What is the first thing that attracts you to clothing when you are shopping?
Colour.
I’m not one that is normally attracted to anything black. Black, white, grey and beige are the least prominent colours in my wardrobe.
What???
Yes I’m a rebel like that. Travel wardrobes or capsule wardrobes filled with neutrals make me nauseous. The thought of wrapping myself up in non colour is the equivalent of wrapping myself in a yawn sealed with a shrug.
My wardrobe looks like a rainbow exploded and left bits of fairy dust and sparkles behind. No unicorns (that I know of) although I can’t rule out the remote back corner of my closet which is difficult to access or see. I have a feeling a wicked gremlin might be hanging out there and secretly making all of my clothes smaller. Damn you hormone gremlin!
Please don’t and spoil my illusion. Fantasy makes getting older bearable and relieves me of any personal responsibility.
Back to boring black.
Because truly, that is what I see when I see black. The absence of joy.
Top Tip To Transform Boring Black
How can you turn boring black into something that isn’t so predictable and yawn inducing?
Add some texture baby.
Texture stimulates and transforms what could have been a rather dull vintage little black dress into something truly special.
Can you see the interesting and unique texture of the material on this LBD?
I look like I’m wearing a superhero shield.
Or drapes.
Or reptile skin.
Either way I don’t care…I love it!
It makes the dress interesting and unique, not just another boring fitted little black dress, which let’s face it, anyone can do.
I honestly didn’t think this LBD would fit me when I saw it hiding on the overfilled racks at the Wild Things booth at The Toronto Vintage Clothing Show.
I took a chance though and it fits like a glove. Proof that even for the most experienced clothing shoppers among us, you still need to try on clothes to know if they will work or not.
This is another instance of a 1960’s vintage dress that looks perfectly contemporary.
The details that give this away as a classic vintage piece is the quality of the craftsmanship and fabric, thus why I love shopping vintage. You simply cannot buy that kind of quality from retailers today.
Unlike my other sequinned vintage LBD which you may remember from this post…
which was torturous until I had it taken out, this one is very comfortable and easy to move in. No tailoring required.
Of course other ways to transform boring black is to wear colourful accessories with it like I’ve done here…
Here is another example of how texture can magically transform boring black into something quite extraordinary.
The fabric in this skirt is black lace with a cream lining.
And black leather? Well that is basically a no brainer. Especially when paired with a feminine fit and flare shape.
Many women prefer wearing black. They feel it hides a multitude of sins, is always classy and chic and goes with everything.
They aren’t wrong. Black can do all of those things but it can also be dull and lifeless. For me, texture and black go together like peanut butter and chocolate. On their own each one is perfectly fine, but together they are orgasmic.
Wow, this dress is amazing. Really beautiful. I plead guilty to being attracted to an item’s color. Sheila says it’s better to touch clothes and be guided by how they feel, which means pay attention to the material. Sheila’s in the Advanced Class so it’s no surprise how far ahead of me she is. BTW, I sent you an e-mail over a week ago; did you get it? If so, no rush in replying; just worried it may not have reached you.
No I never got your email. Did you send it to info@bisous dot biz?
How did you describe my wardrobe so perfectly? I always said my closet looks like a rainbow blew up in there. I am FINALLY coming to terms with having any sort of black items in my closet. I now have a mesh black skirt and just recently got a black chiffon hanky hem dress with a turquoise paisley pattern on it. Although I don’t think I will ever have a lot of black in my wardrobe, I love how you talk about having pieces that pack a punch through texture or some other form of interest. Wonderful post!
Janeane
http://www.designingfrommycloset.wordpress.com
Beautiful selection. I love all them but my favorite is the first one look. So simple so chic
You have a interesting blog. I hope you will like mine
http://www.welovefur.com
Love vintage little black dresses! And you’ve got yourself some really nice ones. For adding interest to black, you can’t beat the fabric textures of cocktail dresses from the 50s and 60s. Brocades, sequins, damasks. So lovely. I have a lot of black pieces in my wardrobe, to me they are the canvas on which I decorate with bright colors and prints according to how the mood strikes me. I feel bold colors really pop against the black.
