With Stores like White House/Black Market, and Chico’s (Black Label line), creating whole lines of black and white clothes, many women are asking if they can wear black and white. Is this the best look for them?
Chico’s “Black Label” line has an ad campaign with great looking black and white clothing artistically photographed. The model is gorgeous and she looks striking. The black and white combination looks sophisticated and bold, decisive and sharp, tailored and expensive; It makes most woman really want to wear black and white clothes. However, the black and white combination needs to be skillfully balanced depending on one’s coloring; this high contrast look can easily overpower the wearer.
Who can wear black and white together in an
outfit or a pattern?
This dark haired woman with medium light color skin, beautiful white teeth, dark eyes, and fairly light eye whites is a good candidate to wear black and white.
Click here to see full slideshow of Chico’s Black Label styles
But let’s do a Reality Check: Notice in the photos below, when the model’s hair is darker, she look more natural and more striking. When her hair is lighter she looks a little washed out.
Seriously, if you really look at these pictures, the black and white show up much better than the woman. Your focus is actually on the clothes. The model really has to work at it to show up.
These black and white clothing designs with their beautiful dramatic lines, and excellent fit, belong on a very dark haired woman who can carry a dramatic look. The lighter her skin color the better. If she is dark skinned, she should have very white teeth and very bright eye-whites to have the right amount of black and white contrast to compliment the clothes. With black and white clothing, drama is the point and the clothes are the stand out.
Light brunettes, redheads, and blondes; if you want to wear these black and white combinations wear a black head scarf or hat to balance the black and white in the clothing.
Back in the days of black and white movies, and old Hollywood, the starlets knew how to do it. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Grace Kelly in “To Catch a Thief” put on a black and white hat when she dressed in a black bathing suit with white cover up.
Marlene Dietrich in “Witness for the Prosecution (1957) with her trademark beret when she wore her dark suit with white blouse.
You are a work of art, and you deserve to wear clothing that makes you look like a masterpiece. Ask yourself, Am I wearing this outfit, or, is this outfit wearing me? And it only takes a moment in the mirror to review if you have balanced your coloring with what you are wearing. If you have not, don’t wear it. If you do not know how to create balance with contrast, seek the advice of an expert. Knowing some basic art concepts will help you take the guessing out of dressing.
I would be glad to help.
~Mary Lou
Oh, if you are dressing for a portrait, do not wear black and white. It is very difficult to photograph, for many, many reasons. You will be happier with the resulting photograph if you stick with medium value colors like teal, medium blues and greens, blue-greys, and some browns. Try matching your eye color.