Written by Ian Megrath

Wed. 4. Sep.

 

 

I am.

 

Not the actual dark, I mean I am afraid to dress in all black.

 

I know this probably one of the biggest fashion faux-pas of all time, but I find black clothing intimidating, harsh and way too stark for me. The fiercest style leaders and fashion-forward gents can look amazing clad head to toe in all black. A living silhouette, they stand out for all the right reasons.

 

Take Tinie Tempah for example. Papped on the chaotic streets of London at the prestigious London Collections: Men. Waiting patiently outside the Old Sorting Office before attending one of London’s hottest menswear catwalk shows of the season. Stepping out in a black leopard print shirt of the Saint Laurent variety paired effortlessly alongside black cropped trousers and a pair of black leather loafers. Tinie created a long silhouette with a strong and confident tone of classic style mixed with a modern street infused edge.  

 

And Mr Tempah is far from alone as bloggers, male models, celebs and street style fashion icons alike rock similar ensembles on a daily basis, all the while keeping it clean, simple, minimal and most important of all, on trend. Sports Luxe inspired garments including leggings, shorts, oversized sweaters and even the odd skirt if you happen to be Marc Jacobs, do not fail to go unnoticed by the world’s leading street style photographers. And rightly so.

 

Follow this up with the classic black suit which instantly makes most men look impressively suave and you cannot go wrong. I, however, look like a pall bearer at a funeral of someone I never really liked.

 

According to the saying, black goes with everything but I unfortunately just can't seem to see it. My general colour of choice falls into the Grey category, I.e black's lazy cousin.  For me, Grey is much more versatile but arguably it can also be draining and a little dull after a while. (I still continue to buy grey clothing regardless)

 

The totality of my black wardrobe consists of a pair of black jeans and a black parka. (It was green but it got a bit too ratty so I dyed it. Bonus points for blogging DIY) No black shirts, no black tees, no black sweaters. My black jeans are handy, but I look at them as a void between my shoes and top - it's like my legs don't exist.

 

Is my lack of colour limiting? Am I missing out? Somehow I feel I am not. The world’s leading catwalk shows will unsurprisingly beg to differ as the likes of Dior Homme, Prada and Mugler all showcase black on black as a major must have for any modern menswear hopefuls.  I will however say one thing. I don't think I can get over my aversion to black footwear any time soon. Other than black converse, I can't bring myself to wear black shoes. Nope. Sorry Tinie. Not gonna happen.

 

Ian Megrath is a 30something online merchandiser and the editor of his recently launched menswear blog entitled Rogues and Brogues. Describing his own style as simple, casual and versatile, Ian has a keen interest in fashion and believes his own style has grown out of experimentation.