I am sitted at my friend’s balcony gazing down at this black Porsche that pulls over a few blocks away. Out comes a lady in red bottom stilletos, a tight fitting black dress and a black hat. Confident,bossy ,elegant and chic, the first four words that would best describe my first impression about her. She walks slowly making even strides down the pavement till i cannot see her anymore.
In my article about how the psychology of colours works i mentioned about black being mysterious,authoritative,formal, prestigious and elegant.
Is that reason enough to invest in black outfits?
Society has it that people who wear all black are viewed as highly emotional, slightly neurotic and have a desire to deflect what they look like in favor of who they are and what they are trying to accomplish in life.
People who wear all black often are subconsciously trying to protect themselves from feelings they think they cannot control. They are usually easily over-stimulated, and perhaps struggle to ward off anxiety and stay focused on their daily tasks. Choosing monochromatic colors creates a sense of certainty and “togetherness.”
While all the above might be the reasons why most people wouldn’t own several black pieces, the advantages are quite meritorious. Here is how,
*Offer the option of being minimalistic. Most of them look simple and stylish.
*Black is flattering. It gives the illusion of looking taller and slimmer. I mean how cool is that. On those days body positivity is fleeing from you clad yourself in all black and voila!
*Want an outfit that fits almost all occasions? Well,find the right pieces and they’ll suit weddings,dinner dates, brunch you name it.
*Black pieces are timeless. They are not confined by the seasons, colour palettes or trends.
*Black looks good on all skin tones; warm, cool or neutral
*It looks good on both men and women.
*It gives a monochromatic vibe.
Like all outfits rocking a casual black outfit needs some pointers.
1. Learn about the art of accessorizing.
Add a necklace( like i did),bangles,loop hearings for women or chains, watches, popping belts for men. This gives the outfit the edgy look .
2. Switch up your shoe color
This gives the eye a resting space. If all black is boring add a pop of colour,could be white,green,brown,grey mules.
3.Add something edgy.
What’s the first piece you notice about my outfit? I’d bet it’s the shoes. The rest do not have as much details. They give the edgy feature.
4.Pair random casual pieces.
It makes the outfit “less serious”. In this case the leather jacket does that while spicing up the outfit as well. I chose a leather handbag to match the leather jacket. Just between us leather is my favorite language. My definition of elegant and chic.
5.Show a bit of skin.
Many of us default to all-black ensembles in the winter, when we’re cocooned in as many layers as we can comfortably wear. But if the temperatures aren’t sub-zero, then you may want to break up the look by showing a little (just a little) bit of skin.
6. Add some drama to the outfit.
If an all-black outfit is starting to feel boring, a surefire way to up the ante is to add something edgier to the mix. It could be a vintage piece or something totally unexpected,could be an animal print scarf round your neck or a mustard fedora hurt anything you can get creative with.
7.Opt for fitting pieces.
Baggy clothes; this is when all you see are a pile of clothes walking on their own and you need to send out a search party to find the person within. Maybe that’s extreme but essentially, we are talking about A LOT of unnecessary room in your clothes. The type that our African mums say that we’ll grow into when we complain about them being too big.
From a personal perspective, what you wear affects how you present yourself and how you feel about yourself. You tend to act more ‘relaxed’, exhibiting a poor posture, when you wear baggy clothes since the bagginess tends to hide your form. This translates into your confidence level, making people think of you as less confident and over time, your confidence will get affected by this.
This in itself is a great reason to ensure that you wear properly fitted clothes. Fitting clothes does not mean suffocating in a slim fit if you are oversized. It simply means wearing what works for you that allows you to breathe without you getting lost in what you wear.
An extra pointer for a casual look for men.
When putting together casual looks it is important that you pull off that cool, easy vibe without veering into looking sloppy or disheveled. Your objective is to look sleek and polished but relaxed and ready for anything. Go for a nice fitted tee in an upscale fabric. There are many options here; either crew neck or v-neck, short sleeved or long, fit and fabric choice are key. Paired with a slim fitting pair of black jeans, sexy black leather jacket and a nice, sleek shoe and you’re good to go!
ADIOS💜💜💜💜
Kira's fashion story 