White, a colour that is both timeless and simplistic, has a strong presence in the latest fashion trends. It is dominating the spring/summer 2024 runway with a plethora of white-themed outfits. They range from separate broderie anglaise and lace fashioned like stucco, found at Valentino and Balenciaga to Prada’s immaculately designed white dresses paired with yellow mules.
This surge of white was most noticeable at a recent Democratic Congress in the United States where Democratic Women’s Caucus members donned white attire along with pins that read “Fighting for Women’s Reproductive Freedom”. This dress code pays homage to the suffragette movement and is a powerful symbol of women’s issues.
With its multitude of shades, white has the ability to flatter different skin tones. As stated by Dublin fashion designer, Roisin Pierce, optic white carries a blueish hue, whereas, milk white alters under sunlight. The two shades should never be combined, with optic being the easier shade to match with other colours. There is indeed a vast and commanding array of whites: These include the tones of cream, eggshell, alabaster, ivory, ecru, vanilla, and chalk.
A notable example in fashion history is the renowned all-white collection by Valentino in 1968, titled “Collezione Bianca”. Former First Lady, Jackie Kennedy chose an outfit from this collection for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis. This season, Valentino continues to celebrate white with a balance of femininity and practicality in their collection featuring white T-shirt dresses, lace tops styled with jeans, and lace duster coats.
Fashion stylist, Sinéad Keenan, is a fan of white mid-length dresses paired with cropped jeans or denim jackets. Although white can be slightly challenging for Irish complexions, a crisp white shirt or T-shirt provides a rejuvenated look.
Nikki Creedon, from the Havana boutique in Dublin, believes that tan accents and accessories, such as shoes, belts and bags, blend excellently with white dresses. She also notes that white dresses are never worn to weddings unless it’s a themed wedding – she describes an instance where the bride and her bridesmaids, including the mother of the bride, all dressed in white. Otherwise, pricier white dresses are usually seen at singnificant events, parties, or festivals.
In the recent Oscars event, the actresses that stood out in their white attires were Kirsten Dunst clad in Gucci, Emily Blunt dazzled in a Schiaparelli sequin ensemble, Florence Pugh wore a Simone Rocha ivory silk organza for an after-party, while Rashida Jones turned heads in a silk crepe piece by Dior Haute Couture that featured a deep v-neckline. However, the most stunning was definitely Jennifer Lawrence, sporting a dress that was first donned by Kate Moss in Givenchy’s final couture collection by Galliano in 1996.
With its tranquil and neutral hue, white naturally blends into the prevailing trend of a muted palette of subtle shades. It’s time to move on from the blacks and floral patterns and consider livening up the wardrobe for the summer of 2024.