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Black is the color of New York dress.  Everywhere one goes, New Yorkers are wearing the darkest and most inconspicuous colors possible.  I suppose the choice in wardrobe is consistent with the tone of the city.  In a society of anonymity, it makes sense that people would adopt an unremarkable uniform.  What I find interesting is that this style transcends social and economic barriers. Black pants and a black coat from Gucci cannot be easily distinguished from black pants and a black coat from The GAP.  Since people of all socioeconomic classes clad themselves in black, at first glance this is a city full of equals.  Natives and immigrants, educated and uneducated, young and old; everyone wears black.  Yet, this uniform masks great socioeconomic disparities.

Posted February 9, 2004

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