Marina | May 16, 2014 | Fashion |

Black is a color in fashion that we most often associate with colder seasons like fall and winter and in all fairness, black does look and feel warm and cozy. It’s also a color that we can associate with a lot of other things like elegance and glamour. Once the warmer months come in, though, we tend to stop shopping for and wearing black items and opt for more colorful ones instead and while that’s not really a bad thing to do, surely there’s some space in our closets and some days somewhere in the warmer months where we could use black, right? Here are some tips on ways to make black work after fall and winter.

• Wear it minimally – to keep your look from being too autumn-ish or wintery, wear black minimally. While an all black / monochromatic black outfit may look sleek and posh, it’s not exactly very spring and summer appropriate. Instead of donning a black jumpsuit, wear a black tank top and throw on a nice blazer or light cardigan on top or you can wear a pair of black jeans or leggings if you want something versatile on the bottom so you can wear something more colorful on top.

• Wear it with other neutral colors – black, white, beige, brown and other neutral colors together in one outfit may sound boring to you but when done right, you can create the a very chic and elegant outfit with this color palette by following the minimalist trend. You can wear black with lighter neutrals to prevent the whole outfit from looking washed out and to create strong contrast against the lighter colors.

• Wear it with bright colors – the best way to make a black item work for spring and summer is to wear it with items that have the look and feel of the season. Spring and summer are all about fun, light, bright and vibrant colors so choose your favorite hue and pair it up with something black to create a look that’s both fun and edgy and also spring / summer appropriate.

• Wear it printed – prints and patters always make anything look fun and exciting so if you’re looking for a way to make black work for summer and spring, choose printed black pieces instead of solid, plain black ones. They’re more appropriate for spring and they’re great for adding a cute and quirky bit to your outfit. The print doesn’t always have to be very big and loud, they can be small and colorful too! Stripes, polka dots, floral prints – these are just some of the prints that often make use of black as a dominant color.

• Wear it on lightweight fabric / items – lastly, to make black work for spring and summer, you’ll want to wear the color on items made from lightweight fabric so you don’t have to sweat all day long under the hot spring / summer sun. Black turtle necks are definitely a no-no but you can totally wear black t-shirts or black miniskirt and maxi skirts. Choose to wear something in black only if the item won’t have you sweating your way through the day uncomfortably.