How to wear black and navy together

BLACK would have to be the most popular fashion colour in the world. It’s WARDROBE 101 and there’s a reason why we wear so much of it.

Just like the LBD, black will always be the go-to colour when in doubt because it’s so easy and safe, is visually slimming and helps to boost confidence in appearance.

Black is serious, professional and conventional, but it can also represent the mysterious, sexy and sophisticated. It is a uniform of sorts and is guaranteed to get you out the door with no thought required.

But if you’re a 50+ woman, black on black can be overwhelming, and look dreary and bland. So be careful about resorting to an all-black wardrobe if you think it’s the key to carefree chic. It isn’t.

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Black’s absence of colour renders it neutral so it will go with nearly every colour of the rainbow. And most neutrals look great together; think black and white, white and beige, white and navy, navy and cream … you get the idea. These colours usually make up the foundation of our wardrobes, so it’s only natural that we’d wear them together.

However, there is one combination that is often overlooked — black and navy. The old sartorial rule that cautioned against wearing black and blue together (especially dark blue or navy) has no real merit.

Just like black, navy carries a sense of elegance and sophistication. It also conveys importance, confidence, power and authority as well as intelligence, stability and conservatism.

HOW TO WEAR BLACK WITH NAVY

Whether worn in a single garment or combined in a head-to-toe look, black and navy looks oh-so sophisticated and extremely chic together. A favourite combination of many European designers, it’s also dark without being gothic, and sleek without being too stuffy.

Navy has black in it, so the two are perfect companions. Whereas there are so many dyelots of navy, wearing navy with another navy (unless they are from the same dyelot) can make them tricky to match.  So keep it simple and wear navy with black.

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So be a rulebreaker and look beyond the traditional … take a risk and leap into the great unknown.  Every woman has black staples in her wardrobe — black coats, black jackets, black pants, black dress, black shirts, black knitwear and, of course, black accessories. But what every woman needs is to invest in a few key navy pieces as well.

Another reason to take a risk — as I’ve recently discovered — is when you get to a certain age black on black on black can be extremely harsh against the face, making you look tired and washed out. Navy actually lifts skin tone, especially those with grey hair!

Are you a fan of navy and black? Ready to give it a go this season? Would love to hear from you. Ever stylishly yours …