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You must remember the cover of Blondie's Parallel
Lines: those grinning boys in tight black suits, lined up like weedy
bodyguards behind the girl in a sleek white dress, hands on her
hips? And how about the Blonde One's haircut? Less than white-gold
perfection, black roots stream through those peroxide locks like
chocolate sauce daubed on vanilla ice- cream. Debbie Harry, glamorous
punk, made roots rock. And this summer is seeing a revival of two-tone
hair.
The moment's model is Delfine Bafort, proud owner
of a Cruella de Vil do. Versace's current ad campaign stars the
supermodel Malgosia, short hair striped blonde and black. It's a
transient hair trend, bound to be as short-lived as the shaven sides
of the "Fanni" cut, but the Blondie "stripe" also hints at the most
vivid fashion look for this summer: the stark contrast of black
and white.
The black and white clothes recently seen on the
catwalks were far removed from the safety of white-top, black-bottom.
They were mixed in floral, stripe and chequer patterns, given an
edge with (yikes!) white shoes, but mostly used to make the kind
of visual impact that colours can only dream of. Tom Ford, at Yves
Saint Laurent, and Ralph Lauren awarded black and white exclusive
rights to their spring collections. It's easy to see why Ford did
it. His YSL debut was made in a maelstrom of rumour and writ, with
expectations sky-high, so he sent out an authoritative monochrome
collection.
A cynic might point out that black and white photographs
well, but his no-colour scheme also spoke of his desire to be definite,
sure and in control. He genuflected to both the house's illustrious
past with his white version of the Le Smoking trouser suit, and
to a potentially brilliant future with his sleek white sheath dresses,
bound wide at the waist with a black sash. Black and white is a
very contemporary history lesson. It appeared modern to designers
from the past, and now it's both modern and retro.
That's why it's also a Ralph Lauren signature, revived
for this summer in myriad stripes and chevrons, piping and pearls
that reference vintage race-going fashions. Two-tone "spectator"
shoes, tattersall checks, and Cecil Beaton's famous black-and-white
costumes for the Ascot scene in My Fair Lady all recall how black
and white was the attire of the leisured classes, the rich seam
of inspiration that Lauren has mined to make his name.
Lauren's wealthy chic has to compete for nostalgic
capital with the Op Art fashion of the Sixties. The Sixties is defined
by the black-and-white fashion images of photographer William Klein:
dolly- bird models in black- and-white striped dresses step out
onto a zebra crossing, or throw performance- art poses in the Space
Age fashions of Andre Courreges and Pierre Cardin, (who both made
instinctive connections between modernity and a black-and- white
scheme).
The London designer Markus Lupfer took the monochrome
route for his Mod and punk-inspired summer collection. "I think
black and white is a really good way to look hard and strong, and
it's exciting but also subtle," he says. "It's never going to be
over the top, where colour could be too much, trying too hard."
A floral print in black and white, seen at both Louis Vuitton and
Prada, shows how controlled pattern can be in the absence of colour.
If you want to try some of the harder stuff, go
for a chequer pattern. It could be a small dose, on Prada's woven
shoes or on a wide belt, as seen at Alexander McQueen's last collection
for Givenchy. Comme des Garcons' optic print dresses are strictly
hardcore, but worn with the calming influence of plain black, the
loudest print can be tamed. A chequered tunic from McArthur Glen
(£59) can get the Eighties treatment with a black miniskirt and
footless tights, so you won't feel like one of the dancing dollies
on Ready, Steady, Go! after all.
But maybe, like Debbie Harry, you're more a stripe
woman. Nearly nautical, not exactly Sixties, a black and white striped
top is the least retro way to wear monochrome. Louis Vuitton and
Prada heed your cry. They both showed horizontal stripes, irregularly
spaced, to make the most desirable buys for summer. Their stripes,
like the asymmetric version from Karen Millen (£59.95), were
more white than black, but Giorgio Armani and Costume National took
the opposite view, with thin white bands running horizontally or
diagonally on boat-neck T-shirts or punky vest-tops.
If you really love wearing colours, all year round,
you won't be persuaded. But black and white is the best alternative
for those who tire of the summer tyranny of brights and pastels.
Summery, rainbow-hued fashion has a monopoly on warm-weather dressing.
Until now. If you want everyone to watch you this summer, switch
off the colour and turn up the contrast.
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