HOW TO CURATE AN ALL BLACK SEASON TO SEASON WARDROBE.

**“YOU CAN WEAR BLACK AT ANY TIME. YOU CAN WEAR IT AT ANY AGE. YOU CAN WEAR IT ALMOST ANY OCCASION.” – CHRISTIAN DIOR**

Black is the mainstay for many designers. I can clearly recall a few years back when I got fascinated by designers like Gareth Pugh, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. But I really fell in love with Black when I came across an image of my all time favourite designers Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in all black assemblies. It was the most perfect all Black outfits I have seen and into my taste. The following day I wore all black outfit , red lipstick and the grey hair which was trending then. I was able to do a try out run of wearing just black for the whole month. After a month it was easy to declutter and pull all colour out of my wardrobe. Few close friends and family members thought it was a phase that will pass just like how fashion trends come and go. If I am correctly I am coming to my fifth year now. I get a lot of questions about wearing only black. A friend even nicknamed me the WOMAN IN BLACK. The most popular questions I always get are: 1. Don’t you get tired/bored wearing ONLY black ? No, because it has made my life so simply. I spend less time in shops deciding what to buy. Black is such a season less colour and classic colour. It saves me a lot from buying all sort of trends and in colours which can be a waste of money sometimes. 2. When travelling to hot destinations how do you survive on black outfit? As a Fashion Designer and during my studying I push on learning about black fabrics and heat absorption.So it is easy to survive in hot destinations when wearing black . A good example is women in countries like Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The secret to wearing all black everyday and all seasons is to learn to break the colour up so it always look new and different by playing with juxtaposing fabrics. I also believe that the silhouette of the garment is important. Below are my five tips on how to curate that all black wardrobe that will last you season to season without breaking your bank balance.

INVEST IN QUALITY SHOES, BAGS AND ACCESSORIES The good thing about black is , it goes with any colour so focus in buying complimentary pieces that are good quality and will elevate your outfit and give it a classic feel to it. MINIMALIST STYLE Build your wardrobe with staples that have a minimalist look so that it is easy to put any outfit together with layering, textures and fabrication. Minimalist looks are great start to transitioning black outfits from summer to winter looks. BUY/SHOP FOR A PURPOSE This is my number 1 rule. When you own only black clothes. It is easy to forget what you have and you can easily end up with same pieces in your wardrobe. So by shopping for a purpose you are eliminating that mistake because you will know exactly what’s in your wardrobe. KNOW YOUR BLACK FABRICS This will give you knowledge on when to wear fabrics like velvet, wool and leather. You will have insight of what fabric works well with what. And you also know when to rotate your wardrobe according to seasons. POP OF COLOUR I may be all black obsessed but I still love that pop of colour now and again. I am a creative after all. Fashion is all about trends, colours and patterns and it good to try things. For me I love colours in shoes, bags and accessories like scarfs which compliment any black outfit very well. If you love fashion and style they will always that one pop of colour that will attract your eye. Don’t be scared to play with those colours.