On Easter Sunday, my daughter texted me with the news that she was not wearing all black clothing to the festivities. She wanted to give me a “heads up” so that my poor ole heart didn’t collapse from shock. It was funny, but it got me thinking about how much black clothing many of us wear.

Image via squidoo.com

Audrey Hepburn’s black sheath in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was the epitome of chic and I grew up wanting to be just like her. Unfortunately, my “sturdy German girl” body was not designed for either Givenchy or Chanel. Clinton Kelly, as the current voice of everyday fashion, also tells us that we must have a little black dress and black trousers as our wardrobe basics. But what if I’m sick of black?

Being a teacher is probably part of the problem. At six o’clock in the morning, the best I can do is to throw on my teacher uniform — black trousers, some sort of dark-colored top and possibly a sweater or jacket. If I make the mistake of wearing a light-colored tee-shirt, it’s a sure thing that I will dribble coffee or some food on it before the day even gets started.

I routinely do two loads of light-colored items in my wash, one load of reds, one load of blues and TWO loads of blacks — and that’s just my personal clothing! True, I don’t usually do laundry once a week; it stretches out to one-and-a-half weeks or sometimes even two. What is frightening is that I actually have enough basic black items to get me through two full weeks. How did that happen? How did I turn into someone who lives in black?

Yes, it’s elegant. Yes, it’s probably slimming. But it’s boring.

Teacher time is almost over. I can wake up in the morning and put on summer clothing that actually reflects my personality. Bring on the turquoise and the hot pink. I’m ready for some summer color!