The Value of Black Underwear

Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. The color black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated.

Culture of Black In most Western countries black is the color of mourning. Among young people, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. Black is both positive and negative. It is the color for little boys in China. In early Westerns the good guy wore white while the bad guy wore black. But later on good guys wore black to lend an air of mystery to themselves. In western cultures black is a colour of mourning; in Japan however it is a colour of honour, with white the colour of mourning Use the color black to convey elegance, sophistication, or perhaps a touch of mystery. Dark charcoal gray and very dark brown can sometimes stand in for black. Black works well with bright, jewel-toned shades of red, blue, and green. Black is the ultimate dark color and makes lighter colors such as yellow really pop out. Photographs often look brighter against a black background. Black and gray is a conservative combo as is medium or light blue and black.

Why is it that black is the color of mourning in the West, but white is customary in Asian cultures? Somber clothes at times of grief go back at least as far as the Old Testament. Rudolph Zehnpfund (“Mourning Customs”) wrote that the Hebrews wore dark clothing or sackcloth in mourning, wore no items of adornment, and went barefoot. Rending of garments also was customary.

According to Arnold Whittick in Symbols, Signs and their Meaning, black is one of the five liturgical colors (besides white, red, green and violet) of the Catholic and Anglican churches.

Pope Innocent III established them in the year 1200 as symbols of each season in the church year. These colors appear in the priests' vestments at prescribed intervals. Black is the ecclesiastical color for funerals, Masses for the dead, and Good Friday. In 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean in Art & Myth, Rowena and Rupert Sheppard added that black is the color to wear on days of fasting and penitence.

Although white is the color for bridal dresses and baptismal gowns in the West, it means mourning, old age and death in Buddhist countries. Japanese brides wear white robes not as a token of purity, but to show that they have "died" to their former home life with their parents. White does also signify purity in Buddhism, however, as the color of the lotus flower.

Colors, of course, have no inherent meaning. Their significance depends on how various cultures interpret them, as is plain to see in the "black and white" differences of mourning colors.

In Western fashion, black is considered stylish, sexy, elegant and powerful. The colloquialism "X is the new black" is a reference to the latest trend or fad that is considered a wardrobe basic for the duration of the trend, on the basis that black is always fashionable Shades of Black: Ebony, jet, ink, lampblack, coal, soot, charcoal, raven, midnight, obsidian, onyx, sable.

Black Colour Pairings

M45Y100 | C40K100 | M3Y15 A charcoal black and a pale yellow, almost ivory shade paired with orange.

C65Y100 | White | C40K100 Pair black and white with just about any color, such as a grassy green. And don't just relegate black to accent - try a black background with several doses of green then touches of white as highlights.

C12M95Y60 | C75M6Y20 | C4M5Y2 | C40K100 The palest pink used instead of white adds a 50’s flavor.

M40Y10 | C50Y10 | C40K100 Another red/blue/black look uses light red (pink) and light blue as highlights and accents with lots of black.

M75Y100 | C22M30Y55K5 | C15M70Y75K20 | White | C40K100 Black with brown and earthy orange works as long as black isn’t relegated to small doses.

M30Y30K90 | M20Y20K75 | M10Y10K40 | M5Y5K20 | White A monochromatic palette with shades of gray or tints of black and a dash of white to brighten.

M65Y25 | M30Y10 | C65M10 | M50Y45 | White | C40K100 Your pastels won't be washed out with a judicial dose of black to make those pinks pop.

Y70 | C5M20Y100 | C40K100 It's no mellow yellow when you add black. Put it between the two yellows to make them each stand out.

Color in Fashion We all come across color on a daily basis without paying much attention to the subtle messages we send, receive and interpret based on the colors we wear. The way we respond to color is influenced by a mixture of biological, psychological, social and cultural factors – while some meanings are hard-wired biological adaptations, the messages most colors communicate are a result of dynamic cultural and social factors.

White vs. Black in communicating with color, based on symbolism in contemporary Western societies:

The Color White

White is the sum of all other colors in the spectrum, reflects light and is considered a summer color. Wearing white keeps you cool and contrasts bright colors of spring and summer nicely. Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. Doctors and nurses traditionally wear white to imply sterility.

White can expose you to fashion faux pas, however, since lightweight fabrics in this color easily reveal visible panty lines and/or colors and patterns of underwear. Wear a thong, Spanx or flesh-toned undergarments to avoid arming standers-by with x-ray vision.

