We are now all getting into the Christmas fever and spirit. Wearing white will make you feel like snow white- perfect and complete! Make a statement with wearing white- the color of purity, innocence, wholeness and completion. Best is to mix match the white with colours and style that go with the festive season and spirit.
The white shirt has an everlasting fashion presence. As Dannii Minogue was saying: ” She would love Jennifer Anistion wearing her clothes. Because what ever she wear is flying off the shelves.
Always right for work or formal occasions, sharpens any casual outfit and tunes down any fashion garment when wearing it together. It has versatility and accessibility, which makes it so appealing. Wearing a white shirt makes you always feel polished and fashionable rather frumpy or dated.
There is one at every price and one shirt option for every day of the working week . The white shirt makes the perfect investment buy, because firstly it won’t go out of fashion, secondly you always can dress them up or down and last but not least it gives you the perfect platform to accessorise to the occasion and to your mood. As always when the choices seem endless the body shape style will narrow your options.
White is always a spring/ summer trend. It never goes out of fashion. What changes is how you wear it, what you wear it with and which of the latest items you accessorise it with.
As secure and safe it might sound to buy white there are a lot of mine fields to step into. Many of us are so concerned with the latest fashion trends and items that a lot of us forget that a fashion trend doesn’t only have to suit your body shape, size and colouring but also the occasion, weather and season. You just can’t wear all the fun and colour of spring and summer when it is cold and raining outside. It makes you look sad and desperate and turns someone who is a fashion savvy into a fashion victim, because they can’t adopt to the weather condition. Fashion is only fashion when it not only looks right on you but also when you look comfortable and at ease. Something you never feel when trembling of being cold, getting wet and soaked because not dressed for it, getting all the dirt on your white outfit that comes with bad weather. White is a colour that requires sunshine to come out to its full potential- in cold or warm weather. Also, white only looks good when it looks white and clean otherwise you look very quickly shabby in your outfit.
A solid white outfit is not always a winner for everyone’s colouring;
Dominant Colour Light:
A fantastic choice. You can wear white from top to to if you like and if it is appropriate.
Dominant Colour Deep:
Not best to wear it as solid colour near your face, because it is too light for you and it will wash you out. Unless you wear your e.g. white top or shirt with a jacket or coat in a deeper colour. The deeper colour has always be stronger or in majority versa the white colour. Or to be sure keep keep the white to your lower half.
Dominant Colour Warm:
It is a bit of tricky one. If you got porcelain skin and red hair the pure white will provide a good contrast to your hair. But if you don’t have that type of skin it will easily clash with that and your hair together. Therefore you need to “warm” the white with yellow driven colours such as brown, green, orange, yellow, coral, tomato red etc- meaning you need to combine it with any of these type of colours when wearing white.
Dominant Colour Cool:
One of the best colour and absolutely must for this group. It will balance your white hair and make any outfit sharper- especially when wearing some nude/neutral colours with it.
Dominant Colour Clear:
As well one of the must colours for this group. It will almost always guarantee a contrast effect with any other combined colour.
Dominant Colour Soft:
White is an essential accent colour for this category to ensure that the overall look doesn’t look to muted.
Some adivce when buying your white item in question:
The white shirt: Always a winner no matter what age or season. It should be part of every woman’s wardrobe. A white shirt makes muddy/ nude colours look sharper and by wearing a cardigan, jacket etc on top of it you always can tune and soften the pure white to suit your colouring.
White top/ T- shirt are a must as the white shirt in a woman’s wardrobe. It is a great neutral weapon to dress up or down an outfit and will give any outfit always a lift. A classic that shouldn’t be missed in anyone’s wardrobe.
White Dress: Is a beautiful choice for a summer outfit. But be careful the more formal, elegant and in a maxi version the more festive it will look. Many times it looks like women are taking a wedding dress out for a stroll. Try to choose your white dress right for the occasion, in a style that can’t be mistaken for a wedding dress and/ or choose it with colour and a pattern combination or mix it up with accessorising it with an contrasting theme or style. Avoid to dress in white from head to toe unless the occasion requires it. Also, the older we get the less forgiving a pure white dress will look on us. I guess it goes with the territory ” not that innocent anymore…”.
