As Karl Lagerfeld once said, ‘black and white always looks modern, whatever that word means.’ The perfection of a high contrast look is hard to put into words, but it’s easy to spot chic when you see it. Wearing black and white head-to-toe has become a firm fashionista favorite, as all style savvy girls acknowledge it’s the easiest formula for a put-together look.
Whether it’s a white dress with black accessories, or a white blouse paired with timeless noir trousers, or even graphic prints, it’s hard to mess up this tried and tested colour combination. Athleisure is one of my favorite styles to try this on, elevating my sporty basics to sharp looks. You don’t have to spend time worrying about what accessories will coordinate since black and white goes with everything from a crimson lip to a leopard-print sandal. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your bichromatic look.
Pick a hero piece
Choose one item to build your look around. Be it a structured black trouser or a soft, white, feminine dress, center the rest of your look around elevating that one piece. This brings a focal point to your complete look and gives a considered feel. Sometimes your focal point is a statement sporty cross-body bag, which is easy to let shine against simpler basics and clean, tailored shapes. Don’t try to incorporate too many heroes into your look, as it might look busy and crowd your overall style.
Texture
When playing with your bichromatic style, incorporate new and different textures into your looks. Think, shiny black PVC with snow-white cashmere, or black wool-twill with soft, white, chiffon. This contrast brings a tactile dimension to your outfit and keeps it feeling edgy and new, despite the desaturated palette. I like to bring in patent leather shoes when wearing an otherwise flat bichromatic look up top, to put a little spring in my step and add just a hint of glamour to any look.
Details
These are key when it comes to dressing in black and white. Details doesn’t necessarily have to mean pile on the accessories, it simply means pay attention to the finer aspects of your look. Sleek tailored black suit? Keep your jewelry to a minimum and opt for a less fussy hair-style, to accentuate the tailoring of your suit. Farm-style white linen dress? Play with softer details like a strappy sandal or a wide brimmed straw hat, to bring the look together.
The most important detail when it comes to bichromatic dressing, is of course the care of your black and white clothes. Faded blacks and discolored whites can throw any style from chic to bleak in an instant, so make sure you take good care of both. Luckily this is made easy by Skip’s new perfect care range that help to keep your clothes looking newer for longer. The perfect blacks variant is the first of it’s kind, bringing specialized care for black and dark garments, and of course the perfect whites does exactly what it says on the tin. Crisp whites and deep, dark blacks are the foundation of any head to toe bichromatic look, that keep your style sharp and timeless.
