I often think my style presented on this blog can be somewhat misleading - I think I give the impression that I drape myself in swathes of black all the time. Whilst it's true that I do wear black, I tend to wear it simply because I have not been given the choice. Most things I love usually only come in black, or white if I'm really lucky. I don't seek out black, it just ends up that way.
Most of the designers I feature just happen to love black, but if they made their garments in other colours I'd love them even more. When I do wear black I generally try and mix it up by wearing it with navy and brown. I rarely wear black with a super bright colour (too 80's), preferring instead team it with other dark, earthy tones. If I happen to wear all black, then I make sure I have alot of texture going on so at least I don't look like a mime artist.
My favourite colours of all are jewel tones. I don't own many as those kind of colours since on the wrong clothing and fabric it can look hideously cheap, but I am always on the hunt for the perfect purple dress. Most of my wardrobe however consists of muted tones like army green, gray (lots of grey!) and cream. I add bright colour via my brightly coloured tights and other bits and pieces. About 1/3 of my clothes are black. Here's a wee snippet of my clothing collection (the stuff that's nicely hung up - I shan't show you the random piles and crammed drawers!). Basically what you see on the rail is what's in heavy rotation at the moment - the lesser worn garments or things I'm a little bored of get relegated to either the wardrobe rails or packed away into the suitcases.
Sometimes, if I feel I have bought too many black things I like to have a look at my most favourite part of my bedroom, where the colours pops make me smile. It's not so much a place as a thing - my tailors dummy which has become a hanging place for all things colourful. I keep adding to it and re-arranging it so I can see the rainbow of clothes. Sometimes I buy things just to add to the dummy. Needless to say it has toppled on more than one occasion!
I part of the reason vintage is so appealing is that back in the day, people weren't so hung up on dressing to appear slim, so black was generally kept for evening wear, but day wear was a celebration of colour and pattern. There is nothing more spirit lifting than riffling through rails of brightly coloured vintage loveliness, even if it's not to buy. As I type I am awaiting a gorgeous dress arriving which will hopefully satisfy my love of jewel-like purple...
Queen Michelle
