Painted Black

The Little Black Dress. What is there to say about it, that hasn’t been said already? I could probably write a three volume book about this most enduring item of clothing. It features prominently in my own wardrobe and has never failed to solve the eternal question of what-to-wear. Not surprisingly, I love the timeless elegance and mystery of black. It evokes so many different feelings, represents such diverse meanings and clothes such a range of characters. On the shoot during my recent course, I wanted to explore black as a symbol of mourning, sadness and religion. My mood board was full of pictures from trips to Brompton and Highgate cemetery, Renaissance sculptures, veiled widows and the beautiful Dolce&Gabbanna perfume advert with Monica Bellucci. At the end, we had to whittle the photographs down to five favorites; the rest, alas, went the way of the delete button!