White clothes show dirt easily and are therefore much more difficult to keep clean than other colors. The no-white after Labor Day rule is a bit outdated, but getting it right requires a bit of an expert eye.

The Color Black

Black absorbs light and is hands-down the most stylish and timeless color in the world of fashion. This legendary status may be in part due to the fact that black makes people look thinner. Dramatic black is often worn by creative types, and in our commercial society black is the color of authority and power. No wonder the little black dress is the perfect number!

Feng Shui Use of the color Black The color black is full of the feng shui energy of mystery and sophistication; it holds the energy of power and protection. The color of night, deep waters and universal void, feng shui use of color black adds depth, strength and definition to any space. In Feng Shui, Black belongs to the element of Water, direction North, and it is the color of Yin, or feminine, passive energy in the feng shui Yin-Yang combination. While it can convey a heavy feeling if used in large proportions, black color is a necessary feng shui grounding element to any decor. It can be used sparingly to emphasize other feng shui colors and bring strength and presence to any room.

Use freely in the following feng shui areas of the Ba-Gua: North (Water), East (Wood) and Southeast (Wood). Avoid black in the South (Fire) area of your space, and use in moderation in the children's rooms, as well as in the main entry and kitchen and dining. Because Black brings the feng shui energy of grounding and stability, its best use indoors should be not much higher than the eye level (this does not apply to commercial or retail spaces.) Being a Water element color, black can be a powerful feng shui cure to use in the North area of your space to attract Career opportunities. You can bring it with furniture color, black and white photos in black frames, or a mirror (also water energy) in a black frame.

The Ancient Art of Women's Underwear

Underwear had a discrete niche within ancient Chinese costumery. The ingeniously demure styles, bold colors and ornamentation of delicately crafted undergarments reflected the refined approach of ancient Chinese women towards life, beauty and love, as well as their creativity.

Underwear, unlike outer garments, which were strictly prescribed according to ritual and rank, offered women the chance to dress according to their mood. All women, regardless of social standing, hence perceived underwear as a medium of self-expression.

Ingenious Designs

Subtle designs of underwear gave altered impressions of the wearer's figure, according to her whim. The detailed ornamentation on ancient lingerie also reflected individuality as well as the trends, customs and beliefs of the time, thus imbuing undergarments with historical essence. The two main styles and structures of underwear were those of a front-piece and a front-and-back tunic. Both came in rectangular square diamond and triangular shapes, or simply fit the body in question.

Color Consciousness

Women sometimes chose bright colors that combined in striking contrast, for example, red and green or yellow and blue with black, gold or silver selvedges that emboldened the overall visual effect. Others preferred more understated shades in similar hues that gradually lightened or darkened to produce a harmonious effect. Black, notably was used as a slimming color, or to accent the hips of the feminine silhouette.

Patterns and Ornaments

Women of old China wore underwear decorated in the artistic motifs of their time, such as landscapes, flowers, birds, clouds, myths, legends and literary characters. In addition to being decorative the designs signified specific states and were also symbolic. A magpie and plum blossoms, for example represented happiness, as it was an image reminiscent of the Chinese idiom defining a person radiant with joy. Auspicious symbolism included bats, representing good fortune, and lotus with fish, which invited wealth.

Consummate Craft

The decorative features on ancient undergarments demanded high embroidery, stitching, pasting, patching, embellishing and rolling expertise. Stitches had to be of an even tension and the slightest crease or tear in the material was out of the question.

The only underwear deemed fit to be worn was smooth, fine, light, soft and leveled off. Added features included flower designs on laced sections of the fabric in various styles of embroidery and pasted on feathers or fur for greater effect.

Underwear was considered a showcase for the wearer's taste and needlework – attributes highly valued in women of ancient China.

Varieties of Chinese Women's Underwear

1. Moxiong, a one-piece underwear garment binding breasts which first appeared in the Northern Dynasties (420AD-589AD) and was popular during the Tang (618AD-907AD) and Song Dynasties (960AD-1279AD).

2. The zhuyao ("zhu" meaning button) was a style of embroidered underwear favored by Qing Dynasty (1644AD-1911AD) court ladies.

3.The xieyi was a tunic-style undergarment first worn in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Xie in Chinese means frivolity. The term xieyi hence implies the prevailingly evasive attitude towards even the mention of underwear.

4. The dudou, also called the doudu, was either a square or diamond shaped apron-style garment, often embroidered, covering the bust and belly which fastened at the back. The dudou often incorporated a pocket in which to keep ginger, musk or other Chinese medicinal herbs believed to keep the belly warm.