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Struggling with color matching to white pants, any advice?

rabbit

Veteran

Okay, so I don't have any light colored bottoms, and although I'd tried on white jeans and shorts before and never liked the fit or transparency, I found a pair of cropped DKNY skinny ones that I liked today. They fit great, roll nicely, inexpensive at Marshalls, not transparent, an optic white rather than a cream (my preference).

This could be the missing piece! I thought, I have silver shoes and belts, I have various patterned tops, including a snow leopard, with white in them, I can go silvery pale for summer like I enjoy going all dark mixed media in winter.

The problem is when I try on the outfits, they don't actually appear to work. The pants are TOO white. The white in inkblot, floral, and striped patterns reads slightly grayer and muddier at a distance in comparison to them. Even a white sweater looks a little bit creme in comparison.

I wonder if a very pale gray pant might actually work better and be less of a jarring tonal contrast with absolutely everything. I'm okay with occasionally going high contrast with a solid top, but I wanted more options.

Any thoughts? (sorry I have no camera access right now). Any recs for very pale cool gray cropped pants?

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I mix different whites and don't have a problem with it:optic white, cream, off white...I think it all works together, in my eyes anyway.

deb

Veteran

Check out Angie's pinterest board for white on white. It mixed white up.

http://www.pinterest.com/youlo.....-on-white/

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I mix my whites all. the. time.

At first I found it jarring/ strange. And I admit, there are a few that don't work as well or as easily, to my eye. But it's amazing how the eye adjusts. You may just have to wear the outfit around the house a bit at first. Try it first with a jacket layered over or something.

Admittedly, this might feel a bit easier to me because I am fair skinned and light haired. White sort of "blends" a bit, if you know what I mean -- mixed whites sort of echo my pasty, mousy colouring!

I think Claire actually tried to "tea stain" a pair of white jeans at one point. It didn't work and she ended up bleaching them back to optic white.

Having said that, the jeans may look especially startling now that they are brand new and may wear in to a less glaring white.

rabbit

Veteran

Thanks Sveta and deb --- You are right, looking at Angie's board I think I'm okay with the white on white slight variations in solids.

It's more the patterns that are getting to me. A pattern that to my eye looks high contrast with a lot of white and dark (for example if worn with denim blue or dark navy), is looking kind of dark and muddy against the white pants.

ETA: Suz I'm dark haired, but my skin is very pale, so I think the optic white color works with that (of course if I had a tan it would be even more awesome, but that doesn't happen )

Suz

(website)

Veteran

That is very interesting about the patterns. I guess we'll have to see some pics to see what you mean. Looking forward to that when you are able.

It's always sort of interesting when items that we think should work together somehow don't work as well when we get the new thing home.

Anonymous

If the white in your prints bothers you with the optic white pants, you could try wearing grey or nude shoes to make it look intentional. Actually it can be hard to keep pants really white with use. You could always deliberately wash them with your darks to grey the color. Optic white is fab with brights and strong contrast, as well as mixed white shades greys and tan/camel.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I like gray tops with white in summer. Madewell has some marled linen shirts that work well - gray linen seems to be a thing this year.

rabbit

Veteran

Joy, that's a good point, the color may change with time or I might hurry it along. I think I'll compare with a very pale gray just to see what works best with all my tops.

IK - I've got a ton of gray tops, so that is definitely an option.

Dee

Veteran

I don't have much in the way of suggestions but I'm following this thread with interest. I'm having a similar problem with my white jeans and, combined with the fact that I'm not loving the strong contrast with solid tops, mine keep going in and out of the donate pile. I'll be keeping an eye out for any WIWs with yours!

April

Veteran

My white jeans are the one thing that can make a solid, bright top feel okay to me. The white complements color in a way that I love.

Do you have any bright-colored tops that aren't a print? If so, see if it helps you to feel more comfortable in the white jeans.

Anonymous

Following closely- I bought a pair of white pants in Feb but they still have tags on- I'm really not sure what to do with them.

