The warm weather season is upon us and with it comes the opportunity to break out the white fashions. White clothing allows for a variety of engaging accent colors. Accessorizing around white reminds me of a blank canvas that I can lose myself in.
Jewelry, scarves, open toe shoes and sandals present in fabulous variations of the rainbow and love to paired with white ensembles.
Warm weather is magical, the melanin in black people transforms our skin into even prettier hues. Like the 31 skin tones found in the popular book for children, Colors Around Us, which affirms all black skin as beautiful and something to behold, the sun and melanin creates even more shades. We boast more flavors (shades) than Baskin Robin ice cream.
Of course we want to protect our skin by remembering to put on sunscreen if we’re going to be in the rays for long periods of time. We may be less susceptible to skin cancer than white people, but we can still get it. Lowering the risk is a lot easier. In addition to sunscreen, pick out a few fabulous hats to adorn as needed.
Wardrobe Planning
White linen – Linen is fabric that taps us on the shoulder reminding us a shift has occurred in the universe. One that will provide us with reasons to dress up for the next few months. Now that you have the memo, think linen dresses, pant suits, pencil skirts, and maxi’s all in the rich feel that linen provides. As much respect as I have for linen, I rarely wear it because of the strong wrinkle factor. I haven’t found a way to keep the wrinkles at bay once I’m seated. Even still, I never abandon the grown up look and feel linen represents.
White Dresses ‘“ I also love white dresses and skirts. Just above-the-knee-length and maxis that hit below my ankle, both make me smile. As mentioned at the top of this post, white is the a wonderful color to accessorize. That’s why, paper doll sets always contained at least one white outfit. I remember from my days of clothing coordination training derived from the thrill of cut-outs. The politically correct feminist side of me, wonders of men who would have made fashion better, but instead who settled for other careers because their parents looked down on sons who expressed an interest in learning the art of fashion coordination by experimenting with paper dolls. Those parents, who said, “dolls are for girls.” The sensitive side of me wonders what little boys do with such an innate desire. Those allowed to explore their creativity became some of the biggest names in fashion. Don’t sleep on the idea of being gifted talent for certain things. Especially not in the name of gender specifics. It’s powerful.
White Shoes ‘“ Warm weather even has a sense of humor. We know we’re supposed to exercise for better health. Especially as black people who have the highest proportion of everything nameable. Real Talk. As the concept of using sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer is a good idea, so is exercise. For this purpose we have white sneakers, of course the color scheme in gym shoes is as wide as the list is long. Gym shoes started out white before branching out. So yes, make sure some running, walking, move-it shoes are part of your warm weather shoe collection, and get your body moving.
Sandals – Pretty white sandals also look great on sunny days, and warm weather nights. Allow at least one pair to compliment some of your prettiest summer pieces.
White Pants – White pants are a favorite go to. So many fabrics and styles. Oh-la-la. I love the freshness they represent.
White Denim – Nothing says ‘I’m relaxed’ better than a comfortable pair of denim shorts or jeans. I have a certain passion for fringe. Another carry over from those beloved paper dolls. I’d make tiny cuts so that my paper dolls denim could have fringe at the bottom. Details matter, even when you’re ten-years old.
Bringing It All Together
As women we know our work is never really done. I’m sure you can agree see with the adage on some level. With warm weather comes the need to keep a running calendar of events, reminders, and an updated to-do list.
If you are like me I hold onto last years calendar just to see how fabulous I have been (in some cases) of keeping commitments and staying on top of promises to attend an array of functions. Warm weather means bridal showers, weddings, and graduations. Even functions like book club meetings that are meant to provide the opportunity for relaxation take preparation. Making time to simply chill can take become an exercise in scheduling.
I have slowed down to preserve my mental health. In my 30s I rarely had a weekend to kick back. Now, I make time. It is okay to say, ‘no’ gracefully, instead of running around until you are about to drop, in attempts to keep people from being angry.
Truth be told, we all know there are only twenty-four hours to a day and when you are worn out it is time to sit down and re-group.
When it comes to functions and affairs finding interchangeable fashion pieces that work well can save time, money and energy. Do you ever get tired of having to run to the mall, yet again to find something last minute? That takes more energy than planning and coordinating. Trust me I know.
Make sure to include fashion whites as you consider your warm weather wardrobe. Sun-filled days get even more cool points when we look good and feel comfortable.