Fashion may have been keen to identify “the new black” for some time now but, if the past few days are anything to go by, there’s simply no substitute for the most democratic of colours. With celebrities back at work just like the rest of us, there has been a plethora of outfits for us to enjoy, providing much inspiration for the season ahead. One of the main takeaways from the majority of A-list ensembles? Head-to-toe black is back.
With press tours and fashion weeks on the agenda, it would be fair to expect a parade of outlandish outfits from Hollywood’s best dressed. Instead, however, they’ve all gone back to basics, embracing monochromatic looks in black for everything from red carpet events to casual engagements. Jennifer Aniston is leading the pack, as you might reasonably expect – she has long favoured the colour for her wardrobe, rarely straying from it for public appearances.
Aniston is currently promoting series four of The Morning Show, and has been seen (at the time of writing) in no fewer than five black outfits in the space of a week. These included a Tom Ford mini dress with Jimmy Choo sandals, a strapless Rick Owens gown and a dress by Sarah Burton for Givenchy. Even her more casual looks featured a black coat over a LBD and a waistcoat worn with wide-leg trousers.
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Pamela Anderson, for her part, has also been embracing all-black; her recent knitted co-ord was from the affordable British label Me+Em, which she paired with simple court shoes. For a Pandora event in New York, she wore a black top and skirt by Ukrainian label Bevza, which she punctuated with a flash of yellow in her collar and layered gold necklaces (from Pandora, of course).
They’re not the only two relishing in the simple elegance of all-black combinations, either. Kirsten Dunst has worn several outfits that fit the bill, from a Chanel top and skirt to a plain jumper that she wore with straight leg trousers and loafers – the only other colour was provided by her caramel Chanel bag.
Zoë Kravitz, too, was seen holding hands with Harry Styles while she wore a black top and slip skirt from Coucou Intimates, which she swapped for a black lace-trimmed dress and Saint Laurent mules just a few days later. Also in New York, Ciara wore Stella McCartney’s off-the-shoulder dress, while Naomi Watts was in head-to-toe Ralph Lauren for the label’s spring/summer 2026 show at New York Fashion Week.
In a world where images are circulated more widely than ever and what’s new often trumps anything else, we’ve become accustomed to seeing celebrities in glitzy outfits, usually perfectly curated by a stylist in partnership with a leading fashion house. To strip this back and simply opt for a black ensemble does feel interesting; at risk of over-analysing, it feels like a choice that’s illustrative of our current times. As we’re all facing much uncertainty, and many of us are required to make multiple (often overwhelming) decisions every day, there’s something comforting about putting on a black dress, or a black jumper with black trousers, and simply going forth without fuss.
On a more superficial level, one can always depend on black to look – and feel – chic. It’s a sartorial fail-safe, appropriate for (almost) every occasion, and a reliable option at that. It’s democratic, too, in that it suits all skin tones, ages and genders. In short, it’s the uncomplicated choice for these complicated times, and one can’t really argue with that.
