White Wonderland

Fall 2011 (clockwise from top left): Stella McCartney (photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images), BCBG Max Aria (photo by Thomas Concordia/Contributor), Max Mara (photo by Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images), Isabel Marant (photo by Nathalie Lagneau/Catwalking/Getty Images), Hermes (photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images), Chloe (photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage)
Nothing elevates a dark winter wardrobe (or a complexion in need of a mid-season pick me up) like layers of bright whites. Designers took white, the former post-Labor Day fashion DON’T, and gave us a myriad of stylish ways to make white an undeniably chic DO. On the utilitarian—but nevertheless gorgeous—end of the spectrum there were oversize cable knit pullovers and cashmere capes at Isabel Marant and Chloe as well as polished minimal coats and accessories at Max Mara and Hermes.
For evening Stella McCartney created a bold-shouldered stark white tuxedo and BCBG layered a floor length white velvet burnout dress over a sheer ivory turtleneck. When experimenting with a monotone palette, mixing a variety of textures and tones is the key to creating interest. And when it comes to white, there’s no reason to fret over matching; all shades, from cool dove white to warm ivory, complement one another.
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