The Chic Luxury Gift Guide: The Best in the Color Black

Looking for a stand-out luxury gift? Have a gift recipient (or two) whose go-to color all day every day is black? Don’t despair – you can find perfect luxury gifts in the color black that are still festive and celebratory, not funereal. Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has curated our ultimate luxury gift guide on what to give as holiday gifts this year in the color black, including fashion, tech, home décor and beauty.

we love the color black for luxury gifts

Black. Is any other color so feared, yet, revered and undeniably powerful?

To start with, black animals like ravens, crows and cats are regarded as possessing supernatural powers who are portents of bad luck and untimely death. In the English language, we use black in idioms to describe all sorts of unsavory actions and situations– “blackmail,” “blacklist,” “blackball,” and “black market.” And if you’re the black sheep of your family, join the club. We know what that feels like.

And yet, black is so NOT about doom and gloom. Or about the evil and the undesirable.

In a season of light and color, black can be the most beautiful of hues. When objects and apparel are rendered in black, the details of their silhouettes come into sharp view. In other words, their very darkness can be illuminating.

Since the 14th century with the arrival of high-quality black dyes, black has been embraced by wealthy European bankers and nobility classes as a signifier of importance. Worn by judges, clergy and graduates, black- a color commonly seen as a basic staple- is nevertheless, a color that demands attention and gravitas.

At the same time, this traditional color is thoroughly modern. Juxtaposed with white or any pop of bright color and suddenly, you have a fresh and youthful graphic look.

Urban dwellers are notorious for the rainbow of blacks in their wardrobe. From skinny, faded charcoal jeans, to glossy jet puffer coats and the requisite polished black boots.

Black is always elegant, assertive, edgy and did we mention, slimming? It’s no accident that some of the world’s most highly regarded luxury brands- Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, rely on black to communicate a feeling of sophistication and exclusivity.

If you are shopping for a luxury gift for that someone special, you’d be hard pressed to find another color that so effortlessly encompasses an exciting air of mystery, refinement, and style.

For those who love architectural shapes, mystery, suspense, vintage films and photographs, grit and sleek cars and smartphones, black is the new black and always will be. Here are some ideas about how to gift the shade that urban dwellers actually want and will use, and the items that will remain iconic long after the other colors have faded away.

 

the best luxury gifts that are the color black

Here’s our curated list of luxury holiday gift ideas in the color black: the shade that urban dwellers actually want and will use. The items that will remain iconic long after the other colors have faded away. From board games to bar carts to black pearls, there’s something perfect for everyone on your list.

No lumps of coal, though. We’ll leave that between you and Santa.

so much to love about luxury holiday gifts in the color black

Those are our ideas to get you started as you decide what to give as a luxury holiday gift this year in the color black, whether you’re looking for gifts in fashion, tech, home décor or beauty.

As we were writing this piece, we remembered two songs that we hadn’t heard in a very long time: Nina Simone’s version of the folk song, Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair. And the Beatles’ Blackbird.

After you’ve shopped for one of these luxury gifts in the color black, give yourself a gift. The simple enjoyment of sitting in the darkness, perhaps with a cup of black tea, and listening to one or both of these mesmerizing ballads. Unleash a little black magic . . .

‘Cause getting into a black mood might turn out to be a precious ephemeral luxury, now more than ever.

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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