Let There Be The Darkest Shade of Black!

Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot With A Bouquet Of Violets, 1872. Musée d'Orsay, Paris Image: Public Domain https://www.wikiart.org/en/edouard-manet/berthe-morisot-with-a-bouquet-of-violets-1872

Obscurity is vertiginous....
When the eye sees black,
the spirit sees trouble....
In the night, even the strong
feel anxious.
(Victor Hugo, Les Misérables)



Glamorous and modest at the same time, seductive and practical, mysterious and versatile, elegant and powerful, modern, and timeless, the black outfit has its own role as a fashion statement for centuries. It can tell us the most fascinating stories about personalities who wore memorable black clothes in the past and it can draw a picture of creative soul who is still wearing a solemn black attire even today. 

Black is the color of authority, intellectuality and dignity. It is also the most flattering of all colors. No one ever looked more contemporary, more appropriate to urban environment appropriate and
elegant than those who chose black in order to impress the world with their appearance, Black is unusual in having attained its status originally through the Church, a standing which was strengthened by its acceptance in courts across Europe, - from Burgundy in the 15th century to Spain in the 16th century. It finally achieved a universality with the merchant classes of 17th century Holland, from whom it had spread to all Western world by the 19th century. By then, its religious asceticism and modesty had been considerably watered down and it had achieved a certain literary romanticism. [2.] 

Black also carries associations of power and a special mysterious allure. The black-clad figure is at once terrifying and seductive, whether a Spanish courtier of the time of Philip II, a Hell's Angel, a Punk or a Goth. Even the plain black suit of a banker or civil servant contains a hint of mystery. 

The allure of the black outfit has captured the imagination of generations of couturiers and artists and served as the signature of society's most powerful and enigmatic personalities. And therefore, there is a good reason to look back at some moments of history, looking for answers to popularity of black attire!​

Origins of Black as a Fashion Statement 

Throughout human history, black has been associated with night, death and nothingness. Just imagine that before the invention of electricity, nights were much darker and more dangerous than they are today. The persecuted hero, Jean Valjean of Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables, in one of the its pages says, "Obscurity is vertiginous... When the eye sees black, the spirit sees trouble... In the night, even the strong feel anxious." 

Since antiquity, black has often been associated with evil. Yet black has also long carried positive connotations of temperance, humility, and asceticism. There is the black of melancholy and the black of mystery, and the idea of black as a symbol of luxury and wealth. Despite negative associations, black has always played an important role in the history of fashion. Today's formal black evening attire is a direct descendant of the noble black of the Renaissance. Its popularity dates back to the southern countries. Historically, there has been a stronger contact with the Orient. The fashion for black clothes developed in Italy as early as the 14th century and spread rapidly from Italy to northern Europe. Because black dyes were expensive, only the representatives of the highest society - elite could afford to wear black clothes, whether for mourning, as a symbol of authority or piety, or simply as a fashion statement. 

Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (1396 - 1467), first wore black when his father was murdered by the French in 1419. In a court of Burgundy that was famous for its splendor, where most courtiers wore brightly colored clothes, luxurious black velvet gowns of the Philip the Good looked not only serious and sombre, but also elegant. Therefore, Duke of Burgundy for the first time in fashion history made it a fashion statement.

The rise of Spanish black was a significant turn in the history of fashionable black clothing. Spanish rulers, such as Emperor Charles V (1500 - 1558) and his son, Philip II (1527 - 1598), were known for wearing black clothing almost every day. That style recalled the austere vestments of clergy. In 16th century the black clothing would prove to be extremely popular in predominantly Protestant countries, such as the Netherlands and England, setting the stage for the rise of black in modern European society. 

The Women In Black

Catherine de Medici, the Renaissance-era queen of France, widowed in 1559, and thereafter always dressed in black. Sometimes described as the Black Queen, she has often been viewed as "the very Incarnation of evil" for her role in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Although she used the sartorial signs of her widowhood for her own political ends, this did little or nothing to enhance the prestige or power of other widows. [4.] 

