Mad Monochrome

Simple and classic, this winning colour scheme never fails to gain attention when done well. Make the most of this timeless trend as it reinvents itself with sequins, stripes and rollicking retro accents.

You hardly require a stylist to put together a black and white look, but with designers presently reworking the yin and yang with everything from animal prints to mondrian style colour blocking, the possibilities of having a little fun with your clothes, while still limiting yourself to austere neutrals, are more. The uninitiated can experiment with little black dresses and white clutches or pumps but,nothing less than an indulgence in exotic graphic prints in contrasts of paper white and dense black is recommended for the pros. Thoughtfully invest in a few wardrobe inclusions and they will last long after your prismatic ensembles have faded into last season’s oblivion.

Mono mania
As referred to in high fashion circles as ‘mad monochrome’, suggesting something more daring than just a white shirt and black trousers, black and white currently is bold and over the top. So, abandon the usual pin stripes and checks for an outrageous tribal print or degrade and go ahead and break a few rules:
• Team stripes with prints, but make sure the stripes are thin and the prints small.
• If you’re experimenting a retro look, opt for oversized polka dots. Small dots will date you.
• Leave the ‘black dress pant- white button down shirt’ style to waitresses. Try white cigarette pants with a ruffled black top for a formal do.
• Make the best of both worlds. Introduce a burst of colour to your outfit in grey scale, in the form of a scarf or a string of beads
• Black tights work for just about any figure, while white tights are best left to little girls
• Black shoes are done to death, but a black shoe with white detail can pull just about any outfit together
• White shoes work perfectly well with white bottoms

Style file
Monochrome works as the perfect foil if you’re shy of bright neon hues. The stark contrast and bipolarity of the combination create drama and the simple elegance of the palette makes it easy to dress it up or dress it down.
To dress up: wear large graphic prints teamed with pale silver accessories
To dress down: wear a black and white checked shirt with a slim fit jean

Optical illusion
• The rules of black being slimming and white adding width still apply, so use black to slim a thick waist and white to broaden narrow shoulders
• When in doubt wear black, when fatigued wear black and white. Black creates the illusion of a lightened complexion, while white instantly revives tired skin.
• White attracts attention while black camouflages. Combine white and black fabric in an ensemble in such a way that white highlights your best features and black camouflages flaws.