I am not hiding in my little black dress
So I have a theory about people who wear black. Really its about woman who wear black or more specifically about woman who wear little black dresses (LBDs for the Sex and the City generation). We spend hours shopping for the perfect little black dress and in reality it is a simple dress but it does one thing. It makes you focus on the individual and not the article of clothing. The people who wear lots of fabrics, colors and prints are drawing attention to their clothing. They are in part hiding behind the fabric. Woman who wear black are doing one thing well: they are not hiding. In fact, they are saying: I am not my clothing, I am me.
Therefore, the most drab accessory becomes a truly statement making garment. In the simplicity of the color choice, woman have shown that they are more than the pieces covering their body.
This is a valuable lesson for every entrepreneur out there. The greatest ideas are those simply swathed, those that don’t scream look at me but rather that scream look inside me. Think Facebook and Apple. They are based on the idea that simple coverings make for user friendly tools. Its more than that though- its about letting the product sell itself. Think of the marketing dollars you’ll save in the long run if you develop one simple, perfect idea.
Therefore, I encourage you to embrace the ideas you think are too simple, too obvious to really count as inventions. I know a man who has made millions off an automatic oyster shucker. His laziness resulted in a beautiful and profitable invention. Even better, think of the people who made the toothpick, the clothes hanger and yes the little black dress. Let’s all stop trying to come up with the most convoluted gizmo and instead think about simple basic concepts and needs– who knows we may just find something that we don’t have to hide behind.