Black was certainly a fashionable color for European aristocracy, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time many fashionable aristocratic women sometimes wore gowns that were made by using striking combinations of color and fabric. A characteristic combination of colors and materials showed, for example, a dress made of black velvet, together with black, white, and brilliant red satin. More typical of the 16th century was the fashion for dressing all in black, except for an accent of white at collar and cuffs. Both men and women wore black clothing, because of its sober elegance. Even more it was highlighted by dramatic white ruffs that framed the face. And if they wore black, they became aware of how black highlighted their golden jewelry and gemstones.

Black as the color of mourning dress became a general custom in the 19th century, when chemical dyes made it possible to mass-produce black fabric. Queen Victoria was adopting lifelong mourning after death of Prince Albert. As the Queen showed an example, it easily created a fashion wave of black clothing known as a Victorian fashion era. So, during 19th century mourning dress could also be fashionable even without it usual connotation. Edouard Manet's famous portrait of Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets (1872) almost certainly shows her in mourning attire and.. she appears to be dressed up according to the spirit of the time
Like Charles Baudelaire, Manet celebrated the connection between fashion and modernity. It was a time when the Victorian fashion was at its very peak with all its characteristic Gothic romanticism.

Then there is the scandalous "Portrait of Madame X" painted by John Singer Sargent in 1884. It depicts Madame Virginie Gautreau posing in ultra-glamorous black outfit. It was the first outfit of its kind in the 19th century and it appeared years before Chanel made the little black dress that turned into an icon of 20th century fashion. "Portrait of Madame X", as it was originally painted, caused quite a sensation. The dress of Madame Gautreau appeared even more provocative because one of the shoulder straps was falling down. True though, Sargent repainted this detail soon after its initial exhibit, although the public didn't see the revision until 1903. Madame' Gauteau's notorious reputation was among reasons why the painting caused a scandal in Parisian society. [4.] An essential component of her femme fatale image was her provocative black dress. 

The end of the 19th century was a time of many provocative changes in the world of fashion. At that time not only black dresses but also black undergarments were associated with sex. Black was also perceived as especially erotic in conjunction with pink. 

The invention of photography in the middle of 19th century created a new way of looking at the world...Suddenly, it was all in black and white. Significantly that Pierre-Auguste Renoir in his painting La Loge (1874) emphasized the striking effect of black contrasted with white in formal evening attire. It was also a quite bold and impressive fashion of bustle era that recalled in memory Medieval times when striped fabric was known as "the devil's cloth". [4.] Interestingly enough, that later it became very fashionable...

At the end of the 19th century and at the very beginning of 20th century it seemed quite in vogue to play with duality and symbolism of decadence. 
During the era Edwardian fashion circa 1900, artists depicted many decadent images of women in a role of femme fatale. Almost always they were portrayed wearing elegant, but also controversial black gowns. 

20th & 21st Century Hues Of Black

Black Fabric https://pixabay.com/photos/fabric-curtain-black-texture-5259707/

The 'little black dress' was born some time in the early 1900s, receiving special attention after the death of Edward VII in 1910 [3.]. Black was certainly recognized as the attire of mourning, but, again, it was also a fashionable color. During World War I, black was the dominant color, partly because so many Europeans were in mourning. 

The popular association of Chanel with the little black dress dates from the October 1, 1926, issue of American Vogue. It described a black day dress as "The Chanel's Ford" and "...the frock that all the world will wear." As it is known, Chanel had designed and worn black dresses before this date, especially following the death of her lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel, in 1919. Although it is assumed that she did not invent the "little black dress", but made it a fashion statement and a manifestation of the whole era. Also her version of the style was extremely influential. Black was a central element in her modernist design philosophy, and she was often photographed in black. [4.]

If black was central to Paris fashion of the 1920s, it was almost equally iconic in 1930s Hollywood. The cinema has created so many memorable images of movie stars in glamorous black dresses. Perhaps most famous for her masculine way of dressing in black tuxedos and suits, Marlene Dietrich wore an extraordinary femme fatale wardrobe in Shanghai Express (1932), created especially for her by Hollywood costume designer Travis Banton. He also created her masculine clothing that she wore in life and in the movies.

Later in 1960s Hubert De Givenchy designed for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). This famous movie helped permanently imprint an image of the black dress of glamour.

