Black and White Dresses: It's Elementary Why This Combo Pleases

Black and white dresses, suits, and ensembles appeal to you by using the most elemental color combination to create classic womens clothing.

Black and white are so elemental they are not truly colors, which are formed by reflecting some light wavelengths and absorbing others. Black absorbs all light, and white reflects all light.

Classic Uptown Girl Look is B & W

Black skirt or pant with a white blouse is the classic city-girl go-everywhere look. It has the advantage of minimizing one’s bottom and drawing the eye to one’s assets.

Be sure your top is snowy white and ironed. Today’s fabrics, with Dacron or Spandex, make it easier than ever to preserve that unwrinkled look all day.

The black bottom and white top combo can be worn with almost any color jacket or sweater.

It looks especially uptown and pulled-together when worn with a Chanel-type collarless jacket trimmed with white braid or white banding up the front edges and around the neckline.

Print Fabric May Use Geometric or Floral Motifs Attractively

Black and white dresses can be stunning if the contrast is woven into a fabric, whether the print is geometric or floral. This makes a pretty frock, whether the background is dark or light.

A small print, such a tiny polka dot in a black dress, is a fine way to relieve the starkness of this light-eating color, especially if you look washed-out in black.

Another spring-through-summer combination is the black or white dress with a border print.

This classic womens clothing design is especially pretty with embroidered border designs. Border prints tend to create wasted fabric in the construction of the garment which is not a plus for budget-conscious manufacturers.

Trim Creates Black and White Contrast

Here are some other ways that black and white dresses can be created by adding trim to an otherwise solid fabric:

Piping. This is a thin, rolled edging that is often used on the seams of furniture.

Borders. This is usually made using a bias seam binding. Cutting on a bias that crosses the grain of the fabric prevents the band from stretching out of shape or developing bubbles.

Embroidery. This can be especially eye-catching if the yarn is thick.

Scrollwork often has lends an Asian touch to womens fashion clothing. It may be a handrolled spaghetti strap, often in a satin finish, or a manufactured braid.

Beading or other embellishments in the contrast color are another way to add detail for this classic womens clothing color combination.

Houndstooth Plaid Is Smartly Traditional

An especially smart black-and-white look is houndstooth plaid, with its jagged, geometric boxes.

Previously a woolen fabric, we now find the design replicated in many manufactured and blended fabrics.

Trim may be either black or white. I remember still a houndstooth suit I had as a teenager with stunning white silk lapels.

Wear houndstooth with spectator pumps for a truly classic outfit.

What Shoes to Wear with B & W

A white suit with a black top and shoes makes a dramatic statement. It is easy to forget about the eye-catching appeal of this combination.

A white suit is so all-around sharp that we tend to use the pristine background to show off colored blouses – red, green, orange, and stripes and prints of every hue.

Black accessories may be worn during colder seasons, especially if the print background is dark.

Do not wear black shoes with lightweight black and white dresses during spring and summer.

You may wear black patent leather shoes during spring. Strappy black patent leather sandals may even be appropriate through summer if the dress features an especially bold print with a lot of black in it.

The Labor Day Rule for White Accessories

Do not wear white shoes once the weather gets cold. The traditional date is Labor Day.

Even if you have a winter white suit, it is not appropriate to wear white shoes with it. Bone may work, so long as it is very close to the same color as the suit.

Contrasting accessories may be used – red, lime, and shocking pink are especially nice.

In summary, black and white dresses, suits and ensembles that use this color combination are dramatic and classic.

Keeping shoes and handbag in the same color should consider the season and fabric weight. You also may alleviate the starkness of this combination with brightly colored accessories.