Black Is The New Black

Yves Saint Laurent Fall 08 Ready to Wear

Technically, black is not a color. I like to think of it as a mood instead; a visual enhancer of a feeling. It says so much, this non-color color. I read once somewhere: “style is an easy way of saying complicated things.” I love this, because when I read it, I thought “black”. When I wear black, I am announcing to the world that I feel sexy, I feel strong, I feel creative, I feel mysterious, I just feel something–often times, very contrasting things. It expresses so much, this “nothing” of a color. It speaks its very own language; it is almost like it deserves its own dictionary– if you looked up “black”, there would be hundreds of thousands of explanations for its meaning. It is really that deep, really that wide. Really.

I surround myself with trinkets of black things, little items that drive some macabre/seductive/exciting and excitable sensibility into my space, my closet, my bathroom, my makeup case. I have this bizarre but cool black plastic apple that I bought in some random store in Tokyo. It doesn’t do anything but sit on the dresser, gathering dust, but I like it. It’s rather wicked, but at the same time, it’s naive.

I wear little lingerie pieces in black. I like the way they make me feel like Catherine Deneuve in Belle du Jour—sexy in a covert way, a little “bad” underneath the good girl exterior. The set from Bestow Boutique is my favorite, especially since it’s trimmed in pink (good vs evil, maybe?).

Mor Fruits of Cornucopia Soap

I have a set of black soaps that my friend Elyn gave me, and I don’t want to use them because I just like looking at them. (Will black soap possibly wash away my sins? Or are they sinful in and of themselves?)

I just got the new black lipgloss from YSL. It’s sick, but in a good way. It’s sort of goth, but it’s ridiculously chic. It’s shiny and looks like patent leather. It’s heaven. (Or is it hell?)

Thorn Apple Diffuser

My prized possession, however, is the DL & Co black crystal diffuser. It looks like it should hold some home brewed love poison–a potion of madness, of lust, of desire. It says “I feel” all over it. Its scent is called “Thorn Apple”—an oxymoron of epic proportions—a sweet fruit covered in sharp, macabre needles. Yes. Now that is emotional… that is bitter; that is sweet; that is the definition of “black”. —Elizabeth

Other inspired black basics: Lock & Key Necklace by Dogeared, Swarovski Crystal & Lace Flower Hair or Lapel Clip by Tarina Tarantino, Black Licorice Shampoo by Philosophy, Black Lip Gloss by YSL, Shoe by Christian Loubotin and iconic black nail polish by Chanel.