Thought You Couldn’t Wear Black In Summer? Adele Will Make You Think Otherwise

We're at the start of a long hot summer. And with a big dose of sunshine, comes the urge to binge on colour and print where your wardrobe is concerned. So much so, in fact, that even the thought of wearing black probably goes against all your better instincts.

But before you dismiss black entirely, consider this: it’s not a killjoy option, but rather, a liberating one. Black is easy. Black is versatile. Black is, without fail, chic. Case in point? Adele, who wore a series of spectacular black dresses (well, more like gowns) to perform over the weekend at BST Hyde Park.

Last week also saw Serpentine's Chairman, Michael R Bloomberg, host an evening to honour artists and thank his most loyal supporters at The Serpentine Gallery, where top-to-toe black was the outfit de jour. Bridgerton's diamond Charithra Chandran, looked ever the style icon in a black satin Christopher Kane dress complete with floor-length fringe, while model Tsunaina and designer Charles Jeffrey made a case for black lace. Get ready for a sultry summer.

Further proof came in the form of Dior Cruise, staged last month in Seville, where almost the entire front row wore some variation on the theme of head-to-toe black. The lynchpin is the LBSD. That’s the Little Black Summer Dress. And it's clearly working for the A list. Elle Macpherson arrived at said show wearing what must be the ultimate combination when temperatures are peaking at a dizzying 36 degrees: a spaghetti-strapped black slip dress and chunky flat sandals.

Hailey Bieber, who's long been an advocate for wearing the LSBD, takes her summer black dress not so much little as micro. For evidence, see last month's thigh-high, peplum-waisted dress by Sportmax (add a pop of colour to yours if head-to-toe black is too ‘goth’ for your tastes).

And lest you think the black dress is a tad conservative compared to, say, tangerine or turquoise, cast your mind back to summer 1994. The LBSD made headline news twice. First on ElizabethHurley, who stole the show at the Four Weddings and a Funeral premiere in that Versace safety-pin number. And then in June that year, when Princess Diana turned to one for the ultimate ‘revenge’ moment.

The beauty of the LBSD is that it can be whatever you want it to be. Grungy or glamorous; sexy or sporty; quietly chic or unapologetically revealing. But whichever one you go for, and however you wear it, the beauty of black is that it is always immune to grass stains and rosé spillages – something that’s definitely worth celebrating.