Black is for Evening

Designer John Varvatos, the man responsible for the black cotton suit in the photograph, intended that it be worn in the evening. And that is the right idea even though I despise knitwear with zippered fronts. And the shoes! But before I go too far, let me return to the point I intended originally. Black is for evening.

There are two reasons why men should not wear black during the day, a statement intended to encompass black trousers and black socks though not black shoes. The first, and less important of them, is that wearing black goes against accepted custom. Since the demise of the frock coat a century ago black has been reserved for formal day wear, principally the morning coat. Which, we should note, is worn with gray trousers. But since only a relatively few people aside from the English court pay the slightest attention to what should be worn when any longer, we make this point only in passing.

The second and perhaps more generally acceptable anti-black rationale is that it simply looks bad on most men in the light of day. Save for those blessed with high contrast complexions, black washes color from the skin and gives the wearer that pallid look so beloved of the goth movement. Further, it washes out most accompanying colors, leaving the wearer little choice but to combine it with more black or other high contrast but overdone pairings. White shirt, red necktie and a black suit is the sign of a clothing noob, or a man parodying one.

So there are two reasons why black should not be worn before six o'clock. And, I should note, if one is not wearing black trousers during the day, one should not be wearing black socks either. To paraphrase Alan Flusser, who like every other respected clothing writer of the second half of the twentieth century advises against black daywear, black hose creates a void between trouser and shoe where there should be a continutation of the leg line.

Black is for evening.