Cristóbal Balenciaga already in 1930s found that black is the perfect medium for making outfits that can create an atmosphere of almost abstract splendor. As Harper's Bazaar wrote in October issue of 1938 - Balenciaga's black was like a "thick Spanish black, almost velvety, a night without stars"... His use of jet black embroideries and magnificent black jewelry also reminded the golden age of Spain in 16th century. Meanwhile, the most influential designer of the 1950s, Christian Dior was even more into black. Once he expressed it perfectly, "You can wear it at any age. You can wear it on almost any occasion. A 'little black dress' is essential to a woman's wardrobe". 

By the 1960s black began to fall out of fashion, because it was time for neon bright colors and for Space Age's white. On the doorsteps of the "flower power" era Cecil Beaton took a photo of Twiggy for Vogue issue of April 1967. She wore Biba's "deep black tragedy" mini-dress. Of course, this was an exception, but it proved that individuality can always wear black dress. 

In the 1970s subcultural styles exerted an increasingly powerful influence on the world of fashion. Reacting against the love and peace of the hippies, the punks advocated the aesthetics of anarchy and nihilism. Black bondage gear became a punk uniform, along with ripped black fishnet stockings and black underwear worn as outerwear. Black outfits of punks seemed sinister and anti-romantic...

Goth style was even more focused on blackness. And, once again, designers got inspiration in subculture, creating goth-inspired fashions. The combined influence of punks and goths paved the way for Japanese fashion avant-garde of the 1980s. Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto came to the forefront of Western fashion. Yamamoto who is well known for his use of black explained it as an impact of the traditional Japanese dress and its philosophy. "The samurai spirit is black. The samurai must be able to throw his body into nothingness, the color and image of which is black." Yamamoto was also known for his partiality to a very dark indigo that verged on black. [4.]
The impact of the Japanese avant-garde was therefore enormous, especially in the use of black as fashion color. Rapidly it became identified with an artistic and intellectual way of dressing. 

Black were also important to many European designers in the 1980s and 1990s. Thierry Mugler is one of them who is known for his use of shiny black PVC, creating a style that merged fetish, fashion, and fantasy. He created an image super-woman clad in black.

Meanwhile, in the early 1990s Gianni Versace was the most influential creator of "the anti-bourgeois little black dress" that showed his signature - body-hugging, punk aesthetics inspired bondage dress.

American minimalist designer Donna Karan focused more on black and its practical virtues, creating wardrobe for the successful working woman. In the middle of 1980s Karan's capsule wardrobe of cashmere separates demonstrated that black was both elegant and flattering. Karan helped make black as important for day as it was already for evening.  

At the end of 20th century there were the black-clad legions of the avant-garde designers. Their goal was deconstruction and they showed the world a quite radical absence of color. But mainly they used black. Helmut Lang created edgy, androgynous styles that made black the color of choice for urban warriors. Meanwhile, Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester emphasized link between creativity and black clothing, asking a rhetorical question:

"Who could imagine a poet wearing anything other than black? "

The conceptualists went even further. The Dutch designers, Viktor & Rolf, created one of the most striking black collections of all time, "Black Hole" (autumn /winter, 2001-2002). Their approach coincided with what American designer, Ralph Rucci once stated. According to him, black is the color of "deep space" and "the movement of time". 21st century The attitude of 21st century design has also expressed ​Alexander McQueen whose dramatic, high-fashion black outfits meet rebellious anti-fashion black. Almost everything he made appears to be a fascinating kiss of Beauty and the Beast. 

The strings of the 21st century avant-garde are often associated with romantic past of High Victorian era. Those are different hues of black that cannot stop inspiring artists of nowadays.

The Men In Black

1419 is an important year in the history of black clothing. The Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, sets the fashion of wearing black on the death of his father, Jean the Fearless. The next wave of triumph for the black came in the16th century. Baldassare Castiglione, the Italian diplomat, had suggested in The Courtier (1528), his extremely influential treatise on courtly behavior, that the "raiment of a courtier" should be "rather something grave and sober than garish...a black colour hath a better grace in garments than any other". [2.] 

