summer weather), and browns (heavy for fall weather). It could be that I end up with a seasonal core. Wear more browns and tans in say the fall and blues in the summer. Hmmm...

Star - Thanks for adding your thoughts!

unfrumped - Depth of colors is something else to consider. I also think the tones make a difference. Do I want warm tones or cool tones, when considering color.

karen23 - It sounds like you are on the beginning of your journey to evaluate the core color in your wardrobe. Blues heavily dominate my wardrobe and have for many years, which made looking at navy an easy decision for me. I've spent a bit of time this year learning what colors pair best with navy and what colors I enjoy wearing. When I try the same colors with black, I always go back for the navy instead. Which showed me that I'm ready to shift away from black as the core. Good luck on your journey.

1 week ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I have tried to eliminate blacks as face colors, and focus on navy for that outfit-grounding spot. However, I have found it very difficult to say no to beautiful toppers (I love leather jackets and fancy blazers) that come my way, especially when they only come in black. And I like black jeans and black trousers. As with all things in life, there is little point in rigor for the sake of rigor.

1 week ago

Lisa

Veteran

UmmLila (Lisa) - A great point, removing black near my face is going to make the biggest change to my outfits. I think it's a good starting place as I move forward with my wardrobe. Then if that's not enough I can work on removing black bottoms over time too.

1 week ago

Joy

Veteran

Eliminating a color or more than one is a good idea. Pretend you are making a move and must seriously downsize. Good luck and keep us posted of how you are doing. I find the old stuff better made than new stuff. I should switch from grey to brown. I should get rid of all silver too. I enjoy wearing it but will be getting rid of silver denim.

1 week ago

Lisa

Veteran

Joy - I agree, older stuff is often better made than newer items. And a switch from grey to brown sounds lovely! Thinking of moving is a nice idea, thanks for sharing!

1 week ago

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