It’s that time of year, the weather heats up, the sun returns from vacation and suddenly that winter wardrobe’s worth of black clothing feels a lot warmer than it did a month ago. Black shirt on your back, you’re feeling a bit toastier than usual.
Adding a little color to your life after a long, dark winter can definitely bring you out of that seasonal funk. Rising temperatures let you finally ditch those winter layers, at which point you’ll probably reach into your closet for those lighter, brighter springtime staples. But if you’re aiming for something sleeker and more sophisticated, the best style move this season is to go against the grain and wear black.
Dressing for a night out is all about keeping things sleek and sophisticated, which can be difficult to rein in with a more colorful outfit. Something like a simple black leather jacket over a lighter tee, paired with dark jeans and minimalist sneakers, is a perfect way to keep casual but still look put together. If you need something a little more upscale, simply swap the jeans for lightweight wool trousers, the tee for a polo or a button-up shirt, and the sneakers with a pair of black penny loafers.
Think of black as the utility player on your sartorial bench—it can jump in and play whatever position you need. By virtue of not technically being a color, it matches with every color.
And when you wear a black version of a highly versatile piece of clothing like a polo shirt, you’ve basically created a garment suitable for any clothing combination. Wear it with a blazer, a bomber, or on its own; and with chinos, jeans, or even wool dress trousers.
