It’s important to be your own bellwether.

I knew something was going on when I looked at my shoe rotation and realized I suddenly owned three different pairs of all-black sneakers, and they were all I wanted to wear.

This was unusual because, until a few months ago, I had never owned a pair of all-black sneakers. They always seemed far too utilitarian, like shoes for a dishwasher or an E.R. nurse — people likely to spill marinara or human blood on their feet. And I never liked the way that all-black shoes seem to leave your feet in shadow. 

Then, go figure, Justin Saunders and the wizards of the subtle color palette over at JJJJound were able to change my mind. First, I got a pair of the black ASICS GT-2160s that they released at the end of last year. Then a pair of the black leather GORE-TEX New Balance 2002r that followed in December. And, then, Haven released a pair of all-black ASICS Gel-Nimbus and I needed those, too. But I don’t always wear sneakers, so I went to Evan Kinori and grabbed a pair of suede black-on-black Tricker’s boots that are like English countryside Timbs. By that point, the all-black thing really had a hold on me and, while I was in Europe for work the other week, I picked up a pair of murdered-out Mephisto Cruisers.