There are two types of people in this world: those who wear color, and those who look like an off-duty Starbucks barista most days of their life. There are serious pros to having a wardrobe made up of mostly black and gray clothes. Do all of my clothes match each other? Absolutely. Does it take a lot of effort to put an outfit together? Nope. Did I wear these same black jeans yesterday? You’ll never know. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to the neutrals-only life, too—namely: summer. When it’s 97 degrees outside and you’re in head-to-toe black and gray, it’s easy to look like you never quite outgrew your goth phase. Never fear, there’s no need to ditch your whole wardrobe for the summer. Read on for ways to live the neutral life and cope with the most miserable time of year.
1. Accessorize.
Trust me. You own something that isn’t black or gray. Throw on a colorful necklace, swap out your black Converse for white, or grab your go-to non-black bag and you’re good to go.
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2. Wear the least amount possible…
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In case you haven’t noticed, black and gray clothes don’t exactly lend themselves to keeping you cool in the sweltering summer months. This is why shorts and tank tops exist. Ditch the black jeans for a day and go with the shorts. (Pro-tip: gray shows the most sweat. Go for white or black next time you’re on the hunt for new summer tops.)
3. …unless your office is freezing.
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There’s always that one guy in the office that thinks it should be 63 degrees at all times. If you’re going to be inside all day, you’re going to have to layer. Drop the black sweater right where you found it and go pick up your favorite chambray shirt. It’s summery, so you won’t die of heat exhaustion on your commute to work, and it’ll keep you from shivering at your desk all day while you curse the day the self-proclaimed office temperature monitor was born.
4. Wear ripped jeans whenever you can.
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Let those knees breathe. You’ll be amazed by how much of a difference a little ventilation makes.
5. Embrace it
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Make the top knot your signature hairstyle. Keep setting spray on you at all times. Stand in front of every fan you pass. Pretend you’re really interested in whatever that store blasting their A/C is selling. You didn’t choose the black and gray life, it chose you.
Go forth and wear black, darlings. Pretend it’s almost scarf season.
