I have been avoiding the color black for years. As in, I completely banished it from my closet.

It was just too somber in my opinion. And given that I live in Florida, wearing black didn’t make much sense. This color “absorbs” heat, and in a place where about 9-10 months out of the year are hot (and humid), wearing something that attracts more heat is a no-no for me.

This past winter though, I’ve found myself staring at my light-colored clothes, and I felt stuck. We’ve had weeks of gloomy, dark, and rainy days, and wearing white-ish clothes looked out of place on those days. And the weather was too warm for jeans.

That sent me looking for clothing in colors that would be more weather-appropriate. Especially as one of my style goals this year was to wear my scarves, rather than just collect them. My colorful wardrobe is not exactly the best “foundation” for that. Anyway…

Unfortunately, whatever pieces I found and liked came in white — just what I was trying to avoid, and… black. And that’s how I ended up adding black to my closet.

In all honesty, I’ve been having quite the fun with it.

This is the $8 dress I referred to in this post and I decided to wear it with this bag I’m so smitten with, and my Sarah Flint Natalie slings in Gold Saffiano (friendly reminder that using code SF-EM-15 will get you 15% off).

While I still plan to banish wearing black for summer in Florida, I am embracing it right now, while the weather is still somewhat mild. I find that I’m really liking it.

Scroll below to shop the black dresses I’m coveting…

P.S. Here’s another way I’ve worn this dress: with my Sarah Flint Natalie ballerina flats in cherry that are sadly sold out in this color, but available in other beautiful options; this silk scarf, and this leather bag I got specifically for running errands (the quality is ok and works for its intended purpose).