How to Wear Black in the Summer

Plenty of us love wearing black—some of us year-round. And just because we’re in the throes of summer doesn’t mean you have to ditch every single piece of black clothing from your wardrobe and pack them away for the next three months. But before you pull out your go-to black jeans, dresses, tops, and accessories, there are a couple rules to wearing back in the summer.

For starters, styling: Are you really going to wear a black leather jacket and black tights at 2 p.m. on a sunny day in June? Probably not; it’d likely look wildly out of place. Plus, you’ll sweat literally everywhere. What you could do instead is be a bit more conscious of how you pair certain items—like a pair of black ankle trousers, shorts, or a skirt paired with a silky black tee looks classic, minimalist, and chic.

And then there are the fabrics: For the love of god, stay away from velvet and wool. Leather and black denim are passable, though, and work really well with lightweight tops and sandals.

Instead of telling you, how about we show you how to wear black in the summer months? We’ve rounded up 51 of our favorite outfits styled around everyone’s favorite dark hue.

A version of this article was originally published in July 2014.

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