The colour black, the LBD and the antidote to gloom.
June 4, 2026
I came of age in the 1980s. It was FABULOUS. The music, the freedom, the London culture, and the art of the possible. That it was also the time of the rapid advancement of capitalism and the de-regulation of the City of London and the global financial system, reminds me that dualism is a part of life. As I worked in what I came to observe as an unjust financial system of fair shares for a few, the little black dress (LBD) I wore during that time,
was symbolic of that decade. The greed. The decadence. The waste. I wore mine to corporate dinners and parties in Mayfair. It was all great fun against the backdrop of a system rotten from the core. I’ve spent a lifetime getting to the truth of that core, and it sucks.
By the time The Berlin Wall came down - the LBD had been replaced with maternity dresses. However, black stayed in my wardrobe as my professional colour of choice. Black suits were de-rigeur. I felt grounded in black. Taken seriously in black. Since I believed the focus should always be on what I said, rather than what I wore. Distraction away from body to voice. Being a woman in a man’s world, I believed this worked best. However, my divine feminine got shut away under the weight of the black. It’s taken me some years to get back on track with my true soul colour story. Painting helps that journey of deep discovery.
When I paint, I refrain from using black. Preferring Paynes Grey. It’s softer and a better balance to bring heart to tonality.
I recently bought a LBD here in Porto. From a vintage dress shop in my neighbourhood. It’s Japanese and of fine fabric - and what my Granny would call a class act. I’ve yet to take it on an outing. Waiting for the right moment. I’m sensing a night out at Casa de Musica or dinner by the Douro on a hot summer night.
Black is somber, but it also has gravitas and style if you accessorise with pearls. Colour speaks always, and black has its own story to tell.
In the global gloom of war and suffering, life can feel black. It’s a daily fight to rise above it and be the light - the luminous pearls which are a counter to the darkness. I’m wearing my pearl earrings today, as my own DEFIANT act of not allowing the darkness to affect my glow. May you all do the same - in your unique ways. Shine on brothers and sisters. Shine on. 🌝
Julia - a pilgrim LBD wearer in Portugal.