What If We Didn't Have Black?

Black on Black, the Rad Hourani Fall 2008 Fashion Show, was a celebration in black, grey, and combinations of the two. As the models streamed by, clad mostly in black, a gaze at the assembled audience at Bumble and Bumble Loft revealed that most audience members (photographers, media, and fashionistas) wore black garments and toted black accessories, as well. Formality and a degree of seriousness were reinforced by waiters in semiformal attire with trays of chocolate-coated macaroons and flask-like bottles of water.

If yellow or red replaced the black we are so fond of donning, the bright colors would reflect light and draw attention to defects in human shapes. Those of us not in top form might appear less slim and chic.

Bright colors as accent scarves, beaded necklaces, bracelets, and belts are certainly as attractive as silver or gold jewelry. Black fashions will still be the favorite of persons hoping to appear svelte. Colorful accessories should enhance the effect.

Washington Post writer, Rick Weiss, recently announced news that scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have created a material that absorbs so much light that it is the darkest black substance ever made. If no light is reflected back, what physical details of a person wearing such material would be seen? Perhaps someday the choice of material in our fashions will eliminate the need for diets and the manipulation of designs to achieve slimness.