I once dated a guy who told me I wore too much color.  I didn’t date him for long (would you have?), but years later, I’m secretly grateful for his – ahem – constructive feedback.

I grew up in the 80’s with a mother who believed in “having your colors done” and always wearing colors in your “season”, and according to those laws, black (a neutral for most) should be worn sparingly.  So it took me some time to embrace the all-black ensemble.

In addition to having myriad practical qualities – it’s forgiving of stains, it’s slimming, it can make you can look cool without trying and most shades of black match one another, so it’s easy to mix and match all your black clothing items – black is the perfect backdrop for to-die-for accessories.  It’s a blank slate.

These accessories would be lost on a more colorful palette, but with an all-black outfit, they get to be the stars of the show.  Even the nude heels stand out!  Your eye has so much neutral space to rest upon that you can enjoy looking at each ray of color without them competing with one another.

1. Black racerback tank. 2. Silk, high-waisted pencil skirt is not available but this one and this are similar.  3. Black Onyx cocktail ring.  4. Colorful quartz and crystal earrings.  5. Croc-embossed red clutch.  6. Suede and mesh lace-up heels.