Why black really IS the new black: Forget post-pandemic brights. Suddenly, there’s only one colour the most stylish stars want to be seen in
It's official: black is back. Not the faded 'charcoal' black of 2022 but black-black. Inky black. The kind of black that radiates refinement and drama. A full-body black that has been absent from catwalks, front rows and Instagram feeds for years.
It was everywhere at Balenciaga's Ready-To-Wear Fall 2024 show, held in the LA sunshine on Saturday.
We're talking Nicole Kidman in a black velvet coat dress, black witch shoes, black gloves, black sunglasses, black clutch, black tights… you get the idea.
Or fellow Hollywood actress Zooey Deschanel in black leggings, black tuxedo, black boots, black bag – all black works.
Never wanting to be overshadowed, Nicola Peltz (along with husband Brooklyn Beckham), Eva Longoria and Kendall Jenner also opted for head-to-toe outfits in the deepest shade of black imaginable for their Balenciaga 'moment'.
Tight: Elizabeth Debicki wears Bottega Veneta at the premiere of The Crown in LA
Barbie no more: Margot Robbie in Prada at the Gotham Awards last week in New York
Ballroom: Jodie Turner-Smith in Christopher John Rogers at the Academy Museum Gala in LA this week
Suits you: Zooey Deschanel in Balenciaga on Saturday
From head to toe: Karlie Kloss in Schiaparelli during the Museum Gala
Polished: Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga at the label's Fall 2024 show
Timeless: Kendall Jenner in a Balenciaga dress in Beverly Hills
Statement bag, earrings and a ribbed dress with turtleneck: Eva Longoria in Balenciaga
Pure Lace: Dua Lipa in Chanel at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3
Dressed in style: Olivia Wilde in Alexandre Vauthier at the 3rd annual Academy Museum Gala
Glamour: Selena Gomez in Valentino at the Museum Gala
At the third annual Academy Museum Gala in LA the next day, it was a more dazzlingly sophisticated sea of black as everyone from Olivia Wilde, Selena Gomez and Karlie Kloss opted for dramatic jet-black, floor-sweeping dresses.
Even Margot Robbie, who has spent most of the year in Barbie Pink, opted for a black dress, black cape and black gloves for last week's Gotham Awards.
Of course, you could argue that black has never gone out of fashion, but looking back over the past few years, the LBD (little black dress) has been replaced by the CTS (colorful pantsuit), while Instagram has more or less forced every aspiring 'influencer' to swap black for the photogenic shades of millennial pink, Gen Z yellow and what's known as 'latte dressing' – and wear whatever shades are in your morning brew.
The contrast was stark on the catwalk. Post-pandemic designers vied with each other to see who could put on the most colorful spectacle, culminating in Valentino's groundbreaking Pink Collection for Autumn/Winter 2022/23.
But this year, major fashion houses from Dior to Givenchy, and even bling-loving Versace, have saturated their collections with black.
Mr and Mrs Matching: The Peltz-Beckhams, both in Balenciaga
Strapless: Sarah Silverman at the Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles
Golden ticket: Olivia Colman in Roland Mouret at the Wonka premiere in London last week
Model look: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Valentino at the British Fashion Awards last night
Diving: Cara Delevingne in Del Core at the Los Angeles Gala
Pin-up: Amber Valletta in Alaia at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
Tight-fitting: Hailey Bieber at the Gala in Saint Laurent
Latex: Maya Jama in Atsuko Kudo at Vogue's Forces For Change party last month
A-list: Taylor Swift wears Versace to the MTV Awards in September
Cut-out: Lily Allen in Philosophy at the Glamor Awards in October
Perhaps most tellingly, when former Celine creative director Phoebe Philo finally launched her own highly anticipated first collection last month, it was dominated by contrasting textures of black.
These are serious times. And tough. They ask for a shade that is not only practical, but always looks much more expensive than it actually is – and black is that shade.
It is reliable in a time when nothing else seems to be possible; it's dramatic without feeling like you have to look at me. Black is a friend of all body shapes and an enemy of the algorithms – it won't make you stand out on social media. (But since no one seems to bother mapping out their Outfit of the Day anymore, that's not a bad thing.)
There is no color on earth as beautiful as black. And after all the raspberry pinks and neons and in-your-face logos that dominated wardrobes and catwalks post-Covid, it seems right that the fashion pendulum has returned to the color that, as Coco Chanel herself said, 'has it all'.