Black is one of my neutrals and is well represented in my wardrobe. However, I never wear it next to my face because it is harsh and draining on me, but not on everyone. I always wear it with a flattering, bright color such as ruby red or bright, medium blue. I cannot imagine a wardrobe without black because it is so chic and elegant.

That said, my favorite neutral is navy blue. It has most of the good qualities of black, but is somehow a little bit softer and the color makes my skin glow. If only t weren't so hard to match.

From my teens onward I dressed mostly in black. I didn't even realize it until people would comment. It is actually Angie and YLF that has opened me to other neutrals and some color.

I love black and can't imagine a time when I won't wear it. Lately I've been making an effort to lighten things up a little and wear some other colors as well, but I'll always come back to black.

I'm also trying to add some more white or gray when I wear black to make it a little less harsh as I get older. I'm hoping that eventually my hair will turn a nice silver that will look good with that combination.

I have had a mad love affair with black since working in NYC many, many years ago. Unfortunately, as a "warm spring", it doesn't love me back and wearing the right colors is so much more flattering. I moved to LA 10 years ago, and always looked a bit out of place in my all black garb. Kind of "Goth Mom at the park"--not a great look. YLF has taught me about color and casual looks. I'm so grateful!

I love black and always have. I used to worry that my preference for black clothing might say something negative about my personality...I don't want to be viewed as having a black heart (especially working in Human Resources!)

I can't remember a time that I haven't had multiple pairs of black pants in my wardrobe. And there's a sign in my closet that says 'never enough black shoes.' When considering an item of clothing, if it comes in multiple colors, I always gravitate toward the black. It's rare for me to not be wearing at least one black item in any outfit.

I really like gray also and I've recently added some navy to my wardrobe as well. And white is well-represented too.

I've always liked black, but worn it infrequently. I think I wear it well. Lately I've focused more on good basics, and then black of course is important. I also love grey and navy, cream and white. Brown is good on me, but I prefer it in accessories. I never wear an all black outfit, and I love pairing black with white, or navy, or brown. I'm more cautious of pairing black with colors, but I do it anyway, mainly in combination with another color or neutral. I'm not very fond of a red/black combination, or yellow/black, or worst - orange/black. Add some white I'm the mix, and I'm in.

Until joining YLF, I felt like black was too strong for me. Now I like it, but I still feel a bit overpowered by it sometimes. I don't think I could pull off all black for sure. But I do look okay in it (it's not my best color, but certainly not my worst either).

Black and me don't mix! It doesn't suit me, and I feel heavy, serious, and overly formal when wearing it. I can admire it on other people, and I'm often envious of people who can (and do) wear all black! I love that there are so many options in black, and I wish I suited it, and could wear it more often, but unfortunately, it's just not me!

I love black in small doses. I am very careful to mix it up with a shade of white, blush, a bright, or ink blue against my pale and soft Nordic complexion.

I am not fond of all black outfits. I find the effect dull, lifeless and harsh 99.9% of the time. It's almost poison eye to me, but not quite, so I'm high fiving Anna Wintour who feels the same way as I do about black clothing. Every so often though, I'll see someone wearing black from head to toe and it's an absolutely stunning outfit. Somehow, the wearer has made black come to life and managed to soften the look. Extremely hard to do, but not impossible on someone who wears black well.

Once upon a time, I wore black from head to toe but these days, I try to incorporate color, prints and black in most of my my outfits. Black is my go-to/ color on those days I have "nothing" to wear.

I like it a lot. It's elegant and edgy. I can only wear so much of it during our very grey winters here in the Pacific NW (US). Right around November-March, I need an injection of very strong color. It helps counteract seasonal affective disorder for me.

Also, I have a couple of relatives who wear nothing but black--and they don't do so in a thoughtful creative way. They wear all black because it means they don't have to sort laundry into lights and darks. They're going to have twins in January--I'm a little concerned that they're going to dress the babies in all black too. Goth babies! Yikes

I love black despite numerous experiments to "break out" of the black habit, and whenever I buy something I love in color, I almost always regret that I didn't get it in black. For me scarves and accessories, and the occasional top, give me all the color I need, and are worn infrequently at best. Funny enough, I notice my best colors are actually "shaded" meaning they are the color + black!

I also embrace whole-heartedly the lazy factor of black - I am interested in style and want to look nice, but day to day I don't want to waste time on what I wear. Black is easy and (when kept in good shape) always looks good and appropriate, imho

Team black all the way!!

Several years ago my work uniform was all black – and not by my
own choice. I have a quite strained relationship with black, and it
has always been so. Black just makes me look terminall ill if its
allowed anywhere near my face; My complexion disappears, my face
turns void, and the circles under my eyes seems to covers my entire
face.

