There’s a reason the all-black outfit is so pervasive across every echelon of the fashion industry: when you have no idea what to wear, a foolproof monochromatic ensemble is more reliable than a 1990 Honda Civic—and endlessly more intriguing. (Which also helps explain why it remains a default look for immortal rock gods, off-duty models, swashbuckling designers, and the coolest dudes in your group chat, in equal measure.) And while we’re not quite advocating you excise the color entirely from your closet, we do think that integrating a few completely blacked-out fits into your rotation is a savvy move, simplifying otherwise complex calculations in the process.
Before you get hung up on the Johnny Cash of it all, though, remember that monochrome shouldn’t mean monolithic. Within the boundaries of a single color (plus, say, a white shirt here and there), there’s a near-infinite amount of wiggle room—so much wiggle room, in fact, that you might forget you’re only wearing one hue if you do it right. Black isn’t just black, after all, and contrasting fabrics, silhouettes, and textures can break up the monotony as effectively as any “pop of color”.
So to help jumpstart you journey to the dark side, we put together an all-black outfit for every menswear archetype to guide you on your way. Here’s where to begin.
1. The Corporate Cool Guy
In the GQ offices, suits aren’t quite as endangered as they used to be—though they look a little different these days. Laid-back riffs on the humble two-piece are all over the runway right now, injecting a little slacker-chic energy into a category that desperately needed a jolt of it. Mfpen’s will look killer with a tie, naturally, but its loose, louche proportions will look equally at home layered over a slinky cardigan up top and anchored by beefy derbys down below. All black, no brakes, baby.
2. The Swaggering City Slicker
The right combination of textures can imbue your outfits with a rainbow’s worth of subtle intrigue. Take, for example, supple leather and hardy wool, the former of which Mr P. employs to tremendous effect in its showstopper of a jacket. When you really want to cowboy-up the whole shebang (without cranking the volume too high, of course), Tecovas’ rough-out suede boots will do the job expeditiously.
3. The Oddball Outdoorsman
All black isn’t just for beanie-clad baristas and heavily-tatted creative types: plenty of gorp enthusiasts swear by the look, too. Most gorp-adjacent pieces happen to look best in Crayola-worthy hues, but nixing them for black won’t compromise their fundamental utility. 18 East’s Benny pants, for instance, boast enough pocket space to replace a backpack and yet remain comfortable enough to plausibly replace your sweats. (I’m speaking from personal experience here.) Rock ‘em with a lightweight poplin jacket, a jersey-knit hoodie, and heavy-duty sneakers, and you’re left with an outfit just as comfortable on sludgy trails as it is on sun-kissed concrete.
4. The Hardly-Working Workwear Head
True story: I bought a pair of washed-black jeans last year, and now I can’t remember what I used to wear before I owned them. I’ve looked at the game film (i.e. my Photos folder), and it’s still a mystery. Ever since I secured ’em—a close relative of the 501s featured here, FYI—I’ve yet to encounter a shade of black they won’t place nice with. I wear mine most often with a pitch-black knit polo, but I’ve also leaned on the layering prowess of a similarly-hued chore coat, not unlike Madewell’s absolute unit of a work jacket.
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