Winter Whites

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me I can’t escape one trend in particular right now, and I’m totally O.K. with the clean cut lines and sports luxe vibe in which I feel seriously clean and cool. Yep - I’m happily being swept away in all white.

Head to toe white can be a little daunting to invest in at first (especially if you’re a serial spiller like me) but I got stuck right in to the etherial look of the moment. I recently acquired (or, had bought for me - cue googly heart eyes -) a pair of all white Nike Roshe Runs with my initials embroidered on the back (swoon), and it feels like I haven’t taken them off since the very moment they wrapped themselves around my feet, thankful for the release from other unforgiving shoes leaving me blistered and bleeding. I’ve been pairing them with a white American Apparel tennis skirt and various white T-shirts (I seem to own about five hundred) for a sporty summer vibe - a look that blogger Ivania Carpio who runs Love Aesthetics (picture #2) has down all year round. Today I’m taking inspiration from her transformation of summer whites into a year round style. Ivania takes advantage of a few basics that last her all year in such a way that puts clothes hoarders (such as myself) to shame. Among dreamy designs from Charlie May, she mixes staples from & Other Stories with Nike sportswear and handmade creations in a way most can only dream of. 

White on white looks beautiful and is easy to achieve in a beachy shorts and T-shirt get up, but as the winter months draw nearer, here are some tips on how to ditch the earthy autumnal colours (I have never been a fan) and wrap yourself in winter white without risking looking like you’ve just jumped out of a Backstreet Boys video:

- First things first, keep your whites clean! Nothing looks worse than an outfit that was once

all the same colour but is now varying shades of off-white, cream or grey. Just as

importantly, deal with spills as soon as possible to avoid permanent staining. Nobody

wants the focus of your outfit to be last night’s spaghetti.

- When you’re using a uniform colour, you can play with textures, shapes and silhouettes to avoid the straight jacket look (note the ripped denim in image #6). Use crop tops, cutouts and different lengths to spruce it up. Check out the interesting silhouettes in the pictures above; each plays with proportion and shape (especially image #5, how long do this girl’s legs look!?).

- A trick to nailing the trend effortlessly is to keep at least one (if not more) element to your outfit loose and oversized. Duster coats are great for this (image #4). This will keep you looking modern and avoid looking too (apologies for the stereotype) ‘Essex’.

- Adding a splash of leopard (image #3) or any other print or pattern via a clutch or statement shoes, boots or sandals, both dresses up your outfit and breaks up the white.

Win-win!

- LIPS! My favourite way to add an edge to any outfit, day or night, is with a fun coloured lipstick. And when you’re wearing no colours in your clothes, you can go crazy on your lips. My picks right now are MAC - Heroine and a classic Russian Red.

- Jewellery - as long as your white is clean cut and plain(ish) you can have serious fun with accessories. COS and Whistles are stocking some great geometric pieces right now.

- A style tip that I’m sure has been drummed into your head year after year, but having said that it’s not one worth forgetting. Invest in a few staples that will go with everything, Oxford shirts, T shirts, you know the drill, and a couple of statement pieces that will add detail to your basics (I’m thinking image #1 above).

So, with all this in mind, I’m ready to stride into Autumn with my white shirts in one hand, and my (nearly empty) spray bottle of Vanish in the other.