First and foremost, I like black. I just do. Let me explain why I prefer a dark wardrobe for my simple life…

Black is the simplest color to use as a wardrobe staple

It’s easier to match blacks than it is to match any other color in the clothing spectrum. Black mixes and matches with every other color. I like dark brown too and olive green and taupe. I own items in these colors because the all mix and match with black, they add a subtle depth and visual texture without shouting and without complicating my life.

Black (and it’s dark cousins) are also slenderizing. I know. I took photos with two shirts – exact same cut and size, one in black and one in white. The difference in how big I looked in was astounding.

One load of laundry per week

I can do all of my clothes in one load of laundry every week. Yep, it’s just me at home now and it takes ONE load to do all my clothes. If I had multiple colors, I’d have to sort and be careful, I’d have partial loads, and life would be more complex.

For further simplification – all my undies are black. Since I don’t wear white or light colored tops, I don’t have to worry about black bras. Since I don’t wear white or light colored pants, I don’t have to worry about black undies.

To make life even MORE simple – I’ve switched over to dark, chocolate brown dish cloths, dish towels, and bath towels. Even my sheets are chocolate brown. Everything can be washed together (although I would recommend washing new towels and washcloths alone the first few times, so you don’t have lint all over sweaters and more “magnetic” fabrics).

How to keep life dark

Recently, I’ve been thinking I need to add a bit of color. Even I tire of the same color all the time. So, I added a bright purple t-shirt. I love the color. I loved it as it hung in my closet. It was pretty. I did notice, however, that I seldom wore it. It was so loud. I prefer luxury textures and fabrics in basic, dark colors to any bright option.

Besides, whenever I see a bright color that I like, I think… yeah, it’s pretty, but would I really wear it? Is it worth having to buy, store, wash separately and maintain light-colored “proper” underwear to go underneath?  Is it worth having to go back to sorting clothes and doing multiple loads every week? At that point, I can easily walk away.

With that said, I may add some red at some point. Red can be worn with my dark under-things. Red can be washed with my darker clothes without too much concern (although I will wash new black items alone the first few times, just to be safe). Red also looks striking with black and I look good in red. It’s impactful and just a piece or two would “spice up” my whole wardrobe, while still keeping it simple. A red twin set is something I’ve looked for for years. They are all too short, too long, too boxy or too…. something. Eventually I may find it, until then, I’m thinking about a red tailored shirt, all season sweater or a scarf to bring in a little visual punch.

I do like purple socks and red socks — well, I like wild socks. I like the shock of color — and since I’ve switched to moreno wool for all my socks, I’m now searching for a pair or two of patterned wildness! As long as they can be washed with my black clothes, of course.

My skin and hair stand out more with black

When I wear black and the darker colors, the natural highlights in my hair really shine — yes, even the silver streaks.

I wear very little makeup on those few occasions when I wear it at all. Wearing darker colors brings out my dark brown eyes instead of competing with them.

So, lets see… with black/dark brown/olive green/dark taupe clothing…

• everything matches
• no fussing/worrying about undie colors
• less need for makeup and artificial hair treatments
• one load of clothes per week, on average
• packing for a trip takes moments
• I can enjoy and afford the luxury of high-end fabrics with interesting, oh-I-could-just-HUG-myself textures in pieces that layer well
• this layered approach means less packing away “out of season” clothing.

I wear the same things, just fewer layers at once as the weather warms up, and I enjoy more variety from each piece when layering and deal with less bulk in my wardrobe as a whole. And if I want to add a little sizzle — I do that with jewelry-bling. 😀

I just wonder why I didn’t figure this out years ago!