White Jacket: As well a must for any woman’s wardrobe, but should be worn only in sunshine or in a warm climate. Not only one looks being on the wrong side of the planet but also the whole look can you turn look naff.
White Coat: Always a favourite for the summer! But proves in the UK not always a great investment buy since the sunny and warm days are here numbered. So, the more time you spend in a warm climate the better your money is spent on a white coat.
White trousers: Injects instantly elegance and chique to your outfit. It can be a one of your wardrobe heroes that you can’t live without it, but be careful since white trousers are not very forgiving when not having an easy body shape to dress. It brings always attention and adds additional “visual volume” to that part of the body. So, make sure you can take it. Also, ensure you wear the right underwear with it, because many times the colour, style and make of your underwear can be seen by anyone but you. Not a good look at all!
White shorts: It always brings a smile to our faces since it is always the synonym for sunshine, warm weather, fun, good time simply ” me time “. Watch out you got the right hemline for your thighs, calves and age. The thumb rule is the bigger and older they are the longer the hemline.
White skirts: Almost nothing makes an outfit as instantly girlie or feminine chique as a skirt- depending on its style. Most of the times they are not best to wear with tights, therefore they should be only worn with warm temperature, a hemline that suits the leg and occasion and in a style that works your age.
White shoes: Not always a hit. White pumps are best left for special occasions and white sandals and trainers are dirt sensitive. It is better to buy cheaper white footwear but two instead, so you have more and longer wearing the look before they look shabby. It is simply impossible to keep them out of any dirt, foot marks or scratches.
White swimwear: Looks great on young, toned or both body. Wearing a white swim wear gets you very quickly into dangerous waters with your skin, body and size and age. If in doubt just pass on this one!
White bags: As nice as they are in form of a clutch or shoulder or handbag or shopping bag they quickly pass their sell by date. They only wear with the right outfit, occasion, weather and also only when they are still completely untouched by any scratches and marks.
The white shirt is a must have for this season, especially when dressing for work. There is one at every price and one shirt option for every day of the working week . The white shirt makes the perfect investment buy, because firstly it won’t go out of fashion, secondly you always can dress them up or down and last but not least it gives you the perfect platform to accessorise to the occasion and to your mood. The white shirt comes this season in a huge variety e.g. in silk, with giant bow at the neck, in gleaming white, with or with out ruffles, in oversized sleeves or in classic style, crisp or with puff shoulders, cropped sleeves or in cotton. As always when the choices seem endless the body shape style will narrow your options.
Neckties and high collars
These are best for women with a normal to a along neck and great as well for women who tend to be small to normal busted.
Long puffed sleeves
These are best for women who have a slender upper half and can take this additional volume to their frame, waist and bust. Not so good for the pear shapes but super for the inverted triangle. Also, it gives roundness to rectangles and volume to lean columns.
Short puffed sleeves
Only women with small to normal arms should be wearing this option otherwise bigger arms are only looking bigger. Also, women with a big bust should avoid this option completely, because it adds unnecessary additional volume to the bust area. Women with an inverted triangle shape should also pass on this option, because it will make their shoulders and frame even broader. But great news for pear shaped women.
Ruffles around bust or bib style shirts
These are best for women who are small busted and have more of a slender top. Ruffles add volume and roundness to your chest and upper part and therefore should be avoided by those who are fuller on top.
Crisp shirts versa softer material
Crisp material is stiff and adds volume to the top, because it doesn’t follow the body line and shape. Therefore it should be only worn by women who are slender on top, have small to normal bust line or need to balance a bigger bottom to their upper part like the pear. It is a bad choice for apples and full hour glass women.
Michaela has a unique range of experiences from the fashion , media and design industry in London , New York , Milan and Prague . She was the MD of Cosmopolitan in Prague where she deepened her passion for colour and style. In 2005 she founded one of the leading colour and style consultancies Joy of Colour www.joyofcolour.com . Joy of Clothes aims to share her experience with a wider audience.
Michaela believes that everyone is different and they should build on their own unique DNA rather than try to be a bad copy of someone elses. Nowadays there are so many fashion trends co-existing that there is something suitable for everyone. Michaela advises against following every single fashion trend . Dressing with style needs strategy and an understanding of your colouring and body shape . Joy of Clothes aims to make it easy for you to identify the fashion that works for you and your life style.