How to wear the darkest colour of all without ending up like Mr Tom Hardy in Venom.

Wearing all black is one of those things that can either look great or terrible – there’s a fine line between giving off an air of moody mystery and just looking like a sixth-form goth. Still, it’s a veritable uniform that has been embraced by a wide and varied set of societies and subcultures over the decades. See, for instance: Depeche Mode disciples, black metal fans, health goths (an early 2010s trend for wearing all-black sportswear), symbiote-bonded supervillains and Victorian royalty. It’s also a shade that’s been adopted as the de facto uniform of the fashion industry – if we say something is “the new black”, we mean it is on trend, and there are numerous designers who overwhelmingly push black in their collections. Cerebral brands such as Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester and Yohji Yamamoto are the obvious black-centric examples that command pack-like followings, and in the 1980s the skulking, sable-clad devotees of Comme des Garçons were known in Japanese as the “karasu-zoku”, or “crow tribe”.

Still, while black clothing is generally flattering, smart and streetwise, wearing it without looking like you’re on your way to work as a stagehand requires a little forethought. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a few pictures of men who have been wearing black particularly well in recent months that we can glean a few tips from…

For a moodier take on a classic, try a black shearling jacket rather than a sandy-coloured one. It’ll bring another dimension of texture to a smart-casual outfit, and can be worn with black jeans or tailored trousers, as demonstrated particularly well by the gent above. Also, a tiny disclaimer: this man’s trousers may not be strictly black. Dark navy, perhaps? Whatever may be the case, it helps to break up an all-black look.

Mixing in a pair of sable sneakers with an otherwise smart all-black outfit is a good way to give it a contemporary edge. You’ll also notice, if you look closely, that the men in the above image are wearing clothes from Y-3, which is the adidas line designed by notorious partisan of black clothing Mr Yohji Yamamoto. Shortcut to looking good in all black: purchase anything from there.

Technical fabrics and black go together like iPhones and millennials. Shell, Ripstop, Gore-Tex – they’re waterproof, windproof and insulating fabrics, making them great for the current season, and there’s a lot of the stuff about at present from designers such as And Wander, Moncler and Stone Island Shadow Project. Try a quilted vest, as above, over a hoodie and some cargo trousers. The look is slightly outdoorsy because it’s weather-appropriate, but because it’s all black it still channels a bit of streetwear sensibility.

At first glance these two chaps look like they’ve been deployed from a helicopter to intercept an assassination, but they are in fact a pair of show-goers at Seoul Fashion Week who are kitted out in all-black utilitarian gear. It’s a look known as warcore (we’ve written about it before), and involves wearing flak jackets, strapped-on utility belts and really anything that makes you look like you’re working for the specialised military. It’s a trend that looks particularly good in all black, too, as these men demonstrate, although feel free to stick to a single gilet and belt bag rather than the several these men appear to be donning here. How they found their Fashion Week invites in all those pockets, we’ll never know.

Layering properly is fundamental to wearing all black well, lest you end up looking like you work behind the bar at a Wetherspoons (and for this reason alone it’s sensible to avoid plain black shirts and trousers together). A long black coat such as this can run the risk of looking like sixth-form-goth-meets-extra-from-The Matrix, but pay attention to the layering like this guy has done and opt for a long overcoat and a rollneck sweater, and pair it with some contemporary-style military boots or sneakers to bring yourself out of the rabbit hole.

A throwback to the controversial “heroin chic” days of the mid-1990s when leather jackets and black drainpipe jeans were the uniform of androgynous kids in London and New York, a grungy take on all black is one we’ve seen before. It could do with an update (and a less problematic rebranding), so try teaming a leather biker jacket with a black hoodie and backpack, as seen here, but keep the nostalgic vibe going with a grunge-inspired belt chain. Black hats optional.

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