Whether it’s the summer’s trending Hawaiian shirts or a tie that injects some much-needed life into your business-casual looks during the colder months, the colour wheel rarely stops spinning. But when you’re tired of wondering whether lemon and mauve go (they don’t, by the way) know that darker tones always have your back.

Black is always the new black. It’s never a ‘Colour of the Year’ because it’s the lack-of-colour of every year – the shade that won’t clash, won’t add pounds, and won’t tell tales when you pour a glass of Rioja down yourself. It’s as happy at work as it is in clubs, or shutting down the front row. But it’s happiest in certain wardrobe staples, the inky workhorses that every good look is built on.

Whether you prefer to dabble in darkness or go all out with the deceptively easy (but always effective) all-black-everything look, these are the pieces you need and how to wear them.