Black and white and red all over
Spring/Summer 2008
Spring/Summer 2014
Autumn/Winter 2015
Spring/Summer 2016
Spring/Summer 2016
Spring/Summer 2013
These days, with the exception of a grey wool Yohji sweater, my wardrobe consists of solid white and solid black garments. With those garments I have been focusing on cut and texture over colour or patterning. My thought has been that if I can remove as many additional elements as possible, then perhaps I can come closer to some better understanding of the basics of the garment. It is also, paradoxically I admit, a quieter way of dressing - it blends into the background, but at the same time that all-black can be quite jarring in a room full of colour. Fashion and dress are however full of paradoxes, so I suppose more important is intention, or more accurately, perceived intention (as much as we like to think our clothes "say" something about us, we have no control over what others "hear"). Dress forms our social skin, so to not consider how we are perceived is to ignore the very essence of dress culture and fashion. I love colour, I just love wearing black and white more.
Pattern currently only comes into play in my wardrobe where accessories are concerned - Liberty print floral handkerchiefs and a few pairs of patterned socks (including a grey and red leopard print pair that I am rather fond of). But I have been thinking of introducing pattern in some manner into my clothing, and rather than looking to subtler prints, I find myself drawn to something bolder, without straying from the interplay of black and white. To my mind stripes are one of the most universal patterns there are, allowing you to cut a bold figure with thicker stripes, or blend into a formal setting with subtle pinstripes. If I am to introduce pattern back into my wardrobe, why not go for the most basic? Of course again the garment has to be worth consideration before the stripes come into play, after all no amount of colour or patterning can disguise a poorly cut or fabricated garment.
A striped jacket or pair of trousers would be a bold step, for most people including myself, so I think the easiest way to start thinking about stripes is to look to t-shirts and sweaters. I always find the easiest way to introduce a new colour to your wardrobe is to try a basic t-shirt in that colour - straight away you will be able to see how it works with your complexion, and it is the easiest way to incorporate that colour into your outfit, aside from splashes of that colour where accessories may be concerned. In much the same way I think that it is my avenue for introducing stripes, and of course it also lends itself well to playing around with layering and considering it alongside other black or white garments. Call it a childhood spent watching too many cartoons, but black and white stripes immediately make me think of a robber with a swag bag, so I will be interested to see how I feel wearing those stripes. Then again, when it came to playing cops and robbers, the robbers were always a lot more fun, so maybe I just need a decent swag bag to go with.
xxxx