Pernille Teisbaek joins Christine Centenera, Laura Harrier, and Charlotte Gainsbourg to share their rules for wearing all black.Pernille Teisbaek joins Christine Centenera, Laura Harrier, and Charlotte Gainsbourg to share their rules for wearing all black.
I love the contrast of something very masculine with something delicate. For the show, I styled a Saint Laurent lace top with an oversized Saint Laurent leather jacket.Photo Courtesy of Pernille Teisbaek
Black is usually considered the safe choice, but I have always felt the opposite. When you really think about how you wear it, black can be one of the most powerful and expressive choices in your wardrobe. It’s not a last resort or something you reach for when you can’t decide what to wear. Done well, an all-black look is a statement in itself.
I was thinking about this at the Saint Laurent show in Paris, where Anthony Vaccarello asked guests to wear black to mark his 10-year Saint Laurent anniversary. What I loved was seeing how differently everyone interpreted exactly the same dress code. There was no single formula. Some guests went for sharp tailoring, others for something sheer or romantic, while others played with leather, oversized silhouettes, or standout accessories. It was a reminder that black is never really just black—the way you cut it, layer it, and style it completely changes the feeling.
For me, the secret to making black feel exciting is to focus on texture and proportion. A beautiful black wardrobe is not necessarily about having more pieces; it is about having the right ones. My ultimate black wardrobe hero is a leather jacket. I have several that I wear on repeat, depending on the occasion, and I love how easily it can change the attitude of an outfit. It can make something very polished feel cooler, or add a little edge to something more feminine.
I also think black gives you the freedom to be more experimental with shape. Without color competing for attention, you notice the cut of a jacket, the volume of a skirt or the way a trouser falls. Mixing textures—leather with denim, lace with tailoring, matte fabrics with something glossy—creates depth when you are working within one color.
The Saint Laurent dress code made me curious about how other women approach black in their own wardrobes, so I asked three incredible women and friends who attended the show about their personal rules and thoughts. What is the black piece they could never live without? How do they make an all-black outfit feel personal? And what is their favorite way to break the rules?
Photo: Courtesy of Moritz Scholz/Getty Images
Christine Centenera
What makes an all-black look feel interesting to you?
Structure, materials, and shape.
What’s your secret to wearing black without looking boring?
It’s the accessories: the shoes, sunglasses, and jewelry.
Most of my clothes are black, but probably black trousers.
What’s the one black piece you think everyone should own?
A black tee.
How do you make black feel personal to you?
Putting it with personal things like jewelry and accessories. Texture is also important for me personally, for instance, pairing leather with lace. Plus, playing with your glam.
That is ultimately what makes black so timeless. There are endless ways to wear it, and the best ones are rarely about following a formula. Start with the wardrobe heroes you genuinely love—a great blazer, a perfect pair of trousers, a leather jacket, a little black dress—and then play with everything around them. Black gives you the foundation. The styling is what makes it yours.
