blk

So as casual randomness would have it, the other day.....you know the one where I ran around my house doing wardrobe changes so you could understand my style.....well I was drinking blk water ( which, lets be honest, taste weird) and I got to thinking how the color black will always be classic. Its a color which can quite literally mean cool, chic, and rebellious all at the same time ( and really, its the only reason I bought blk water). 

                         So, here's an ode to black. I want to discuss its history, its meaning, and the way it has been adopted by fashion.

Picture to prove....like my dirty windowsill?

So, we know that black was typically worn during mourning periods. This custom actually, really began during the Victorian era. Men mostly wore black, not for mourning, but for business attire. For women who did mourn, black crape fabric was most appropriate. It truly was Coco Chanel who revolutionzed the fashion world with her LBD. It was the first known black dress not made for a funeral. The color change was striking and bold, nothing the 20's wasn't. This was the time of flappers, bobs, and prohibiton, remember?

As time went by black became increasingly popular. Big movie stars like Jean Harlow and Mae West adopted it; Rogue rebels like James Dean and Marlon Brando wore it in the form of leather jackets. The American public was suddently influenced with celebrity and the rest is history as they say....

What I always find intesting, though, is going way back into history and really seeing what black was used for. I found some really cool articles, regarding this. Some facts I learned:

• In Ancient Egypt, black was a color associacted with gardening.

• In Japan and China, the color for mourning is actually white, so no bride would ever dare wear it for her wedding

• In China, black represents water, a part of the natural world.

But maybe, I'm straying...overall black is a bold color and often you can't go wrong with it. I love how Cindy from COTTDS always puts it togther in that iconic "cool" way.

 If you're intersted in the articles I found here they are:

Black: History of a Color

Color in Fashion, Culture, and History (This one was very informative!)

The History of Wearing Black for Mourning

Image sources:

1st picture-Mine

Coco Chanel picture

Marlon Brando picture

Cindy from COTTDS

With happiness,

Angelic