The other day when I was giving a presentation, a woman asked me the question, “How can I stop myself from continually buying black?” She had prefaced the question by telling me that she has tons of black clothes in her closet, and she always intend to buy other colors when she shops. But then she always comes home with black.

Me, in all black, with my friends Shelley and Corrinda. See how pretty Corrinda looks in pink!

I had built a good rapport with the group, so I casually answered her, “Have someone follow you around the store with a stun gun!” It’s a problem for a lot of us. As women, we just naturally gravitate toward black and have a lot of it in our wardrobes whether we intend to or not.And black is everywhere in the stores. Sometimes it can be hard to find anything but.

On the other hand, we’re asking for it. Stores give us more of what we keep buying!

Advantages to black?

• Of course, we think it makes us look skinny.
• It’s easy.
• Stains don’t show up.
• It goes with almost everything!

  My friend Brenda and me, neither of us in black!

  Disadvantages to black?

• It can be intimidating.
• It can be a little depressing.
• It’s predictable.
• You might look skinny, but a wardrobe full of black can be a little boring.
• And…it doesn’t look that great on everyone, me included!

I’ll admit I sometimes have the same problem as the woman in my workshop. I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to buy less black. The key as with any resolution is to be deliberate. Go shopping with a plan. Look through magazines for colors you like. The last idea, which isn’t a hard one for me since I love to shop, it to know that it’s okay to come home from a shopping trip without a purchase.