The new black

Apart from waiting for an impending storm, it seems to have been a slow news day as this story made it to the front page of the Dompost today. However, it certainly is true of Wellington: we seem to be the black fashion capital. Just take a look around you on any given day and you’ll probably find yourself swimming in a sea of black. I was just thinking a short while ago about how refreshing it is to see colourful dresses in shops for summer. It will be interesting to see if anyone is actually wearing them over the next few months.

I rarely wear all black but it is usually part of my daily ensemble, even though I make a conscious effort to incorporate some colour every day. In my younger days, I had a few LBDs that looked amazing and constantly made it onto the stage for band gigs. *sigh* Those were the days! Someone recently commented on what I was wearing that day: “Ooh, another lovely purple skirt!” (Of course, it was paired with a long sleeve black top and scarf.) I did a quick mental inventory of the contents of my wardrobe: black, black and white, black, purple, white, purple and white, blue, black, purple, black, red, white and black items of clothing.

Not being a shoe person, I have just a few basic pairs. Guess what colour they all are? Hmm. Boring? Perhaps. Practical? Yes. Interchangeable? Definitely. But I started to see a definite pattern ... sure, it's fun to occasionally do a 'black out for the All Blacks' kind of day, but every day?

Years ago, I remember meeting a friend in town the day after arriving back in New Zealand following a month-long trip to Italy. As I stood at a pedestrian crossing, waiting for the lights to change, I was struck by how 'scruffy' and bland everybody looked – especially the men. Europeans certainly know how to dress stylishly. Black has its place, but not all day, every day.

What's your verdict on wearing black? If we ever manage to lose our fascination with it, what do you think the new black would be?