Im generally drawn to neutrals, and the colours in my closet
consists of warm greys, dusty navy, camel and cognac, teal and dark
reds. Black only charms its way in when it comes with details or
as shoes and handbags.

I love the colour on others though, and I almost envy the ones who
look so stunning and elegant in the little black dress ...

Black has always been an easy color for me to wear because it emphasized the shine in my dark hair and brought out the pinker undertones of my pale mid-European skin. Black also suited my angular body structure and personality; it definitely has worked as a power color for me because I was never in any danger of being asked to get the coffee, even if I was the only female in a room full of suits, if I wore a black skirted skirt with heels.

But I started to pull back from black as I got older, even though it still looked good on me, because, mixed with age, black was too powerful. It became harder and harder to develop a collegial rapport with students and younger colleagues when I pulled out the black suit because I looked unapproachable. If I doffed the black jacket and wore a cobalt blue cardigan, I realized I looked less intimidating and could put students at ease when they came to my office.

I still love wearing black, but pick my times and places more carefully--in the evening when showing a bit more skin softens the austerity, or in a city when I want some anonymity to walk the streets, or in a situation where I don't want to be shunted aside because of the invisibility factor that being an older woman can sometimes invite. Black is still useful color to me these days, but I deploy it carefully.

I have always loved black. It makes colors stand out and it goes well with just about everything. Like many others have said, it is less my friend near my face as I age so I wear fewer black tops, and when I do I wear a bright scarf to help. But black pants will always be my standard.

I guess you already know about my relationship with black from my coat thread: it is a difficult one. I did not wear it before and I wear it now because I like the drama and high contrast it adds to the oiutfit. However I don't agree that wearing black automatically makes you look elegant and sophisticated. I think it is a very fine line between wearing balck and look elegand and powerful and wearing black and look dowdy and frumpy: it all in the execution. If black is worn intentionally and thoiught trough it may be stunning on the right person. But if black is worn as a fall back option "because it goes with everything" and because if you wear all black you do not have to think what to match wit what - well, that just plain ugly most of the time. And no, black does not go with everything, there are colors it looks better with and there are colors which get completely overpowered by black.
I cannot deny that it hides the bad quality of the fabric and dark stains very well. I had a co-worker once whose shirts and sweaters were always black - because it hides the coffee stains!
Almost black outfit can be truly stuning if it combines different textures, exquisite in fit and style and flattering to the wearer's coloring - otherwise it is just plain, flat and boring to my eye. And I would be bored to death to wear black in big doses every day even though sometimes may be fun - I need variety in my life
My favorite way of wearing black is with white / cream, silver grey, cobalt and ink blue. I am trying to discover now which other colors I like with black. I guess I am with Suz and Angie in loving black in smaller dozes when it is really thought through.

l wear a lot of black, and pre ylf, i would often dress in black head to toe. i liked to for many of the reasons you and deborah both like it. but also becuase it was the sophositicated way to dress when i was in my twenties. part of my style journey/quest is to make sure that i am staying current. and as i look around me, it clear that the 20 somethings of today do not view black in the same way. so i have been working hard to break the black habit. for me that often means adding a non black, often white or other nuetral, jacket over a black top and black pants.

I am an addict. It suits me and my style and is easy to wear at my job. That said, I have furbabies - a white husky and a grey cat that make my life miserable in terms of clothing. Sigh.

Black is my sartorial bff but l have embraced charcoal with my jewel tones this fall. This year l did expand my footwear beyond black.

Wearing black just bums me out most of the time. Growing up I never bothered because our fawn pug's hair ruins any black outfit immediately! The aversion stuck with me, and honestly so did my dog's hair even though he lives at my parents'. I am with Suz, Angie, and Sveta: I like black when it is used intentionally and done well. But in general I dislike black outfits. For my demographic (liberal 24yo in a city), wearing all black is basically a uniform. My boyfriend spent his teens and early 20s in the punk/hardcore scene where he's abnormal for wearing color and pattern. 99% of black outfits don't inspire me. I like it in very retro/mod looks, very arty looks, or on the rare person who really fits a black leather jacket, jeans, and chucks. Otherwise I gloss over black outfits in search of color!

I wear all black, though I've been mixing in some crisp white recently. I like how it sets off my bright red hair and pale skin (luckily my skin undertones aren't deadened by black, but on my to-do list is finding subtle blush to brighten my face).

I do wonder if I'll get tired of it, and I'm sure there are more flattering looks out there for me - but for a long time I described my style as anti-pretty. In other words, I'd rather look striking than attractive, and I would rather not be seen as feminine. With my small frame and long curly hair, the end result is probably a balance of feminine and not-feminine, and I embrace that these days.

