Is Navy The New Black?
I woke up Friday, looked in my closet and decided that I’m sick of wearing black. Shocking I know, and a real shame because I own epic quantities of black clothes and accessories. I’m not planning to rush out and donate my things because I know I’ll go back to loving black because:
- it’s slimming
- is sophisticated
- is timeless and always chic
- makes packing and traveling easier
- is easy to coordinate
- seldom shows dirt
- dresses up and down with ease
- can look harsh on many complexions
As I shoved my black things further along the rod I ran across a navy handbag, turtleneck, and blouse that got me wondering if navy could play all the roles that black does in my wardrobe. Navy is not as readily available to buy as black, but can it replace black in your wardrobe?
Navy:
- is classic and timeless
- available in warm and cool tones so universally flattering
- is sophisticated and elegant
- seldom shows dirt
- looks effortless
- coordinates with every other color in the rainbow
- looks amazing in hot weather
- is slimming
Somewhere, at some time, someone said navy and black don’t go together… which is total bunk! It’s a sophisticated color combination that looks fantastic.
Bags look so much richer in navy than they do in black.
Navy looks great with brown, gray, black, green, red, pink, yellow, orange, beige, off white, purple, etc which begs the question, “why is black the most popular color?”.
It turns out that navy is the new black and will be occupying more space in my wardrobe going forward.
Have you embraced navy in your wardrobe?
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Thanks for reading and be sure to wear what makes you feel confident.
Bonjour, Jennifer,
I began transitioning from basic black to navy and other dark blues about 4 years ago. Less harsh with my skin tones and I love blue anyway. Still have a couple of black skirts as some really basic styles just aren’t always available in navy, but I’m glad I changed things up. Plus my newer copper-framed eyeglasses really seem to coordinate in a more-flattering way!
Copper frames sound so fun! I’ve found the same about the availability of navy.
I have always loved navy, not as harsh as black. I especially love navy loafers. I don’t wear sneakers/trainers. Since I live in jeans and mostly white tees or white button ups they look casual and chic. Anytime I come across a nice pair of navy shoes I will purchase them since they are so hard to find.
Navy iIS black in my wardrobe. Black emphasizes the lines in my face and drains color from it as well. Navy brightens and softens my features. Why would I EVER wear black near my face?
Like many of the comments here, I agree that it’s been difficult to find navy for the past few years. Also like others have said, there are so many variations in navy shades that it’s difficult to find the perfect match in tops and bottoms unless purchased at the same time. I welcome the opportunity to bring more navy into my wardrobe if that will be the spring color. However, I do not foresee it replacing black for me. It would just be an additional color I’d wear. Also I don’t agree that black and navy should be worn together. It was a “rule” that I learned many years ago (50 years ago – yikes). Same for black and brown as well as brown and navy together. Same class taught that shoes and purse color should match, but at least I have become more comfortable breaking that rule in the past few years. LOL
After reading Jennifer’s advice that black might not be the most flattering color right next to my pale 66 year-old skin and hair, I decided to try navy. My favorite fall 2019 wardrobe additions were navy: a navy confetti pancho, a long navy/camel vest with a navy long-sleeve tee under it, a navy dress, and two patterned scarves that incorporate navy and can be worn with the vest and dress. I invariably get compliments on all of those pieces, so it looks like Jennifer was right. Thank you, Jennifer, for prompting me to try something new!
Bravo Pam! I will be following you this year;)
I’ll always be a fan of black but I think nothing looks sharper than a navy v-neck sweater with a tee and jeans. So classic. You have some great choices listed. Xx
I agree Jen. xx
Navy should definitely be my new black. It looks much better on me than black does.
A few people have commented they have trouble finding navy items. I’ve built up a navy collection over the last three years since I decided to buy no more black. I found lots of lovely navy things at Boden Clothing, Jigsaw, Pure Collection, LK Bennett, Woolovers. (I’m in Australia and I buy most of my clothes online from the UK).
Agreed with many of you. There are so many shades of navy so its hard to match.
Black and navy should never be seen together IMHO.
Navy is classy and softer than black as others have mentioned.
I adore navy with black.
Great designers do uniforms for the Navy. We wore black shoes, black purse and a black tie with our uniform. It looked great. The white blouse and the white on the hat just lightened everything up. So, black looks great with navy.
I love navy and wear it often. I look forward to seeing what you find. Navy and olive are my favourite basics colours.