Back to Black 🖤

This post is called “Back to Black” because I’ve returned to wearing black. Well, to be more accurate, I never left…..(more on that below).

It’s also a nod to one of my favourite songs by the beautiful talent that was Amy Winehouse. Black was something of a signature colour for Amy —her hair, her ever-present winged eyeliner, and many of her most iconic outfits….

If you know anything about seasonal colour analysis, you’ll know that most systems say that only people who are one of the Winter sub-seasons can wear black well. A few might concede that Bright Springs or Dark Autumns can “get away” with it. In mainstream analysis, I’m a Soft Summer—thrice draped, in fact. When I first discovered my season, a fellow Soft Summer asked me:

“So… have you donated all your black clothing yet?”

The only answer was: HELL NO.

In fact, let me add: Never.

Me. No longer apologising for wearing black 🙂

In my colour & style system, Poeticize Your Presence, your natural “body harmony colours” are taken into account. I have black hair and very dark brown eyes. When your body’s own design incorporates black naturally, telling you to completely avoid wearing black would be like telling you to avoid your own hair colour. That doesn’t make sense. So even though I am indeed a Summer, black reads as a workable neutral colour on me.

Iconic actress Louise Brooks constantly wore black

There’s more to this story. The ability to pull off black as an individual isn’t just about colour season—it’s also about your vibe, personal preferences, and your archetype. In my system, there are 12 Jungian-based Style Energy Archetypes….and some of them absolutely shine in black.

Black is strongly associated with the Outlaw archetype, but also—perhaps surprisingly—the Mystic. Why? Because black has long been tied to mysticism, the unknown, and the otherworldly. Black echoes the cosmos itself: dark, opaque, unknowable, intriguing. Mysterious yet ubiquitous. It is both absence and presence, void and fullness—the colour that contains all others while revealing none.

Then there’s the Lover archetype, which thrives in black too. Because black is sensual without being obvious. It’s powerful without needing embellishment. Think of the Italian icon Monica Bellucci—she embodies Lover energy, and is frequently photographed in black.

Black can feel instantly iconic.

A little black dress.

A black turtleneck.

Winged black eyeliner.

A black leather jacket.

A black tux.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.

Black carries gravitas. The Grim Reaper wears black. So do Benedictine nuns and Anglican vicars. So do police officers in many parts of the world.
And in goth culture, black is frequently worn, and often seen to represent an aesthetic embrace of life’s deeper, darker truths…

Benedictine nuns usually wear a black habit as a symbol of humility & dedication to God

Coco Chanel adored all-black outfits. As did Karl Lagerfeld and Johnny Cash. So do Lenny Kravitz and Morticia Addams.

And Kim Kardashian seems to have quite the penchant for wearing head-to-toe black.

What is it about black that makes it so universally compelling, especially given it allegedly suits hardly anyone?

Kim K at the 2022 Met Gala. She even covered her face entirely in a black mask. As one does….

Maybe it’s because black is edgy yet somehow safe, like a sort of sleek armour. Dangerous yet predictable. It can be a shield to hide behind, or the exact dignity required for a black-tie gala or a funeral.

In some cultures, black symbolizes evil. But in ancient Egypt, black was revered as a symbol of fertility and rebirth, representing the rich black soil of the Nile Delta that gave life to an entire civilization.

Perhaps that’s why we keep coming back to black. It’s not just a colour; it’s a statement of depth, complexity, and unapologetic authenticity. In a world obsessed with rules about who can wear what, black remains democratically powerful—available to anyone bold enough to claim it.