HOW TO WORK THE WHITE OUT WHEN HILLARY CLINTON
took to the stage to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, she did so in a Ralph Lauren trouser suit – in bright white. A daring choice, but she’s in good company: just a few days later, Michelle Obama hosted a state dinner in a strapless white dress by New York designer Brandon Maxwell, and Kate Middleton, Margaret Thatcher, Jackie O and Princess Diana have all tapped into the power of wearing white in the public eye.
It’s a political manifesto that signals new beginnings, optimism, purity and peace. Wearing white can work as a ‘palette’ cleanser for your style, too. We’ll admit, top-to-toe white isn’t the most practical of trends. Grass, make-up, coffee and grubby train seats all become perilous. Lucky, then, that for A/W ’16 a little bit of white goes a long way. At Balenciaga, ice-white platform boots sliced through a heavy woollen skirt, while at Victoria Beckham, white highlighted the bust on second-skin knitwear. See how Dries Van Noten employed the white bibbed shirt, with extra-long cuffs. But if any designer truly cracked white it was Miuccia Prada: those corseted cloth belts may seem a little odd for everyday wear, but there’s no denying that the flash of white against wintry navy and khaki gave her military coats (seen everywhere on the catwalks) an instantly new jolt. So think of white as the surest, most now way to offset a busy print or break up block colours. Or, for the ultimate in lazy updates, just grab a white bag and go!