Anna Wintour, former editor in chief of Vogue, once declared she would “never ever wear head-to-toe black.” Yet this sentiment is far from shared by most Melburnians, who proudly embrace black attire throughout the year, especially during winter. Melbourne has earned a reputation for its love of black clothing, a trend that continues to captivate observers.
Climate Drives the Choice
When analyzing a city’s fashion sense, physical factors like climate play a key role. Melbourne enjoys a temperate oceanic climate with mild to warm summers, cool winters, and consistent rainfall. Its winters are among the coldest of Australia’s capital cities, prompting residents to optimize their wardrobes for layering. Black-on-black combinations are foolproof for mixing and matching across seasons.
As Australian historian Hilary Davidson noted in the Sydney Morning Herald, “People in Melbourne can dress more, and wear more black clothing because the climate is more like London, New York, Milan or Tokyo… Sydney is ostentatiously casual or more Los Angeles glam.” Black provides a safe option in a city known for experiencing four seasons in a single day.
Place Branding and Identity
Beyond weather, cultural norms shape acceptable attire. “Place branding” influences how residents perceive their city, often arising naturally from history and major events. Melbourne’s brand has developed through everyday culture, values, and immigration patterns. Residents reinforce established narratives—like the love of black—by embracing them.
European Undercurrents
Melbourne boasts strong European influences, stemming from post-World War II immigration waves. It hosts Australia’s largest Italian community and one of the largest Greek communities outside Greece. These influences have fostered a Eurocentric food and coffee culture central to the city’s identity.
Color historian Michel Pastoureau, in his book Black: The History of a Color, notes that Europeans have embraced black dressing since the medieval era, when nobles adopted it to embody royalty. In the 16th and 17th centuries, European nobles wore black in portraits to display wealth, as black dye was costly and difficult to produce.
While cities like Antwerp developed expertise in black dyeing, the color became widely accessible in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, Coco Chanel’s little black dress revived black’s air of European refinement. Today, Belgian designers like Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, along with Berlin’s techno and fashion scenes, continue to celebrate black.
Melbourne as Cultural Hub
Like many European cities, Melbourne revolves around its intellectual and creative institutions. Its identity stems from heavy investment in arts, including music, theatre, literature, fashion, and design. Creatives—countercultural forces—are notorious for wearing black, as author Cordula Rau highlights in Why Do Architects Wear Black?.
In the early 20th century, Melbourne’s artistic community settled at the “Paris end of Collins Street,” bringing stylistic inclinations with their crafts. Since the 1950s, black has been the preferred color of subcultures like Goths and punks, rebelling against norms.
As Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto puts it, “Black is modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy—but mysterious. But above all black says this: I don’t bother you – don’t bother me.”
Ultimately, Melbourne’s fondness for black clothing may be a self-fulfilling prophecy aligned with its history and culture. It allows residents to feel part of the city’s fabric, as emulating peers signals belonging.
