Black

Black is the most popular colour in fashion but for me, I've always found it a bit scary. 

Black transcends fashion groups. If you're somebody that hates the idea of trends and fashion then black is your protest colour. If your life revolves around fashion and you strive to always look chic, then black is your colour of choice. If you're not fussed either way, then black is just the easy option. 

I suppose I've always been worried that if I wore it I'd look more not fussed than fashionista, never confident enough with my fashion choices to let the garment speak for itself without relying on colour. 

Then there's the decision about what other colour to wear with black. All black and you're a goth but even the most innocuous of colours put next to black stand out like the brightest neon. And what if you're brave enough to actually pair it with neon? Tacky? Cheap?

In art class when I was 14 I remember being taught that black is not an artists colour. We weren't allowed to use black paint. We had to mix other colours to make something as close to black as possible and I could never quite get the recipe right. The closest I got was a sludgey brown. 

In 1997 I went to my school prom. I spent ages looking for the right outfit; A navy suit. My mum got me to try it on in front of a family friend "a navy suit with black shoes?!?" was the response. "You can't mix navy and black!" That was that, a lifetime of wondering whether everyone around me was looking at my black/insert colour here combinations and thinking about how awful I look! 

Navy became my black. I've got blue eyes and blonde hair so navy was more forgiving. Brought out some colour in my cheeks. I became addicted to navy. And the colours I wore with navy? Sky, denim, petrol. A spectrum of blue. 

But all of a sudden the right pair of black jeans saved me. They looked good - even with one of my "safe" blue shirts. Then a pair of black boots caught my eye. One pair left. My size. It was a sign. I got used to the new colour on me over the space of a few weeks and craved something other than a blue shirt to wear with it. A red and navy checked shirt came first. And today? Camo print from J Crew! 

Nobody pointed and laughed on the tube. Nobody at work has even mentioned its existence yet! 

Am I finally free from my navy shackles. I think I am! WTF took me so long?!?