You found a gorgeous dress and it looks like it was bespoke! You know I love black, and wear it a lot but you always inspire me to go a little further (you’ll like my new black tux jacket in today’s Vis Mon post). How the f*%# did those gremlins get into my closet too? We need exterminators, before all the clothes are shrunken to Barbie size. xox
Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
I love how wonderful you look in the really tight dresses, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Super body, super sexy, super girl.
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Super examples Suzanne! You look a knockout in all of them xx
Ooooh, that’s definitely a going-out-to-dinner and the theatre dress. WOW. The fit couldn’t be better. I am drawn to the texture too.
I like black, even tip to toe. But of course then I rebel and go all colour. I love how you play with your black pieces, Suzanne.
I used to wear so much black and white and happy to have added some patterns and a lot of color in my life. I still love to wear black and this dress is stunning on you!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
A long time ago black was a staple in my wardrobe and now I have very few pieces save for a pair of basic black pants and a few skirts. I love your advice for adding some visual interest to your black dresses. Adding a little texture or pops of color with accessories really brings black to life!
-Katie
I couldn’t agree more that black is not for me. In fact, I just told my husband that I’m going to ban black at my funeral—wear color people!!!
But you’re right, the texture can add the bling and fun that I crave and it’s not bad to have a couple pieces of black in the closet. But, I’m like you—there’s actually very little hanging out with my other clothes.
I will say that I do think stores/manufacturers are part of the problem—it seems like every piece they make has a black option!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Agreed! Texture is where it’s at! 😀
– Anna
http://www.melodicthriftychic.com
Love the dress, the texture, and I am with you with black. With fair skin, for me it isn’t as becoming as some color, but wearing it with texture or colors added like u did here looks great!
Jessxx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Va va va voom! Absolutely gorgeous on you. I agree – although black is very slimming, I very rarely wear it head to toe. It’s too gray around here already – I need some color in my life!
Hi, Suzanne! My cloths are just like your wardrobe, really colorful and I am also always attracted to color, but sometimes I like a bit of black, like you did – mixing it with a colorful piece. I looooved you superhero shield 🙂 Lovely dress and the sequinned one as well, really amazing – and by the way, you look amazing with a LBD! Anyway, I had to wear a black coat for 4 weeks, and for 2 more weeks I then chose a pink coat, because the black one was nice, but i love pink – the pink one will be written about in around 2 weeks, but the black one is in my latest post 🙂 Hope you are fine!
DenisesPlanet.com
You make everything look amazing!
I’ve got a few black pieces of clothing but if I’m honest I feel more like me in colour. xxx
I used to have a couple of little black dresses, and then I outgrew them and never found any I liked as much.
Your body is made for that style of dress – you look fabulously curvy! I wear a lot of black and grey, but I always look for some sort of interesting detail, whether it is the fabric texture, or an unusual cut or embellishment. I like colour too, but I don’t often find bold coloured pieces with the shape that I like.
Great dress with that special fabric. I am very pleased to hear you had the sequined dress taken out. Was that difficult? Expensive? Do you wear it with pleasure now? As it is a stunner. Or are you going to wear this new one more often?
Greetje
PS that leather number with the yellow belt and blue clutch is a stunner too.
I didn’t take out the dress…I got a pro to do it. It was about $35 I think, but so so worth it! I need to breathe! It is still a wiggle dress…I won’t be running in it anytime soon, but I can now inhale and exhale with ease : )
I do find the sequinned dress is really dressy. This one might get worn a bit more since it is less wiggle and no sequins.
I need a black sequined dress and a pom pom fringy kimono in my life.
Yes- I feel you are so right. The text in black outfits really, really makes a difference. On that note- wow those first two black dresses fit you like gloves! You look like a million bucks no matter what color you wear.