I'm also very aware that it can look boring or like a cop-out so I've been working harder to add interest to my clothes, with avant-garde lines, good accessories, and interesting texture combinations. I'm not sure how well I'm doing at that.

Another funny note - my partner and I have both worn all black as long as we've been together (16 years!). Now we're both starting jobs in the same university department after living on opposite coasts for the past few years, and I'm scared of being seen as twins!

Great question! It depends on my mood and the occasion. A beautiful black top with a patterned pencil skirt is such a go-to whenever I need to be 'dressed up'. Black pants - a fixture. I agree, though, that head-to-toe black can be harsh. In my 20s, I wore a LOT of black blazers, jeans, booties, and jackets. It was, as Suz said, an urban default. Too pretty or floral-y or romantic seemed to be a no-no, and at the time I didn't want to stick out. Then I became bored and wanted to spice up my wardrobe with colours, and went all-out crazy with pastels (not too flattering on me!), deep reds, blues, and white. Now it's a good balance - I'm all aware of the power and sophistication and timelessness of well-tailored black pieces, and make sure I am stocked with a good-fitting black skirt, dress, and trouser at every stage of life from here on in, but I don't neglect my personal need for colour!

I HATE that black seems to be the default color for a lot of clothing manufacturers! Or sometimes great colors are offered in regular ("big people") sizes, but only black and ugly colors in Petites. Don't get me wrong. I used to wear a lot of black. It used to bookend my hair. Now I've decided that solid black is too harsh next to my face, and solid black bottoms just bore me -- with the HUGE exception of my mom's Dior New Look taffeta midi skirt that I just discovered.

My hair is now salt and pepper, or more accurately charcoal and cream. I never had jet black hair or high contrast skin and hair, and I still only have moderate contrast. My current love affair is with black and white/cream prints and charcoal black and gray ones; solids not so much. I figure this is subconscious bookending at work!

I think I was under a ban by Angie awhile back not to buy any more black. So I moved onto charcoal On myself, I don't particularly associate it with power or edge or elegance or whatever; I just think the color looks good on me (if I do say so myself). However, I do associate the color with certain styles of dressing, for example, goth and urban east coast. I remember when I moved to the East Coast I felt out of place because I wore too many colors!

Wow - thank you all so much for your input!!! So much to ponder. Such great insights.

Amy - you totally crack me up!! Goth babies!! Do baby clothes even come in black? or did I miss the Chanel black quilted leather onsies?

Angie- Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!!! You have such an exquisite ability to create harmony, balance and elegance in outfits. How you manage that not only in your own outfits but in those of your clients continually amazes me. Of course, you are totally correct. Sometimes too much is simply too much! Your insights into texture, translucency, proportion, balance have been so invaluable in helping me understand the subtleties that take an outfit from ok to OMG. Although I can never begin to approach your understanding, deftness and lightness of hand, your insights have really helped me increase my personal happiness factor with my wardrobe. Thank you for making this such a wonderful place to ask questions and receive such thought provoking, eloquent and helpful answers!!

I am not a fan of me in black. It feels low energy and mundane when I where a head to toe black outfit. Give me color, color and more color. I am a sucker for a bold print and bright colors. So much so that my ex-spouse used to say that I dressed like a flag. I took it as a compliment. I have been in hog heaven with all the color in stores the last few seasons. And brightly colored, patterned pants...oh be still my beating heart. I have been in total fashion heaven lately.

Regarding color, I have a 'thing' for yellow. So I have more than my fair share of yellow items (all shades) in my wardrobe...multiple pairs of yellow shoes, yellow dresses, yellow trousers/jeans. I had to force myself to NOT buy anything yellow for a few months. My reaction to seeing a yellow item was almost Pavlovian.

But according to the stats on my Stylebook app, the #1 color in my wardrobe is blue and with green being a close #2. Which was actually very surprising to me.

I like black, it's easy although with my coloring it is probably not the best but I still wear it and can't imagine banishing it forever!

I love black. I always have and I think I always will. It goes with almost everything and it hides a multitude of sins. And it reminds me of my high school goth-esque phase. Yes, this causal, classic gamine had a goth period.

I've realized I have to be careful because if I don't watch myself, I'll end up with a wardrobe full of black clothes! I'll always have the classics for me, like my black pencil and black dress pants, but I'm working on mixing it up with other neutrals.

I don't like all black outfits on me anymore - they feel harsh &/or heavy. Unfortunately, the type of avant garde clothing I love seems to only be made in black, white & if I'm lucky grey

I can wear black. See this Killer to the Power of Killer outfit
http://noscrubs.lookfab.com/po.....er-edition

I have a lot of black in my wardrobe, recovering goth. But I also look good in navy and grey. I try to mix it up.