Wednesday, March 3, 2010

building blacks, part 4: shape and texture

First things first: I made it to part four of this little blog series!  Four!  Have I really not run out of things to say about black clothes?  Apparently not.  Or maybe I'm just a broken record.  You lovelies are too nice so I guess I'll never know!

I've made minimal progress in the black department for a few reasons: a) everything in stores right now is so bright!  (not complaining... believe me, I am READY for some Spring in my life), b) I'm trying to be as cheap as possible (except for shoes... I'm willing to invest a little more than $8 in the foundation I'll be standing on all day) and c) I'm picky.  Pickier than I realized before this little project.  Have I told you that already? But because I'm picky, I window shop a lot for ideas.  Which has led me to some new insights on the little black wardrobe I'm trying to build...
I already knew this but it has become even more apparent when I'm looking at black clothing... shape and texture.  Those are the keys.  The gateway, if you will, to a glorious and flattering black wardrobe.  Same shape but different fabrics or overlays and you could have a totally different look.  Same fabric, different cut/shape?  Definitely a multitude of possibilities there.

Exhibit A... All black.  All skirts.  But they're all so different to my eye.:


Exhibit B, pants... three different shapes and three totally different looks (I would only wear one of them but I'll let you guess... and I'll never tell):


And here, as we head on over to Exhibit C, we see the same silhouette on all three pieces... the only difference is in the material or texture.  Jeans + leggings = jeggings.


While accessories definitely ice the cake of an outfit, sometimes it's best to keep it simple and let the clothes do the work.  And what about those rushed mornings that are bound to happen?  I need a plan for that, too.  How could I use shape or texture to make the outfit instead of relying so heavily on accessories?  Well, here was my attempt:



I actually really, really love this outfit.  I love a good slim pant/blousy top silhouette.  Simple, definitely something I would wear and I am totally crushing on that top (but it's sold out. boo.).  I'll be keeping my eye out for something similar.

Do you guys have any rules of thumb for shape/texture or do you just play with it day to day?  How would you create an interesting all-black outfit using different cuts and fabrics? 

4 comments:

liz said...

These are such great observations. I think you can be a little more adventurous with ruffles or studs when it's on a black canvas. Great, great pics, and I know you mean the hammer pants right? J/K Sailor? I would pick those

Toria said...

I need to start taking pictures of my life for you because I basically have to force myself or rely on a buddy to keep me away from blacks and greys when I shop for clothes. I tell myself, "colors, Toria, COLORS!" It's a hard life.

Anyway, today I wore a black pencil skirt (high waisted with some pleats in front & pockets) with a blouse that I happened to have found a picture of on the internets here: http://tinyurl.com/y9sg6dk
aaaand black tights and black heels. oh and this long grey wool-ish cardigan that I wear all the time. it was pretty damn cute if I say so myself.

Elaine said...

Great post!!! I am starting to look for more black pieces that are out of the ordinary. Because right now, my wardrobe is full of too ordinary pieces....

clothedmuch.blogspot.com

prashant said...

I think you can be a little more adventurous with ruffles or studs when it's on a black canvas.
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