Thistle

Veteran

You have some fab advice. I personally don't mind the mixing of whites,even in patterns. You might also find, after a bit of wear and a few washes, the pants might not be so optic. Could just be me, though

I also like the white paired with cobalt blue a great deal.

I think the best thing would be to post a few pictures. Makes it easier to see what you are seeing as we are all pulling from what we think the patterns look like.

carter

Veteran

Try a different belt...something that blends with the top, ignoring the pants. I have taupe, grey and ivory belts that seem to pull the whole outfit together better for me than something with the same "shine factor" as the pants.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Haven't read other comments, but I wear mine with almost everything. I don't mind the white on white "white out" with different tones, but generally I don't have the varying shades of white to do this. "My" white is optic white - others wash me out. I wear it with other bold clear colours, cobalt being one of my favs. But I'm a high contrast gal. I don't think you are - what about shades of grey, denim? Gosh, anything.

Anonymous

If you have grey tops, definitely try them with your white pants. Add your silver shoes and belt and you have an outfit.

Anonymous

Busted! Suz remembers well. I had the same problem as you, rabbit, with my white jeans. I felt like they were so glaringly white that they didn't look good with the other whites and creams in my prints. The tea stain was a failure and I bleached my jeans back the way they started.

I'm trying to get used to the way my jeans look with the rest of my clothes but to tell you the truth, it still bothers me a little bit. I really appreciate it when things match, even though it's more modern when they're "off" a little bit. So I'm wearing them anyway, with everything, telling myself that it's okay.

crst

I think the important thing is to make it look intentional, then it works to my eye. Cream sweater and white jeans for example. I think that is why the patterns with slightly off white (I know exactly what you mean about how they appear)' don't work well for me with optic white. I feel like I look sloppy all day. I do admit to being obsessive about these things though.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Try your black tops with the white jeans first. That should fall into place right away.

rabbit

Veteran

Thanks all! I will try to take pics this evening, maybe compared to another pale pant. Good to hear different experiences on how white pants do and don't work for people.

I do have clear cobalt/purple tops and turquoise, and plenty of black as Angie mentions (which latter combo feels the most natural with my style). Some more experimentation is in order.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Rabbit, I sympathize. I prefer a slightly off-white shade to my white jeans for some of the reasons you're finding (coordinating easily with more shades of white in my tops) and also because ivory shades work better with my coloring than do bright whites. But it is so hard to find a pair of white jeans that meets all the other criteria--fit, fabric, price--that for me, getting a shade that is slightly off isn't a deal-breaker, especially if I'm not paying top dollar for them. Getting used to the look is easier than finding a pair of jeans that doesn't exist. Others have made great suggestions here, so I hope you'll keep what sounds like a 95% right pair for you and show us how you style them!

rabbit

Veteran

Brief update. I found 'not' white white jeans at the GAP. Their 1969 skinnies that have a very very subtle bluish/grayish wash on the front of the jeans, and a subtle cream wash on the back panel.

In bright or florescent light there was a clear difference between them and optic white jeans, and they 'color-matched' better with some of my patterned tops up close. They also worked with my other pale tops.

Unfortunately my camera and lighting in the evening isn't good enough to show it.

However, I'm sticking with the optic white. They fit better, hung better, were more opaque, and with the right belts worked fine with the prints and were much more awesome with the brights.

I think the key was blurring my vision so I saw patterned tops as just a single block of color, rather than something containing white details. (So a leopard top was in fact, a blurry medium gray for example).

Then I could pick belts and shoes and bags that provided the third element between this 'solid' color and the white pants. When I sharpened my focus again, the outfits worked much better.

Sometimes going very high-contrast with accessories was the key, so subtle shade variations between the white parts of a top and the pants became much less noticeable.

I'll try to post samples later in the week.

unfrumped

Veteran

I applaud your working through it!
I know all the advice about mixing whites bit I find it harder with prints, too, for some reason, too, so I was interested in hearing your experiences. " White- out" outfits seem to look better to me with mixes of solid- color items. Off white and tan or gray accessories help.
If you are still interested in gray, look at the GAP linen- cotton pants-- not cropped but can be rolled to different ankle- baring lengths.