Men in black : wearing black and caring for it

In color psychology, black means power and control. Black is intimidating, possessive and unapproachable. It radiates authority, but can fear in the process. Black implies self-control and discipline, independence and a strong will, and giving an impression of authority and power. People who like black may be conventional, conservative and serious, or they may think of themselves as being sophisticated or very dignified. Whatever the case may be, black suits men to a separate personality. Wearing black makes men look sophisticated and sexy ; dark, dangerous and mysterious.

OK, now that you went ahead and got the black pieces in your wardrobe, how do you care for them, so that after some washes they do not fade ? Well you can start with the general rule that if the piece is expensive, delicate or hard to handle in house (ie a coat or jacket) you would better have it dry cleaned. Note to the launder to not use bleach or other chemicals for spot cleaning, unless you trust them. Always aerate your clothes. Unless you work in harsh or high in odor environments, your clothes should not get dirty as quickly as you think. If you work in an office that is even more true. Aerate your clothes, before subjecting them to a wash cycle. Since we mostly comprehend dirt from the smell of a garment, chances are that after half a days aeration, you may avoid it. Needless to mention that clothes absorb our perspiration and other body odors. The higher (in rate or quantity) those are, the sooner your clothes will need cleaning.

For all the rest of your black items, use your washing machine and tumbler. First turn the clothes inside out. This prevents some fading by reducing friction (slightly) on the external areas of cloth. Turning the item inside out really helps if the article is black jeans. Place black clothes in the washing machine, and only wash a few items at a time to prevent the clothes from rubbing together too much. Alternatively, you can hand wash each item separately, but this is time-consuming. Fill the machine with cold water. Warm or hot water can cause dyes to run, fading black clothes faster. Add vinegar to the water to aid in keeping the dyes from running. Use ¼ cup of white vinegar per load. In general, to hold colors in fabrics, which tend to run, soak them for a few minutes in white distilled vinegar before washing. Add a mild, liquid laundry detergent intended for color fabrics. Choose a detergent made specifically for dark clothing. Wash the clothes on a gentle cycle.

Dry black clothing in a dryer, keeping the clothes inside out, on low heat. You can also hang them to dry, as long as you do so indoors away from sunlight (as sunlight fades clothing). If you hang them outside to dry, then keep always inside out.

Occasionally, you can have a garment dyed to its original black color. If you own a really expensive piece that has lost its crisp color, this might be a good option. Nevertheless good black starts with the initial purchase. Look for high quality black clothes that have been acid dyed or reactive dyed. Extra fine cotton and silk yarn hold color really well. Wools are always a deeper black than cottons (wool holds dye better) which is why when buying black trousers, sweaters and of course suits, you’d stick with wool (or coolwool). Wool doesn't fade like cotton does over time. On the other hand, cotton dress shirts that have lycra in them, hold dark color better than the plain ones.

No matter what the fabric, shades of black differ so be careful when putting an all black outfit together. For example, when pairing a black shirt with black trousers, the black shirt might have a purple cast while your black trousers have a brown cast. These differences are subtle, but important. As with any ensemble, it's important to mix different fabrics and textures. For example, a heavily textured sweater combined with smooth pants looks dashing as does a plain merino wool sweater with tonal striped pants.

Check out also this article in GQ :

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2012-08/30/black-tie-guide-suit-shirt-how-to

and this “Wear-all-black” from FashionBeans :

http://www.fashionbeans.com/2012/how-to-wear-the-all-black-outfit/