The Style Files: Monochromatic Magic

The fuss free palette of black and white has been on the fashion radar forever. It breaks all barriers, age, size, height and has always been extremely chic. Coco Chanel had a particular affinity for it and it’s a recurrent theme that is carried through most Chanel collections. In the words of Coco Chanel: "Women think of all colours, except the absence of colour. Black has it all. White, too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony." Karl Lagerfeld’s muse, Amanda Harlech, is rarely seen out of her monochromatic pairings!

Eternally chic this powerful colour pairing can be executed with high impact by either  taking the minimalistic approach with sharp tailoring and classics or being bold with structured graphics. The winning, elegant and contemporary formula of a white shirt and black jeans can be given a rock chic spin with leather pants, perfect for weekend nights out on the town.

Luckily for us there are loads of black and white permutations out there. Uncannily when you wear the trend you’re instantly fashionable without looking like you’re trying. A word of warning though, it can be surprisingly tricky to get black and white right in real life. Never go overboard and do a black and white handbag and black and white shoes to complement your black and white outfit, one of either colour is fine. Introducing another color could lessen the impact. If you’re keeping it simple avoid being boring through clean cut lines, without being austere. If you take the graphic path style it with a feminine feel. Soft touches and beautiful tailoring  are the key to doing smart monochrome. 

The designer SS14 collections that featured monochrome magic to be inspired by or even splurge on if you can, were scalloped black lines on white at Marc by Marc Jacobs, Celine’s incredibly chic and ladylike silhouettes,  Saint Laurent's tribute to Chrissy Hinde with their asymmetric stripes and Victoria Beckham’s incredibly fresh, modern and minimalistic collection.

In a complicated world, there’s something reassuring about clean, simple black-and-white. The look is modern, cool, and assertive, especially when it’s logically organized into stripes, figure-flattering vertical planes and grids. It should never be over the top, in your face and when worn exudes an aura of self-possession.

By Minoli Ratnayake