This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.It’s Time to Stop Wearing All Black

Lynette NylanderWed, April 22, 2026 at 8:50 PM UTC

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It’s Time to Stop Wearing All Blackdesign by olivia alchek

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Diana Vreeland had a singular take on not only fashion but life. Her eccentricity has become folklore and was best exemplified in an illustrated column of irreverent advice for chic living she called “Why Don’t You?” Resurrected and reimagined for modern life, the column, now written by Bazaar’s executive digital director, Lynette Nylander, will dispense tips on how to live stylishly, decadently, and daringly.

WHY DON’T YOU…DRESS

for the weather you want? There is a reason people have always associated spring fashion with magnificent optimism. It is essentially wishful thinking elevated to an art form. Think about the swirly ’60s prints of Julian Klausner’s Dries Van Noten this season or the more-is-more collections of Henry Zankov. Their palettes beg you to see the cup half full! Chloe King, the director of fashion and lifestyle at Saks Global, is the poster child for this sort of radical thinking. Even during winter’s most frigid temps and spring’s rainiest days, King is a cacophony of clashing colors and asymmetric cuts. “I’ll be pairing my weather-be-damned outfits with an opulent opera coat,” King says. “Etsy is bursting with vintage options, and New York made-to-order brand One Of also makes a divine option in upcycled fabrics from the best luxury mills. The A-line shape leaves room to layer if the cold persists, while still striking a gorgeous silhouette.”

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Saks Global’s Chloe KingChristian VierigWHY DON’T YOU…THROW

open every drawer you own and ask yourself one ruthless question: Does this make me feel like I am alive? Because if the answer is anything less than an emphatic, almost embarrassing yes—it should never be seen again. Give it to your neighbor. Or send it on its way for its next adventure. CNN senior style reporter Rachel Tashjian explains, “I have a very high standard of living—by which I mean everything in my life needs to make me feel extremely alive, like Manolo Blahnik’s Maysalebi kitten heels or earrings from New York boutique Ten Thousand Things. If things in my wardrobe are not fully revitalizing at every level at all hours, out it goes, no questions asked.”

Dario Vitale’s Versace Spring Summer 2026Courtesy of VersaceWHY DON’T YOU…ABANDON

black for one reckless week? Not because black isn’t divine (it always is), but because spring insists on color. Let it near your face and watch what happens. You may discover a version of yourself who laughs more easily and dresses more daringly. I’ve been particularly inspired by the one-and-done Versace collection by Dario Vitale. His silk pumps in deep mustard and lilac chiffon top had me reconsidering pastels altogether. Heck, maybe pastels are not meant to be sweet; maybe they are meant to be strategic. Worn boldly, they cease to be confection-adjacent and become weaponry—a sort of soft power. Fashion writer Emilia Petrarca agrees. “I’d sworn off pinks and blues,” she says, preferring black and the colors of the Italian flag instead. “I just never thought they were ‘my colors,’ but Dario’s Versace made me realize I’d been limiting myself for no reason. The joy I get from his Barbie-pink pumps is undeniable.”

WHY DON’T YOU…BUY

yourself a corsage. Why wait for a prom, a gala, a declaration of marriage? Declare yourself. And I’m not talking about your run-of-the-mill corsage either. At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy affixed sea-anemone-like ones to jackets. I’ve been considering Phoebe Philo’s full-bloom silk-organza version in a hazy blue. Climax Books founder and Philo loyalist Isabella Burley attests, “Sometimes you just need a perfectly outrageous and undeniably chic accessory.” She’s right. The flower corsage is ostentatious and a little ridiculous, but when someone asks me what the occasion is, I’ll simply say, “Spring, of course.”

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