Before I started consciously thinking about my wardrobe, I always wore black.
Sometimes all black.
All the time.
White skirt? Black top.
Jeans? Black top.
Red tank top? Black sweater and black pants.
Suit? Black.
I soon realized that it wasn’t that flattering of a colour for my skintone.
THE WAYS THAT BLACK WORK ON ME
- When it doesn’t overwhelm my body
- When I have good decolletage and a wide open neckline showing
- When I don’t wear all black
- When my hair is up and off my shoulders & off my face
- When I don’t pair it with very bright colours — it cheapens the whole look
WHY I THINK BLACK IS AWESOME
There are of course, times when all black is chic and perfect to compliment those blood red heels.
Black is also easy to wear — almost any piece of clothing can be found in black.
Cobalt blue? Not so much.
It also matches everything.
Black shoes? Goes with everything.
WHY I THINK BLACK IS NOT SO GREAT
It doesn’t show the shades and textures of the fabric.
Something in all black, unless you examine it up close, doesn’t have a contrast in shades and light.
In the picture above, she looks great with the gold belt and the blue lining peeking out.
But if you take that all away — she’s a black blob.
So you cannot see the beauty in a garment.
As Nina says: All Black on a Runway doesn’t photograph well
THE CHANGE
I switched my wardrobe to focus more on lighter neutrals.
I look softer, less tired and less gloomy now.
People are more likely to assume I’m happy and fresh, and the black doesn’t accentuate the dark black circles under my eyes that is my genetic fate.
THE GREYS HAVE IT
Grey is my neutral colour of choice because of the wide variety of awesome shades.
You can also pair grey with any skin colour and tone, as well as colour and it can even be patterned or studded.
Heather grey, speckled grey, dotted grey, and the mixes of pink thread woven through grey in very subtle ways.
OTHER NEUTRALS THAT YOU COULD WEAR INSTEAD
- Grey
- Ivory
- White
- Cream
- Beige
- Navy
- Burgundy
Style on a String is a blog about style, not fashion.
And style has nothing to do with money.
Being chic on a budget is possible when you know what works for you, and only take inspiration from trends if they'll work for you. 
