The Greek word melancholia (literally meaning 'black bile') defines our sense of depression and black moods. Yet the little black dress is the epitome of chic and has positive meanings. From ancient and classical times to today black has been used as a symbol, a tool and a metaphor in a plethora of startling and often problematic ways. The Story of Black is an exploration of our ambiguous relationship with this most 'accursed' of colours throughout cultures worldwide. The ancient Egyptians used black as their colour of death, becoming the standard garb for millennia of priests of myriad churches and cults. The innate austerity and gravity of black has made it a perennial choice for the robes of merchants, lawyers and even monarchs. Conversely black gained popularity with the Dandies of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and in the street-fashions and subcultures of our present time....
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