MADE IN THE SHADES
The fashionhion influencer
Angela Mak showcases her love of noir style on her Instagramstagram account, @mostly-mostlyblack_. “I literallylly have, like, 20 different pairs of black leggings,”gs,” says the Gramercy-based fashion consultant. tant.
Her obsessionn is rooted in rebellion: When she was 11, her mom refused to buy her a black cardigan. “She said kids had to wear colors,” she recalls. alls.
Mak, 33, claimsms it would take a “se-severe” occasion toto get her in color. “Maybe if I’m in a plane crash and we land in waterer and I have to put on that orangenge life vest,” she says.
Although The Post’s stylist managed to convincenvince her otherwise — no death-defying stunts required — Mak had a visceral reaction to this striped blouse and ladylikeike pastel skirt.
“It gave me hearteart palpita-palpitations,” she says ofof her new ensemble. Even iff she won’t be changing her Instagramtagram handle anytime soon, shehe admits, “I do think color looks good on me. “
The graphic designer
While studying fine arts in college, Ruth Bauman, 64, felt bright and busy clothing disturbed her work.
“Wardrobe colors were a distraction from my palette,” says the graphic designer and brand consultant, who’s been drawn to muted colors most of her life: “I don’t remember wearing much else.”
The Noho resident has little time or need for an extensive wardrobe. It also complements her subtle socializing style. At industry events, “I prefer to stand back a little, whereas people wearing red, they’re the peacocks,” she says.
A lover of designer clothing, Ruth really took to this ruffled minidress (right), but admitted that she might not be able to incorporate the mustard yellow into her everyday look. “I guess if I was going down to Florida,” she says, “I could get used u to the idea of it.”
The architect
When Amina Blacksher became architectural designer, she adopte the unwritten dress code of so others in her field: “It was a natura thing because the whole office black.”
For Blacksher, simplicity is chic. With all black, “everything looks more put-together,” she says.
Blacksher decided to ditch her colorful, “cluttered and fussy” closet when she began interning as an architect, opting for black stretchy knits and coated denim. She’s open to reintroducing some color to her wardrobe because she thinks it can send a message: “For special occasions, black might be missing the enthusiasm.” And so she was drawn to this splashy one-shoulder dress (right), which ended up being a sartorial mood-booster. “I found I was instantly smiling just being in the dress,” she says.
The entrepreneur
Erika Szychowski, a Savannah, Ga.-bred Financial District resident, has been wearing primarily black since her teenage years. “In high school, my mom would ask me when I would get off my ‘death kick,’ ” says the 44-year-old, who runs Good Zebra, a high-protein, low-sugar snack brand.
She maintains a small, curated wardrobe, but says that the pieces she chooses feel anything but one-note. “Everything is so much more versatile [in black],” she says.
The floral, blue off-theshoulder dress she wore for the shoot (left) was a big departure from her typical uniform of leggings, oversize sweatshirts and moto jackets.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” she says of the “welcoming” blue hue. “I bought a kimono in that same shade the following day!”