Anna Wintour, former editor in chief of Vogue, once said she would “never ever wear head-to-toe black”. It’s not a sentiment shared by most Melburnians who, while still generally considering themselves fashionable, will opt to wear black all year round – and even more (if possible) during winter.

As reflected in media coverage over the years, Melbourne has built somewhat of a reputation for its love of black clothing. Why is this?

A lot comes down to climate

When it comes to assessing the “fashion sense” of a particular city, the physical factors – particularly the local climate – matter.

Melbourne is home to a temperate oceanic climate, characterised by mild to warm summers, cool winters, and somewhat consistent rainfall during the year. Its winters are among the coldest of Australia’s capital cities.

As such, the average Melburnian’s wardrobe tends to be optimised for layering. This means having pieces that can be mixed and matched throughout the year. And of course, black on black is foolproof.

As Australian historian Hilary Davidson explained in a recent piece for 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.

People in........

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