How to Successfully Wear a White Dress
White dresses – from bridal to cool summer dresses, they can look stunning or draining, depending on how you wear them. Long or short, formal or casual – wearing a white dress is one of those occasions where following the rules helps.
Skin Tone
Who knew how many shades of white there were? Who knew that those of us with fair skin should only wear warm whites, olive skins should wear cool whites and dark skins can wear any shade?
Underwear
Back in the 1960s, wearing a slip under a dress was de rigueur. Modern ladies should consider wearing one with a white dress to avoid showing what’s underneath. Showing your underwear is not cool. And, on the subject of underwear, it’s best to wear something that matches your skin tone rather than white, which shows up more.
Long or Short
It really depends on the occasion. A white maxi dress can look great at an outdoor summer party but maybe not so good at a board meeting. Think about the type of material too – nothing too floaty for the office.
Shoes and Bags
A white dress gives you the chance to wear those statement shoes that you’ve only ever worn once. Red heels can look fantastic, but if red’s not your thing, how about electric blue? If you choose a white maxi dress, you could try a totally different look and wear ankle boots with it.
Accessories
How you accessorise very much depends on your personal style and the actual dress you are wearing. Ball gowns and wedding dresses tend to look better with diamonds and pearls. If it’s a short formal dress, keep your jewellery discreet, but if it’s a floaty white maxi dress, you could try something with coloured beads. As a general rule of thumb, if the dress is plain white, you can add the colour in your accessories to dress it up or down, depending on your mood and the occasion.
Material
Of course, the material matters too. Heavier materials tend to look more formal, so you would want to keep your shoes and accessories in that arena. Lighter materials might give you more scope.
Final Words
Unless it’s a formal event, don’t wear black shoes. Don’t wear white shoes either, unless you are wearing your wedding dress.
