If you think wearing all black is boring and is me being lazy to get dressed in the morning, think again. Hi! My name is Amy, I am the fashion editor of Woman and Home SA and I only wear black.
Now, I am no style icon (yet) but what I wear reflects me and my personal style. Recently I decided, going forward I only want to wear black clothing pieces, and this is my reason:
I have been working in the fashion industry for +/- 8 years. I have experienced many different spheres of fashion, from retail and e-commerce to freelance styling and now, finally found my passion when I started styling covers and editorial fashion spreads for print publishing and being a digital content creator. In these years, I can honestly say my style has evolved. I look back at my younger fashion choices and ask myself: “Amy, what were you thinking?”
My decision to go all-black started with a lot of inner introspection of my identity and what I wanted to portray in this ever-changing industry. I have never been a cult follower of fast fashion. I prefer the classic, timeless, and capsule-style wardrobe but that being said, I still struggled to find my personal style identity in the fashion industry.
Fashion is everything to me. I love that I can express myself as well as create beautiful looks that tell a story to our readers. I often look at local and international style babes to gain some sort of inspiration. I love colour and I marvel at the ladies who wear colour effortlessly but it was not resonating with me on a personal level. As much as dopamine dressing is about wearing colour for mood-boosting, it’s also about wearing what you feel confident in and I needed to connect with what I felt confident in.
Wearing black became dopamine dressing for me.
This is my chosen career and if I need to be in a fast, always changing, and trend-chasing industry, I still want to be myself and portray something that’s not only different but something that would become my claim to the industry. I still try to incorporate fashion trends into what I wear but for the most part, I keep it simple and elegant.
If you take a look into my wardrobe you will see 98% black clothing pieces. I have a super small capsule wardrobe and I tend to wear the same outfits over and over again. Now I know what you thinking, a fashion editor should have a massive closet of beautiful garments by designers and top brands like we see in movies, but not me. I have the daily pieces that I wear on rotation and when I attend an event or special occasion, I often source a look.
Wearing black has instilled a confidence in me that I never knew I had. It allows me to express my personality but in the same breath, has become a sort of armour for me. The job comes with a lot of socializing and this can sometimes be anxiety-provoking so wearing black helps me to feel confident.
Things that I learned while wearing black:
- Always mix fabrics and textures to ensure you not looking bland
- Wear the same or similar shades of black because there is a difference
- It is ok to incorporate a touch of white. I love wearing white sneakers
- Get a lint roller. Black picks up dust very easily
- When you see something you like, buy it immediately – no matter the season. I was buying swimwear in the heart of winter because great black quality pieces are hard to come by in your style and fit.
I haven’t given it much thought as to if I would ever stop wearing all black. For now, the answer is no because wearing black has allowed me to come into my skin. I feel so good curating my outfits and I feel confident when I walk out of the house so for now I am the fashion editor who only wears black.
ALSO SEE:
How a T-shirt irked the world – Kanye West vs The Vogue Editor who challenged him
