How to Wear Black and Other Dark Colors in Summer With the Thrifty Six

I have recently been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks.

Today's topic is Dark Colors...which I like very much as a topic for a summer post because people often put away dark items in favor of lighter colors in warm weather. But it's both thrifty to find ways to wear our clothes and accessories across seasons and fun to put together pieces and colors in stylish but atypical combinations. As a practical matter, so many clothes are available primarily in dark neutral colors like black, navy, charcoal grey, and brown that completely bypassing them for a hefty chunk of the year could be tricky. And those of us who love to buy secondhand all know that experience of finding the amazingly-priced item that checks all of our boxes but is a warm-weather appropriate piece in a dark color...do we bypass this jewel because we don't know how to style it or do we get creative with outfit ideas? I vote for Get Creative!

So why do often eschew dark colors, especially black, in summer? It's not completely ridiculous, given that dark colors absorb more light, and hence create more heat, than light ones do. White infamously reflects light and black absorbs it. How this plays out with how hot we get in our clothing is quite a bit more complicated; for example, our bodies inside the clothing generate heat that can be absorbed or reflected as well, and what feels cooler when you're standing still is different from what feels cooler when you're moving or in a breeze. I don't think either black or white is a clear favorite for keeping cool in summer heat, so feel free to wear whatever colors you like. And that's the thing - I think people often turn away from dark colors in summer because we are tired of wearing them all fall and winter and/or they feel heavier and less cheerful than lighter colors. (Of course some people love them year-round!) People can also be concerned about looking awkward for the situation, and wearing black or other dark, somber colors in summer can psychologically feel a bit like wearing a heavy wool coat to the beach.

So how do we wear dark colors in summer so that we feel comfortable and look/feel appropriate to the season?

Some straightforward ways include:

• Wear dark clothes in traditional lightweight summer fabrics like linen, cotton, and eyelet.

• Wear dark clothes/accessories in traditional summer styles, such as shorts, sundresses, floppy hats, and sandals.

• Wear dark clothes in loose, breezy silhouettes that allow air to circulate. (It's no accident that many traditional summer styles have this feature.)

• Wear dark clothes in traditional summer color combinations, like navy and white stripes, or in traditional summer prints, like tropical florals.

Today I'm going to share two recent outfits where I styled black, the quintessential dark color, in non-traditional summer color combinations that nevertheless feel appropriate for warm weather and are not overly heavy/depressing for those who might otherwise feel DONE with dark colors for the season.

Outfit #1: Lighten Black/Dark Colors With White

I created this outfit from the top down, starting with a thrifted dark teal blouse (CJ Banks/Goodwill, $6.74, 3/2019) and thrifted black short-sleeved open weave cardigan (Studio Works/Goodwill, $4.99, 7/2016) to create a very dark toned upper half. I lightened up this combination with the very summery white-based floral skirt (Lane Bryant/Goodwill, $4.49, 3/2019) in a fun inversion of the more typical white T + dark-background printed skirt formula.

OOTD 6/27/24

A nude-to-me captoe flat was a great way to repeat the black from the top half of the outfit while keeping the overall vibe of the shoe light.

I accessorized the outfit with some bright necklaces that contrasted nicely against the dark top and cardigan:

-A DIY seed bead wrap necklace specifically made to match this skirt;

-A DIY bead soup necklace in shades of purple/violet;

-A multi-strand chain necklace in mixed metals (CJ Banks);

-A silver tone daisy pendant necklace (CJ Banks).