With the growth of Spanish power in the middle of 16th century, Spanish attitudes to dress began to dominate the rest of Europe. Black took over as the prevailing color. It is not known why the Spanish kings preffered black, though Charles V had always been noted for the sobriety of his way of dressing. His successor, Philip II, favoured black to such an extent that it was taken up as the fashionable color by all upper-class Spaniards. In a century in which humanism was taking hold, blackness of clothing created a neutral but dramatic setting for the face, the visible proof and mirror of the soul. People realized that black on black - heavy velvet over thick satin and liquid silk - could be 'colourful'. [2.] Black was soon favoured all over Europe as the court color, based on the Spanish model. It became a part of fashion's vocabulary and would move in and out of style, frequently at a very different social level. 

Peter Paul Rubens. Self-portrait, 1623, Royal Collection Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Portrait_of_the_Artist_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

During the 17th and partly 18th centuries black clothing was associated with court officials, business people and occupation. Gradually, at the end of 18th century, an increasing number of men began wearing dark suits in the English style. Long associated with professional men and merchants, dark and sober clothing acquired new prestige through its connection with the sartorial style of the English gentlemen. Black became the fashionable color for men over the course of the 19th century. The reasons for this are complicated but appear to be related to the rise of capitalism and democracy.  According to German sociologist and economist Max Weber, it has some roots in Puritanism. Indeed, it is striking that the capitalist bourgeoisie of the 19th century chose to wear aesthetic black. Their black clothes were not poor and dull black, but they were clad in serious, successful, rich black. 

One of the reasons why dark or black clothing gained such popularity in the 19th century was a dandyism that was first known as a term "dandyism" from 1819. The model dandy in British society was George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (1778 - 1840) - a man who defined what really is a dandyism. Quite typical of that dandy places particular importance upon ​physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. Black clothing for dandy carried romantic connotations, because the dandy was seen as the black prince of elegance. 

In his youth, Charles Baudelaire dressed in black from head to toe like an artistic soul who wanted to be a living art work.  It was like a heroic statement of individualism. Indeed, black proved attractive to many men, not only artists and poets for whom serious, solemn and elegant black was a kind of religion. Black was also simply fashionable.

"Black fashion for black fashion's sake" - this meaning for black clothes has survived to this day.

Black  as Melancholy 

'IV' is a fashion brand from Latvia created in 2017 by Iveta Vecmane. She is an experienced style designer who has been involved in leading Latvian fashion and lifestyle media events for almost 10 years. She also participates in the development of fashion projects of Latvia.

"Melancholy" (Black Bile) is an Autumn/Winter
collection 2017/2018 created by Iveta Vecmane representing the essence of black clothing fashion in the most refined way. 

The outfits off the Melancholy Collection are created for a woman who is struggling with her doubts and existential anxiety, but she certainly knows what she really wants. The heavy, dense materials combined with felted details underline the complexity of the woman's nature. Dresses, jackets and skirts emphasize femininity and allow you to feel mysterious. "Melancholy" represents the slow fashion philosophy and it is Timeless to the depths of black. 

Who is the woman of Melancholy? She certainly is asking some questions...

She is a closed, unconscious, human being who is breathing black, who is craving for self-immolation and solitude, suffering from her existential anxieties and sadness.. and at the same time she is gaining supernatural power...in Melancholy.

Who is this woman who dresses in black and wears a hat that hides her eyes? Is she a gloomy loner? Do not we all sometimes want to hide? From curious eyes, from intrusive questions, from explaining and justifying our needs, from unnecessary rush or from tedious boredom ... We sometimes hide from the world, but never from ourselves!
​
​Are you intrigued? Of course, because the mysterious attracts an attention ...but melancholy is always beautiful...

More info: 
www.ivetavecmane.com
https://www.facebook.com/vecmane/

                               


​        References & Further Reading

1. Harvey, John. Men in Black.- The University of Chicago Press, 1995. 
2. McDowell, Colin. The Man of Fashion. - Thames & Hudson, London, 1997.
3. Mendes, Valerie. Dressed in Black. - London and New York: V & A Publications in association with Harry N. Abrams, 1999.
4. Steele, Valerie. The Black Dress. - Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2007.
​5. https://www.facebook.com/vecmane/
6. www.ivetavecmane.com
​7. www.groupon.com/articles/the-20th-century-looks-that-changed-fashion-forever-sb
8. http://searchingforstyle.com/2010/03/viktor-rolf-fashion-performers/