BLACK doesn’t take SUMMERS off
5 Black Summer Outfits (Because Personal Style Doesn't Have a Season)
Every Summer it happens.
The weather warms up, store windows fill with white linen and bright colors, and somewhere along the way we're told it's time to pack away the black clothes.
I never got that memo.
Or maybe I did. I just ignored it.
Because black doesn't take summers off.
If black is part of your personal style in January, why should it disappear in July?
The trick isn't avoiding black.
It's changing how you wear it.
Black in Summer isn’t The Problem
When people say, "I can't wear black in summer," they're usually talking about comfort, not style.
And comfort has more to do with fabric, silhouette, and how you build an outfit than it does with color.
On those cooler summer mornings, breezy evenings, or rainy days, black feels exactly right. I simply reach for lighter fabrics, easy silhouettes, and pieces that let me move. The color stays. The weight of the clothes changes.
vintage track tank via 6 ft Closet Vintage; Ivy Potter vintage asymmetrical skirt; Caddis Mabuhay readers
This week's styling rack was proof that black can be anything but boring.
Five outfits.
Five different moods.
what’s on The Styling Rack?
tissue thin cotton racerback tank by Park Vogel (this one’s a vintage piece) similar here
Marie Adam Leenaerdt one shoulder, similar here
vintage TopShop mens graphic tee. similar here
MM6 campshirt. similar here
Mayle tuxedo short shorts. similar here
Vintage wrap skirt. similar here
EASY
Black denim and a black tank.
The outfit I throw on when I don't want to overthink getting dressed. Simple, comfortable, and proof that an all-black outfit doesn't have to feel heavy in the middle of summer.
UNEXPECTED LOVE
An avant-garde one-shoulder top paired with a vintage black skirt with white topstitching.
These two pieces shouldn't make sense together—and that's exactly why I love them.
The top feels modern and architectural. The skirt feels collected, vintage, and full of character. The contrast between those two personalities is what makes the outfit interesting.
It's definitely coming into consideration for our upcoming Montreal trip.
MENSWEAR, OF COURSE
A black camp shirt buttoned all the way up with black tuxedo short shorts.
I love a good menswear outfit esp in the summer. Buttoning the shirt to the top gives the outfit intention, while the shorts keep it feeling like summer.
OVERSIZED + OVERSIZED
Soft pleated drawsting pants and an oversized graphic tee.
Oversized doesn't have to mean sloppy.
When the fabrics are light and the proportions are intentional, it becomes one of the easiest, airiest outfits to wear on a summer day.
THE WILD CARD
A thrifted black leather mini dress I found in Paris.
Most people would probably save a leather mini dress for evening or maybe a special occassion.
I do the opposite.
I would (only) wear it during the day with red leather moccasins and a teal leather bag. It takes a piece that might feel "too much" at night with heels and gives it a completely different personality.
That's my favorite kind of styling…taking a piece people expect to go one direction and wearing it another.