My all-DIY bracelet stack was created around an upcycled paper bead bracelet set that I made to match a different thrifted white-based floral skirt in my wardrobe that features a lot of light green and lilac/orchid. Since versions of those colors exist in the skirt I'm wearing as well, I thought this would be a nice light-colored accompaniment. I reinforced the main colors with yellow-green stone and dark orchid glass pearl bracelets. I pulled in the white and black with my selection of the green cats-eye/white seed bead bracelet and the black fire agate bracelet. {bicone paper bead tutorial} {stretch bracelet tutorial}

The top paper bead bracelet started out as a calendar image of a hummingbird feeding from a flower against a pink/lilac background. I cut 7 1" strips from the middle of the page where the image is centered and 8 0.5" strips from the top and bottom where mostly only the background color shows. I used the latter narrow pink/lilac strips, edged with silver marker to cover the white paper core, to make the beads for my bracelet. (I will use the 1" multi-colored strips for another project.) I cut some of the strips completely freehand with my scissors, so they were somewhat irregularly sized/shaped, which led to final beads that are a bit different from each other with a strong organic feel...a bit like beads that grew naturally rather than being manufactured to specification, if that makes sense. I like the organic look of paper beads in general, and these "extra-natural" looking ones please me with their individuality!

I made the bottom bracelet from this magazine page that featured a gorgeous flower image bordered by greenery...and marred by the white block of black text in the center. Of course you can always choose to include text on your beads if that works for your project, but so far, I've always chosen to cover it up. In this case, I was able to cut my requisite 7 1" strips from the two sides with only 2 strips having some of the white section (and none with text, though that can easily be covered up with a dark marker). I added light green and magenta/fuchsia marker to cover the white, and I covered the white paper core and the tips of the strips in silver marker. I love how textured the final beads look, and the marker areas (which look almost neon bright in context!) are a nice pop of color. Applying silver markers at the tips of the strips resulted in a silver band around the center of each bead, which provided a hint of contrast and was nice "unifying factor" for the set of beads.

Naturally, I finished up my outfit with a pair of DIY bead soup earrings made to match the paper bead bracelet set with light green, magenta, and light pink/lilac glass beads and silver beads caps, spacers, and findings. I love how the streaky spray-painted magenta glass pearl in the middle is so reminiscent of the two-tone purply-pink flowers in the magazine image. That's the kind of extraordinarily subtle detail no one would ever notice but that is very satisfying to me personally.

My outfit cost per wear that includes clothing, shoes, scarves, and necklaces (but not earrings or bracelets, which I do not track) was only $2.74! Granted, my DIY necklaces did not contribute to my CPW in this outfit because I price the DIY items at $0, but that is still well below my target of $5.

Outfit #2: Brighten Black/Dark Colors With Summery Accent Colors

I created this outfit starting with the thrifted dark print skirt in an autumnal color palette of black with flowers in maroon, violet, orange, mustard, olive, and lime green (Lularoe/ThredUp, $12.60, 7/2020). This is a classic "easy to style in cold weather with black and/or olive sweater, boots, and tights" dark skirt that may seem less suited to warm weather...especially since the lack of white in the print could make the "add a white T" option feel a bit off. (Could the skirt be styled with a white T? I have no doubt it could be done, but on me with my light skin and hair, the white felt a bit too high contrast with the dark skirt and looked kind of random.) So I tweaked the formula to "add a bright matching-color T" option, taking advantage of the lighter shade of green in the print to use this grass green T (Kohls new on sale, $6.79, 11/2022) as my outfit brightener.

OOTD 6/28/24

I bookended my black Alice hairband with a simple pair of black flats. Sometimes people with light skin struggle with black shoes in summer but I like how these have a couple of elements that give them a summery vibe: they show a lot of skin (as much as many sandals do) and have a patent leather finish, which is a traditional summer material. (That said, I absolutely would and have worn these shoes year-round.)

I wore another of my summer stand-bys, the layered necklace, consisting of:

-A new DIY necklace made from the June 2024 Bargain Bead Box, Sunken Treasure, using the green sea glass style beads, the dark green beads as spacers, and the beige turtle beads...two pairs of turtles swimming toward each other. So cute! (You'll see it closer up later in this post.)

-Yet another DIY seed bead wrap necklace, this one made for this specific skirt, combined with a variety of antique silver and stainless steel chains.

