how to Look Good In Black at any age

I go to a lot of networking events which are attended by many women who I guarantee, before they say anything else after I tell them that I’m a personal stylist, apologise for wearing black.

What is it about the colour black and why has it been villainized when it comes to women over 40?

Black is such a wardrobe staple – especially for women in their 20s and 30s. I know when I was is my 20’s, I was no different. My wardrobe was full of black! I definitely was not the ‘colour queen’! In fact, I had very few colours that I wore, but when I did, I never felt all that comfortable wearing them. I would say that it was a combination of being in the habit of wearing black and not really knowing what colours suited me back then. If only I’d known there was such a thing as a personal stylist or a colour consultant when I started out as a young adult!

The good news is that anyone of any age can successfully wear black. You just have to know how. Admittedly, getting it wrong can have some not so desirable results.

Black can accentuate your lines and wrinkles. Any colour worn near the face will reflect onto the face. Have you ever noticed that light colours tend to lighten and lift? This is what happens when photographers use white reflective umbrellas. If they were to use black umbrellas instead, dark shadows would be cast across your face which would settle into any lines or wrinkles and naturally dark areas such as the area under the eyes and the upper lip. This is the same effect when black is worn next to the face – so essentially as we age, it can make us look older than we are, it can make us look tired or even unwell!

So what do we do? Do we just abandon our old favourite? Our friend who we’ve always relied on to slim our hips and waists - especially since menopause may have gotten its evil hands on us!!

The good news is that it’s not necessary to have to say goodbye to black once we hit a certain age. We just need to be mindful about how we wear it.

The main thing to remember is not to wear black right next to your face. The lower the neckline, the easier black will be to wear. If you choose to wear it below the waist such as a black pair of pants or shorts, then it won’t have any impact whatsoever.

If you have a little black dress that has fine straps and a low neckline, you will certainly have no problem wearing black but if you were to choose a black turtleneck jumper, the more impact black will have on your total appearance. In this case you might team it with a beautiful scarf worn as much between your face and the neck of the jumper as possible so that most of what others will see is the scarf, and not the black turtleneck.

Another tactic is to wear brighter, bolder makeup. Be care here however because unless you are of a certain colour direction, especially if you want to wear bright red lipstick, it may be too harsh for you. You can opt for a softer red though if that suits your naturally colouring better.

You can also wear brighter colours or shiny jewellery next to your face to act as a buffer. Soften the look even further by wearing soft knits, textured fabrics, pearls or a beautiful soft scarf.

Take a look at these pictures of Helen Mirren and how amazing she looks in black. She is a wonderful example of how to wear black as a more mature woman. You will notice her necklines, her jewellery, the use of soft sheer fabric. She does this flawlessly!  

Your natural colour will determine what you team with black to soften the effects – whether you’re soft or warm toned and then whether you’re clear or muted. Knowing this will assist you to adopt the right strategies for wearing black.

As we age however, it’s in our best interest to lighten our colours or at a minimum swap black for a softer, more flattering navy, especially if we would otherwise wear black as our normal day-to-day wear.

If you find that the main colour in your wardrobe is still mostly black, and you’re no longer in your 30s, I encourage you to discover your colour palette and learn how to wear your colours correctly. For what some of us pay for a colour, cut and blow-dry, you could have a whole new world of colour available to you, each colour guaranteed to look amazing on you. Not only will you learn what colours look best on you, but also how to combine them correctly as well as how to mix and match and co-ordinate colours, prints and patterns. This is a very useful skill to have as you’ll be able to add a lot more interest to your outfits, not to mention have many more options available.  

For inquiries or questions about personal colour, please email me at tanya@theimageandwellnesscompany.com.au