Oh. And I should add. Silver, silvery grey and white are also hugely important neutrals in my evolving style.

I don't have a new black. I love black and it will always dominate my wardrobe, but I added a couple ink blue/dark navy casual tops to my closet and have enjoyed wearing them this spring and summer. I find it refreshing and easily substitutes for black. I wore an ink blue top over the weekend and both my SO and Mom mistakenly thought it was black.

I still wear and love black, but also love navy/ink, and a variety of neutrals. I am trying not to add too much black, but it does work for me especially for my small but tight "work wardrobe".

I just bought the EF skirted leggings in "midnight", a very dark blue. I can't wait until it cools off here.

That makes a lot of sense for you, Angie. In fact, when you posted this, I realized I had been assuming that ink was your new black for awhile. Apologies for jumping the gun...

I am enjoying lots of ink blue, yet still wear black a bit more. Love them both.

Me too Angie- navy has been my black for quite a while.
But I have also re-discovered small amounts of black with my salt and pepper hair.

White is my black, or at least from April through September! Most of my closet is blue (dark to light) but I'm probably wearing something white 3-4 days a week.

Interesting note about footwear. 1/3 of my footwear is black, but with the exception of sandals and faux- studs, they are not seeing a lot of wear. Pointy toe flats in silver and blue, and white sandals are first choice. Slip on sneaks on the weekend (blue). No plans to dispatch black footwear, however. Chelsea boots and classic tall boots will pull their weight come winter.

I still have a bit of black footwear but not as much as one might think. Black refined chelsea boots, black motos, black knee high boots. And one pair of black sandals that did not get worn this year more than twice.

I would like to transition towards more ink or navy footwear and/ or pewter or silvery metallic. Grey is lovely but so difficult to work with in footwear, I find. I may manage better now that it is a bookending colour for me.

The reason for black footwear in my (and Carla's) climate is pure practicality along with the leg lengthening effect if wearing dark pants. Which, again, are the more practical choice in slush and rain. I do think the weather plays a large role in the ubiquity of black in the eastern North American cities. I would gladly make lighter neutrals my winter fallback if I could do so without feeling nervous about looking like a filthy wreck.

I definitely look better in inky and other dark blues than black. But black is so much easier to find!

I might try it. Black is looking harsher with my gray hair. It used to be my only bottom color, but I've expanded out a bit. I added navy for spring a few years ago because I couldn't find what I wanted in navy, and then because my newer spring tops all had navy, not black, in them.

I go for deep blues over black any chance I get (and the chances seem to be more frequent, thank goodness!) The last few black items I bought, because no other choice was available, are starting to feel like mistakes, I'm afraid. They were summery things, and black just doesn't feel like Summer to me.

I am with you Angie. It is amazing to me how much better a dark, near black, blue looks on me than true black - and I am not always good at seeing my own colors. That said I still love black footwear, jeans, and black and white tops!

After avoiding navy for years, I've added a number of dark navy/ink items and they are lovely additions to my wardrobe- an ink silk Vince dress, the Lafayette tunic from NAS, slim leg pants, and a Vince color block sweater in ink and black. And just today I ordered an ink satchel AND bought an ink leather jacket that I love and can't wait to wear!

I continue to buy, wear and love black, both in basics and more statement pieces. Almost every pattern and print in my closet includes black. Most of my outerwear is black and while I've been wearing more shoes in other colors, I still wear a lot of black footwear. You're right, Angie, that there are more ink and navy shoes available lately but still limited choices compared to black.

Black is still my main neutral but I also wear white, denim and greys.

I could have written each of Suz's posts. I'd love to move from black to ink blue completely but it is too hard to find shades that work together and textures. I have started mixing ink and black more often.

Lol black is my new black :). Actually grey and navy are playing really important roles in my wardrobe but I remain true to black :). You look gorgeous in ink xx

I will always wear black but ink blue is very pretty and suits you well

Aha! Super fun!-) And you look amazing in ink blue, Angie.

I don't have a new black as I never had an "old black" to begin with I love black on other people, and I also love how easy it is to create a graphic integrity with black and white, but just never really feel drawn to it for myself (and don’t really see that changing).
Ink blue and navy have always been “my black”, and they still are:-)
I also like the idea of a very dark purple or aubergine as a substitute for black, harder to come by though.

When I turned 50 ( a decade ago) , I noticed that black was a drag on my skin tone....... enhancing shadows and wrinkles if you will. Navy seemed to work much better or a charcoal gray.

That said, I find it challenging to find shoes that work with navy since I have hard to fit feet. Silver is often my go-to color.

I don't wear black at all during the summer, navy is my black.
But in the fall and winter black is my black again. It is just easier to work with black winter footwear which is my default. But I just got my first pair of ink blue booties, so that may be catalyst for a change? Will see.
Recently I have started adding more gray for both seasons, but I am still figuring out the best shade of gray for me.

I'm with Eliza - I thought you'd already concluded that ink blue was your black! It's an excellent choice for you. I'm impressed that you have found so many important pieces in it, too; it's difficult to find for me.

I don't have a new black, but nor do I have an old black. I don't actually wear a whole lot of neutrals, period. That's part of why Duchess Kate is such a good icon for me - she focuses on color in dresses and coats, with the neutrals only showing up for shoes, hats, and clutches. When I wear separates I rely on white or black skirts and shoes (and legwear in the cold), depending on the season and primary color(s) I'm setting off. Rose gold is my nude footwear.

So I couldn't do without black, and it would be tricky to simply replace black with ink blue - I'm so picky about color combinations, it just won't set off royal blue and red and various greens in the same way as black. But black isn't "the black" for me, because I don't love it. I own no black tops, and my only black dresses are choir uniform. Black only exists to complete outfits.

I've been adding a lot of green to my fall wardrobe this year, so perhaps olive green is my new black for the fall.

If I had to say, mine would be charcoal, shades that run true black or with hints of blue. It brings out my blue eyes well and it feels a bit more unique than black. That said, I probably have an equal amount of black in my wardrobe, simply because a few items I've just had for a long time, and any other color for leggings seems odd to me.

I actually need some new black pants, such a boring thing for me to shop for, but when I find a pair I love, they can just be an easy fall back on those days.

I love ink blue too, but I haven't seen much of it around here.

I still love black, but I've been very attracted to clear red lately and want more of it in my wardrobe. Perhaps I was influenced by Kate W's red dress in The Dressmaker. I could not stop thinking about that dress when I saw it.

OK, just to make sure I understand, which is darker --- ink blue or navy?

I'm a fan of brighter navy, and am trying to add more of it to my wardrobe. Also, I've started viewing deep grey as "soft black," and have realized that, particularly when it's heathered or tweedy, it can stand in for black in my wardrobe -- adding a bit more softness on the complexion and textural interest.

Thanks for your responses, ladies. LOTS of love for dark blue no matter what. Love hearing that, and high five to all of you.

Beth Ann, Ink Blue is darker than navy.

Thanks, Angie! I thought it might be! Ink navy is the color that you bring home, only to realize it's not black whenyou try to pair it with your black boots!

Angie I just ordered a midnight top to go with the midnight EF skirted leggings.

My black has never been black. Maybe it's grey? Maybe it's light navy? Perhaps it's light teal or jade! (Can those be neutrals?)

Me too on the Ink Blue! Well, I declared it indigo but I think that is the same as ink blue. Did you see that AG has a whole indigo collection. I think this is a great year to find this color.

Navy and charcoal