A Karl Lagerfeld exhibition opening in Bonn, a documentary about Iris Apfel, a closer look at the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, and other news from the style trenches this week.

• To commemorate Alexander McQueen, the fashion house is bringing out five limited-run scarves depicting some of the late designer’s most iconic runway moments.
• Just watching the trailer for the new Iris Apfel documentary makes me smile. Out in US theatres in May.
• Designer Mary Katrantzou has won the 2015 BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund Prize.
• The Karl Lagerfeld exhibition opening in Bonn this Saturday focusses on the designer’s “most enduring fashion ventures”.
• If you’ve been curious about the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, you can now check out the lookbook online.
• Manolo Blahnik teams up with renowned German legwear brand Falke for a small collection of unisex socks.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that publishing mogul Condé Montrose Nast was the person who came up with the “crowded page” layout format (first used for Glamour magazine in 1939). Before that, Condé Nast publications consisted of white pages with only one or two pictures per page.

I mentioned in a recent post about pastels that I enjoy the soft shades combined with black and white together. That way you keep the bold of the black and the freshness of the white. I particularly like black and white worn with light blue. And faded denim can be used as the light blue component of the ensemble, which instantly makes the combination more wearable. 

There are many, many effective ways to combine these colours, both with solids and patterns. Black and white patterns can be worn with faded denim bottoms. Light blue trousers can be worn with colour blocked black and white tops. Create a column of colour with faded jeans and a denim shirt, top with a black jacket, and finish off the look with white footwear and bag. Wear a white dress with a light blue jacket and black footwear. The possibilities are endless. 

Here are three on trend smart casual looks to get your creative juices flowing: 

White Jeans, Black Top & Light Blue Topper

Combine white jeans with a black top and light blue jacket. Add black shoes and a white or black bag. A black belt is optional if you’re going to partially tuck the front of the top. I’ve chosen a fashionable drape front blouse, but do choose a style that works for you. I’ve also added a patterned top that works with the palette if prints are your thing. I’ve kept the shoes casual with a pair of slip-on sneakers, but booties, cut-out booties, sandals, loafers, slipper flats, wedges and ankle strap flats would also work well. 

Black Bottoms, White Top & Denim Jacket

This is the easiest way to wear the colour palette. Combine black bottoms with a white top and faded blue denim jacket. Finish off the look with white or black footwear, and a light blue, white or black bag. I’ve chosen black culottes, but a black skirt or pair of trousers will do just fine. A light blue jacket will work just as well as a denim one. 

Faded Bell-Bottoms, Pussy Bow Blouse & Vest 

This is the ‘70s rendition. Combine a pair of faded denim flares with a white pussy bow blouse (also known as a neck-tie blouse), and complete the look with a black topper, pointy toe pumps and chain handle bag. I’ve chosen a vest, but a short black jacket works equally well. I vote tuck the blouse in for a true ‘70s vibe. Add a skinny belt if you need to fill out those belt loops. Heeled pointy toes work well under flares because the toe boxes peek out from under the hems. Platform wedges are another footwear option. Add jewellery, scarves, headgear, eyewear and watch as desired. 

I wear this colour combination quite frequently. Recently, I combined my light blue satin trousers with a contrast overlay sweater and white Paul Green loafers. I finished off the look with my citron trench and turquoise bag, which takes the palette in another direction. But indoors, without the topper and bag, it’s this palette to a T. I can also create a similar vibe to the ‘70s ensemble above with a new white pussy bow blouse I bought in Hong Kong.

It was clear from the runway shows in September that gingham would be having a moment again this Spring. While I haven’t yet seen many gingham pieces in the stores in my neck of the woods, the pretty checks are all over the internet:

• Why Gingham Is This Season’s Go-To Print.
• Fashionista shares suggestions on How To Wear Gingham This Spring.
• Yahoo! Style brings us 10 Gingham Pieces That Won’t Make You Look Like a Picnic Blanket.
• 20 Too-Cute Gingham Pieces to Snag This Spring.
• 8 Great Gingham Pieces to Wear Now.

Fab Links from Our Members

Viva loved hearing Ines de la Fressange speak in this video interview on mixing high and low-end pieces, closet size, and wardrobe purging.

She also found an interesting article about Michelle Obama’s recent “Let Girls Learn” trip and her wardrobe choices. It talks about the message she may be sending that you can dress “like a girl” and still be tough.

E enjoyed this post from the costume designer of the historical series Outlander about creating a mix-and-match travel wardrobe, 18th century Highlands style.

La Belle Demimondaine thinks the message in Into Mind’s blog post about why she doesn’t believe in dressing for her body type should be shouted from the ramparts.

Diana loved this post from AJ Wears Clothes where she rebuts an article about trends short women shouldn’t wear by showing fantastic examples of herself wearing exactly those things.

Joy wants to share this interesting WSJ article about flat footwear. Be sure to browse the slide show with fun facts too.

Annagybe enjoyed Simon Doonan’s tongue-in-cheek take on how to charm up your personal style. And she is all for more hats!

Laurinda liked this initiative: female scientists sharing pictures of their footwear to support an eight-year-old girl who was disappointed that Clarks dinosaur shoes were marketed for boys only.

Angie points us to Sally’s post about how the sizing of petite clothing works in retail stores.

Rabbit thought the metal bands T-shirt hoax played on H&M this week ties in with last week’s article about hipster clothing brands appropriating youth culture but not understanding it.

Caro in Oz loves that Tuyen Tran, Winner of the 2015 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion, sources the materials for her clothes locally.

This particular set of colour combinations seems to stir up a lot of emotion. Some love it, some loathe it, and some like it in small doses. The combination has been considered at times fashionable and at times quite the faux pas over the years, but one thing is for sure. In 2015 wearing pastels with black might not be your cup of tea, but it’s certainly not a faux pas. 

The outfits here that match black with blush, apricot, sea foam, lemon and baby pink look good to my eye. The pastels look a little harsher and muddier next to black than they would look next to a lighter colour that created a lower contrast. But it’s not an unattractive, disjointed or jarring combination. Although we can’t see the heads of the models, black hair would pull together the colour palette even further. I vote yay.

That said, I still prefer outfits that combine pastels with shades of white, faded denim and metallics. The pictures below represent the look well. Pastels look fresher and more vibrant when worn with white. The lower contrast between the colours also makes the palette look more soothing, soft and cohesive. Light neutrals like dove grey and tan can be used instead of white, but the combination won’t look quite as crisp or graphic.

I usually suggest adding more white (bright white, off-white, bone or cream), and faded denim to a client’s wardrobe when they’re interested in wearing pastels more frequently because the palette creates a lovely soft and fresh look. It’s also a way of changing things up from wearing pastels with dark neutrals like black, charcoal, ink, chocolate and dark blue denim.

Finally, I love black and white worn with a pastel, effectively combining the two extremes above. That way you keep the bold contrast of the black, but freshen things up with the white. Think black bottoms, white top and light blue topper. Or white bottoms, black top and blush topper. Or mint top, black jeans, white belt and white shoes. 

Over to you. Do you like pastels paired with black? Or do you prefer them with white and low-contrast colours.