Our Bollywood divas have mastered the art of rocking the white colour. From Karishma Kapoor, Anushka Sharma to Alia Bhatt and Sara Ali Khan, this classic trend is here to stay. But white outfits can be tricky to style and what looks like an effortless styling requires a lot of knowledge of shades and pairing. To help you style your white with elegance, we got industry professionals to spill some secrets.

Pairing it right
White comes with its own shades which include cream, ivory, off-white to name a few. But is pairing different shades of white a good idea? Fashion Designer Anupama Dayal feels working with white is a tricky business, she says, “White is a really difficult colour because the undertone matters a lot, whether it’s bluish or has a yellowish tinge, the colour will have to eventually flatter the complexion. If you use bluish one, it ends up making Indian colours look grey, so it’s wiser to use yellows. Go for a colour which will eventually be like a shade of cream.” Fashion designer Amy Billimoria feels that skin tone also plays a role when picking the correct shade of white. “If you’re slightly wheatish, opt for a more off-white and not a stark white, also if you’re very fair, your texture will seem very pale if you’re wearing a stark white dress. Despite white being a classic colour, the shade of white you wear depends on your skin tone,” she says.

Game of texture
Being a subtle colour, adding texture to your white outfit can up your fashion game. Celebrity stylist Eshaa Amiin agrees and says, “Different kinds of white fabrics put together in one outfit is also a trend that we are seeing. You can mix georgette with crepe; you could have a nice hakoba with another self-embroidered fabric. A lot of resort wear also have a mix of knitting with sheer fabrics and self-textured embroidered fabrics, so it all works together when it’s the same shade rather than being different shades. It’s important that it’s the same shade of white you can’t mix different shades of white.” Looking at traditional textures, the options are infinite and so are the combinations. “It’s a challenge but in the Indian context, you can choose like a chikankari or a kanjivaram with a white and creamish border. There is gorgeous handloom which can be chosen within the white,” explains Anupama.

Accessorise it right
Be it a floral scarf, a pair of pink boots or subtle golden jewellery, accessories add life to your outfit better than anything else. Eshaa sees a white outfit as an empty canvas, and accessorising it right completes the art, she says, “I think white gives you the perfect canvas to accessorise. Depending on the vibe of your outfit, you could either go with a pop of colour, or you could do a whole Grecian vibe and wear beaten gold jewellery.” Sharing her own wardrobe secrets, Amy says, “You could wear a simple white dress for brunch and style it with a floral scarf. So, what I personally do is, wear long scarves that drape over your dresses. The basic white dresses are down and your scarf is over it.”