Black is back

New Zealand rugby has had its ups and downs - including a seven-year title drought in Hong Kong - but when its teams are hot they're certainly dressed for the part. It's the black look that does it. Radiating menace, lethality, stylishness and cool, it has special appeal in many areas from culture to warfare, wildlife to sport. So join us as we embrace all things black.

Wearing the line

There might be other claimants to the title - The Stranglers, Michael Jackson during his Bad and History periods - but in the world of pop music Johnny Cash (above) is the ultimate man in black. The man with the distinctive low voice who recorded classics such as Walk the Line, Ring of Fire and A Boy Named Sue went full on with the black garb - featuring a knee-length coat - and it was his on-stage trademark by the 1960s. He penned a song called Man In Black, in which he suggested the colour scheme was a form of protest against racial inequality, and it was the title of his autobiography. He also claimed his band initially wore black shirts as that was the only matching colour they had. The US navy's black winter service uniforms are known as 'Johnny Cashes'.

Rugby connection: New Zealand captain DJ Forbes - who better than a disc jockey to spin the classic vinyls?

Bad share days

Whichever day the financial markets go into meltdown you can bet your last share it will be renamed a black one. October 19, 1987, became Black Monday when the Dow Jones dropped 508 points (22.6 per cent), with enormous crashes around the world, including Hong Kong. The Hang Seng fell 45.8 per cent. A few days later, on October 22, a further collapse was called Black Thursday. The big one was Black Tuesday, denoting October 29, 1929, when panic set in on the New York Stock Exchange, precipitating the Great Depression. The next day, Black Wednesday (October 30, 1929), became infamous for the number of traders and businessmen who jumped to their deaths. But looking at the picture (below) they could've avoided disaster if they'd invested in firms making trilbys and flat caps.

Rugby connection: New Zealand's slump at the Hong Kong Sevens - a seven-year title drought.