The Color Psychology Of Black Clothing: Why We Love Wearing It So Much
Anyone who knows anything about fashion knows that the industry is obsessed with black. Lighter, brighter hues tend to find brief moments in the spotlight — typically when they relate to specific micro trends and fads — but they don't usually last long, while classic black always leads the fashion game. After all, we see more than a million posts dedicated to #blackoutfit on Instagram at the time of writing, while #greenoutfit, #pinkoutfit, #redoutfit, and #blueoutfit each have less than 500,000 posts. We're not even the slightest bit surprised by those numbers.
On TikTok, there's even a popular audio explaining a few reasons why people love wearing black; the audio has around 2,000 videos on TikTok at the time of writing, as many TikTokers enjoy wearing black clothing. The audio features a woman's voice passionately saying, "You know, I pretty much always wear black, and people ask me why. It's for three reasons and three reasons alone. Number one: it never goes out of style ... Number two: you can't tell how much it costs; this could've been $10, it could've been $50 ... Number three: it's discreet ..." (via TikTok). Not only do we agree with these three reasons why black clothing is so beloved, but we have more reasons, too.
Black clothes are famously attractive and convenient
No one can disagree that black garments look beautiful on all bodies. It shows off every curve and angle on each unique shape without taking away attention from the body — as many brighter hues tend to do — or making you look too youthful, which can happen with lighter colors. Thus, we always wear black when we want to display our shapes and still look elegant. Just think of some of fashion history's most famous black outfits, from Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress to the glamorous retro Barbie-influenced black ensemble Margot Robbie wore to the "Barbie" movie premiere. Black clothes tend to make women feel more confident — wearing that dark classic neutral is a power move. For instance, TikToker @miachalliner posted a video wearing a monochromatic black outfit, adding the words, "Nothing makes me feel more attractive than wearing an all-black outfit" to the video, and captioned it, "I feel powerful in black."
Moreover, black clothes are convenient for practical reasons. For example, we've all been in that situation when we wore a pretty pastel top with long or short sleeves on a sunny day, only to look in the mirror and see sweat stains. You rarely have to worry about that with black clothes, though! Furthermore, as dainty and attractive as white clothes can be, one of our greatest fears is spilling soda, sauce, or salsa all over them. But those stains wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing in black garments.
Black outfits are versatile
In addition to being captivating and practical, black is the most versatile option anyone can wear. Black garments are the most suitable pieces to wear to many settings, so people can get their money's worth whenever they buy black clothing, such as the traditional little black dress. It's almost impossible to think of any setting where black clothing would not be acceptable to flaunt. Besides the famous White Party in the Hamptons — that we would do pretty much anything to score invites to — black clothing works in almost any environment.
For example, it's most people's instinct to wear black at funerals to look classy and show respect. Black clothes are also ideal for corporate, professional settings, such as work meetings and job interviews. "What wearing black shows an interviewer is that you're in the mix. You know what a lot of people are wearing and you can fit in socially ... When you wear black to the interview, you're broadcasting the fact that you know how to dress to fit in," April Masini, a relationship and etiquette expert slash author told The Street.
But black isn't only for somber or professional settings. When we go to edgier scenes such as rock concerts, it's our instinct to wear black to fit in with the environment. Black is also an excellent choice for date nights, as onyx dresses exude sophistication for fancy dinners, while dark lingerie is sexy in the bedroom.
Black clothes make all eye colors pop
We always enjoy wearing clothing that helps our eyes pop. While various hues overpower or clash with many eye colors, that's never an issue with black. Whether you typically prefer to wear a lot of eye makeup, a touch of subtle mascara, or keep it natural, you can count on black garments to draw attention to your beautiful eyes. Black clothing will match or at least complement dark eye colors for a striking, mysterious look. On the other hand, black will provide bold contrast for lighter and brighter eye colors, making those hues appear livelier, more defined, and unique.
TikToker @nicolejamielc posted a video wearing various stylish black tops, and each top beautifully complemented her dark brown eyes, making them appear more prominent and alluring. On the other hand, TikToker @heatherhalsema shared a video wearing some different black tops, too, and each black garment made her lighter, grayish-greenish-blue eyes pop to perfection. While the two TikTokers had very different eye colors, the black tops beautifully worked with both their eyes, drawing attention to the eye colors and helping them stand out.
It's fun to pair black clothes with garments in other colors
Another significant advantage of having a lot of black tops and bottoms is that styling outfits should be much easier for you than for people whose wardrobes contain a wide variety of colors. Unless someone is super into color blocking, trying to put together outfits in conflicting hues — such as yellow and purple or green and orange — is often stressful and overwhelming and typically ends in too much clashing to look stylish. But every color works with black!
You should think about wearing black jeans, trousers, or leggings with bright T-shirts or blouses for a balanced yet bold look. For instance, TikTok user @stellalouisxo posted a video wearing black jeans with a bright orange top, and the contrast was brilliant, making the top the focal point of the outfit. Or, do the opposite and rock a solid black top with statement pants or a skirt in your favorite color. In a different video, TikToker @baileytaylorbrown paired a black tube top with pink pants, and the outfit was the perfect statement look for any night out. Moreover, we love the classic combination of a monochromatic black outfit and a coat or jacket in a bold color, as we see in a video by @mafegaluee, where she wore a long red coat over a black outfit for a dramatic ensemble.
Black monochromatic outfits are ideal backdrops for various accessories
Wearing an all-black outfit isn't only the perfect starting point to wear under a colorful coat, as monochromatic black clothes are also ideal canvases for every accessory in your closet. Whether you want to rock a bold scarf, diamond necklace, trendy handbag, the daring dopamine jewelry trend, or statement footwear, you can't go wrong with wearing these fun accessories over black clothing, as the details won't get lost as they would with some other hues.
People with all styles and aesthetics can use accessories to customize their black outfits, and it's fun to watch people do so on social media. For example, we love wearing black and red together for sexy, commanding ensembles. So, we enjoyed watching a video where TikToker @xthuyle elevated an outfit of only black clothing with a red purse, earrings, sunglasses, and boots. The final ensemble looked like something we'd see an ultra-glamorous socialite movie character wear. Furthermore, TikToker @bethanyciotola posted a video making her black dress look significantly more unique than it initially appeared by adding romantic, free-spirited dangly jewelry pieces, giving her outfit goddess vibes.
Celebrities often wear black
Not only are there many style benefits of wearing a lot of black clothing, but we frequently see celebrities wear black as their go-to or "safe" option, and we all know that society is obsessed with fame. Many people desire to be famous — especially teenage girls and young adults. "Our focus groups have shown that young people are aspiring to fame more than anything else," Yalda T. Uhls, Ph.D., senior researcher at the UCLA Children's Digital Media Center, Los Angeles, told Teen Vogue. People who are fascinated with fame tend to copy celebrities, so a young woman who wants to be famous and sees her favorite singer, model, or actor frequently wearing black will likely want to wear black, too.
One young celebrity who famously wears a lot of black clothing is Jenna Ortega, as the actor is a lot like her "Wednesday" character in that way. Thus, many young people who enjoy watching Ortega in the highly talked-about TV show are likely to swap out their pastel pieces for black garments to be like the TV star. There's nothing wrong with feeling inspired to wear more black because of a star, but remember to stay true to yourself — no matter which colors you choose to wear.