-The same silver daisy pendant necklace as in the first outfit. It's a summer favorite for layering.

My bracelet stack is based on a paper bead bracelet set in black, olive, orange, and beige that I made to coordinate with this skirt (see the page to bead post here for all the details). I leaned into the dark colors here with various black and/or olive beaded bracelets to complete the stack. I love how the silver elephant charm really stands out against the dark background. {bicone paper bead tutorial} {stretch bracelet tutorial}

Speaking of elephants, I wore a pair of DIY bead soup earrings I made to match the bracelet set that has stainless steel elephant charms dangling below a stack of beads in the basic bracelet colors of black, olive, and orange. This meant that I had a lot of different shades of green in my outfit, and you can see several of them in this photo: olive, apple, grass, and dark green plus a brownish yellow-green in the paper bracelets and lime in the skirt. For some people, this may seem chaotic, but for me it works because they all have undertones that are on the neutral-to-warm end of the spectrum.

I came under my $5 outfit CPW goal (including clothing, shoes, scarves, and necklaces but not earrings or bracelets, which I do not track) on this outfit too at $4.64! My green T is relatively new with few wears so it counted for almost half the total by itself.

Now let's review the dark colors that my thrifty friends have styled...

The Thrifty Six:

• Emma of Style Splash

• Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

• Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

• Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

• Sally of Within a World of My Own [me]

• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

Emma of Style Splash

"I rarely wear dark colours, especially in summer, so this was a departure from my usual style. The starting point was this skirt that I bought in a charity shop for £6 (from Monki). Then I remembered these shoes (also £6 from a charity shop) that pick out the tan in the skirt's print. I kept the dark theme by adding a black top that I bought on holiday and finished off the outfit with a tan bucket bag." 

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

"Dark Colours is the T6 theme for July and I’m going all out with black black black!

I love black for summer, it makes such a statement; then adding texture just brings it to life…

…I’m mixing quilted leather, ribbed jersey, satin, wool and an interesting stud effect on my jacket.

Elevated with jet and silver jewellery it’s so far from being dull…

…black is the brightest colour in the summer sun!"

Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

"Even though I usually wear color, color and more color, I like the idea of thinking about the opposite of what we normally wear. For me, that's dark colors especially in the summer. I had the three of us use three different ways to incorporate dark colors as part of a summer look, and mine was with whimsy. Thus the thrifted tulle skirt with print mixing and a secondhand lunch box as my purse. I even incorporated wearing a scarf in the outfit but not the traditional way." 

Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

"Now that's a theme to my heart! I didn't have to think long and hard for that one. Black is my favourite colour, also in summer, and green is next! And although a lot of people say that black isn't a colour, for me it is. The pre-loved item is the skirt, bought on Vinted. Very cheap, as new, and the seller told me I could also pick it up at her house as it was just two minutes away! Win win. It's a very swoosy skirt and pretty thin so I need to remind myself to wear a underskirt with it!"

Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

"Like last month, the big box of preloved beautiful that Daenel sent to me had what I needed for this thrifty challenge. This gorgeous dark brown and deep red wrap skirt and kimono robe in shades of brown suited the dark colors theme perfectly. I added an olive green tank top, my tall brown moccasins, two layered wooden animal necklaces, and leopard print earrings...all picked up at thrift stores or flea markets. The only part of my outfit that was not preloved is my hat which I altered by adding an olive green fabric belt as a coordinating hat band." 

Next month's topic is To Be Announced...but I'm sure it will provide another fun challenge!

In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers for the details of their thrifted summer dark color outfits and more style inspiration:

• Emma of Style Splash

• Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

• Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

• Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

Do you associate black or other dark colors with particular seasons? Do you wear dark colors in summer? What are your favorite ways to style dark colors in the warm seasons? Do you ever use the "add a white T" outfit formula with a print skirt?

Blogs I link up with are listed here.