All-Black is the New Black

My latest obsession is the self proclaimed "seance de travail" ("work in progress") fashion blog, Jak & Jil - where every day is fashion week. It is essentially a photo blog that follows fashion, models and industry bigwigs to fashion shows all around the world. Not only are the clothes and shoes and people so fresh and sassy, but the quality of the photos themselves are stunningly crisp and vivid. The site has several parts: HERE is the main page where you can choose to follow particular models and worship their styles, go inside the fashion shows, or browse the "special features" where you can find topics like "shoe gazing @ NY fashion week" or "london style 2006-2007". Then there's THE BLOG - this is the one I usually follow...and by usually I mean religiously.

In my time browsing this blog, something very important has come to my attention - the fashion industry is calling out something new. Or maybe it's not new...but it's hot, and I plan on figuring out a way to make it work on me. Let me show you a few pictures (source Jak & Jil):

Do you get it yet? No? Want more pictures? Okfine.

I'm assuming you get it now. The All-Black outfit. And though the majority of these photos feature ladies, this post is for the dudes too. Anybody with the right state of mind can and should partake.

I Googled "how to wear an all black outfit" to see if there were rules I didn't know about, but it turns out there aren't, so I'm going to have to write them myself. So without further ado...

The SND Guide to Wearing All Black:

1) All black articles of clothing are not created equally - Just because we're saying All-Black is Back, doesn't mean you should run out and get anything black you can find. You are not a stagehand and you are not a gothic angsty teenager.

NO TO THIS:
AND NO TO THIS: 2) Pieces can be classic or unique and funky - It is perfectly ok, even encouraged, to go for classic all-black looks (black jeans, black boots, black wool sweater) or more whimsical ones (black dress with insanely tall shoes with an embellished black coat)...or to find a way to combine them!
3) TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE - This is perhaps the most important piece of information when it comes to wearing all black. The texture of each piece of clothing must be different from one another. What do I mean? Leather, lace, denim, suede, knit, silk, fur/feathers, sheer, velvet, plain cotton, metallic...catch my drift? Great.
4) Don't forget the accessories - Those can be all-black too if you really wanna go for it, or you can use them to spice up the outfit. Scarves, gloves, jewelry, bags, hats, sunglasses...here are some good examples:

5) Be practical - Is the all-black ensemble appropriate for where you're going and what you're doing? It's a statement. It's slightly rebellious, it's sexy, it's a little moody, it's mysterious...I think in most situations it is appropriate and you should be fine, but always double check with yourself just to make sure.
And last but not least 6) Own it - Like I just said, wearing all-black is indeed a statement. Just like plaid shirts with skinny jeans and converse, just like sweatpants and a college sweatshirt, like Uggs and miniskirts (cough cough), like tie dye shirts and corduroys, like leather and...whips? Everything you put on yourself means something - there is no such thing as accidental dressing. So if you're going to wear all black, wear it, walk it, work it.

Well there it is, my dear readers. We'll be experimenting more and more with it ourselves...so if we come up with anything interesting we'll be sure to report back. Brace yourselves for this one:

Until the next one - stay stylish, stay hungry, stay black.


'prece.