Letter: Black is chic, but colour has its place

Sir: As an habitual wearer of the clerical black he seems to deplore, perhaps I may comment on Nicholas Roe's article 'Wear any colour except black' (17 May).

What priests wear in the street is deliberately less colourful than what they wear in church: the reasons are theological as much as aesthetic. Uniforms emphasise the consistency of the office, rather than the taste of the officer. Clergy who have to serve in and with a wide range of contexts, age groups and expectations often find this very helpful.

And, as well as being Nineties chic (as your fashion page pointed out a few days ago), black has the added benefit of making the wearer look slimmer - particularly appropriate for us Anglicans, I should have thought, given our recent financial blips. Yours unrepentantly,

JOHN THEWLIS

London, SE9

17 May