Click here to download a PDF of Black is the New Black.
Who: Legions of New York City dwellers; Wednesday Addams; designers Gareth Pugh, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, who have all made the inky hue mainstays of their collections; Vogue’s Grace Coddington, who rarely wears another color; and clearly the Men in Black.

What: The axiom that anything is “the new black” came about because black is always in style. This phrase can be used to call out the coolness or popularity of anything, but this season we’re taking it back to its roots and talking about black frames. Not just any black frames of course but all black ophthalmic and suns for men and women that still pack a lot of design into a singular pigment.

Wear: According to Bebe, the ultimate classic color scheme is black and that is the rationale behind their Bebe Black collection from Altair. To sex up the all black palette, they took inspiration from luxury brands and added stones, studs and fashion-forward shapes, like the Make-Believer with faceted jet-black stones on the temple. “Black is modern and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy—but mysterious,” these are the words of designer Yohji Yamamoto, who’s YY1002 ophthalmic style from his collection with Mondottica is featured here. The collection’s entire palette was developed exclusively with Mazzucchelli and reflects Yamamoto’s clothing; “dark, sombre shades that look black at first glance, but with further examination reveal multiple layers of dark colors that together create a richness in color that black alone cannot.” Spy has introduced a new soft matte black finish on several of their frames. The Bowie, shown here, features an ultra-comfy rubberized finished that combats slipping, helps the glasses stay snug and just happens to feel a bit like velvet.

Why: “You can wear black at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it for almost any occasion,” those wise words come from Christian Dior himself. Perennially chic, black is a wardrobe staple for many but black can also be a refuge for the unoriginal. To rally against black boredom stock your boards with styles that still offer a high level of design thanks to tonal embellishments, rich finishes or depth of material.

dcarroll@jobson.com