Fashion Friday: White on White

It was a coincidence that Nancy decided to help me name my previous outfit ‘Black on Black’, and Elisa asked me if I actually wore a lot of white, and it turned out that a few of my recent purchases had a few white pieces. I never used to wear a lot of white, mainly because I was concerned about the sheerness of some white clothing, and you kind of have to get the right shade of white so it’s not too blinding.

I know I said recent purchases, which does imply that I haven’t been limiting my wardrobe. But trust me, I have been disposing of many of my clothes at H&M to contribute to their sustainable clothing program. They give you a 15% off voucher to use on the purchase of a single item in store, and they accept clothes in any condition to resell, reuse and recycle to create new clothes, or to be used for things like insulation. They are the only company or organisation I know of that gives you some kind of incentive. It’s a great option considering selling second-hand clothes (even clothes in good condition) can be really difficult unless you have designer or vintage items, and the general interest in second-hand clothes has decreased compared to a decade ago. I have to actually thank Holland for suggesting visiting H&M – without her suggestion I would just be giving my clothes to charity. I am hanging onto my H&M coupons until I really need to buy something. It’s just nice to at least get something in return for my used clothes.

I made some recent purchases from Carrislabelle and The Closet Lover, two Singaporean-based online fashion retailers. I have seen a lot of Singaporean fashion bloggers on my Instagram feed wear clothing from certain Singaporean brands. I think Singaporean style is really cute and classy. Maybe a little bit too cute and girly for my liking, but I still wanted to have a browse. I picked out seven pieces of clothing and it cost me about $150 including shipping. All in all, not too bad.

So yeah – white on white! A daring combination for me personally. But I like how it turned out and I like the slightly girly contrast compared to last month’s black.

The skirt was something I was not sure about because… well, because high-waisted flared skirts tend to only go with tighter tops. But I wanted a skirt very different to the skirts I currently own. That’s what I think when I buy clothes – I don’t want to buy anything similar to what I already own. The zippers on the skirt are just decoration, unfortunately, but it would be cool if they were functioning pockets. This skirt is from The Closet Lover and the quality is pretty good. It’s lined, so it means no problem with sheerness.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the knitted top when I bought it because I don’t usually wear crop tops. I never liked to wear them because I struggled with body image issues. But now I’m in a better place. (There is a post I am currently writing about my journey with diet and exercise, so I hope you are keen to read that.) I thought that since I own several high-waisted skirts and one high-waisted pair of jeans now, I can wear the crop top with them without showing too much skin. So this skirt became a perfect match for the top! The top would be great for the beach, too.

Just as well it was a hot day, the afternoon reaching 30ºC. I walked all the way to the park to meet Nick instead of catching a bus, so not only did I get some exercise, but I stayed nice and warm. I get cold easily, even from a little wind, so walking and moving was a good idea. I actually did wear the white blazer I wore in Slow Dawn with this outfit, but I didn’t really want to include it as it didn’t look that good and it was hot. Very white indeed, but the outfit looks cuter without the blazer.

Now that I have bought from Carrislabelle and The Closet Lover I don’t have to question their quality. I have a good idea of it now. Both seem to have a bit of a mid-range mix of OK quality and better quality across their clothes. I bought almost all these clothes on sale, but given the original retail price of some of these, I would not buy them at full price. The sizing is also typically Asian – just small, medium, large, rather than universal sizing. I didn’t have a problem with the sizing, though, and I chose what fit me according to the size charts. So not really a big issue.

I could have worn black shoes but I didn’t want a lot of contrast so I went for my brogues. Also because they kind of match my bag. I will admit I don’t have comfortable ballet flats (actually, I hate them, since I need shoes with a bit of a heel) or sandals, but I haven’t yet found a pair I like. It would make spring/summer outfits like this one much more comfortable if I had some more summery shoes. Oh well, that is a mission for a few months from now.

My nails are the Dotted style from Scratch. Although they had a sale recently, I resisted buying. I still have quite a few packs of nail wraps to go through, and now that I have pared down my nail polish collection, I want to paint my nails regularly with those colours to make sure they continue to get used. I like the style of these nail wraps, since they are part transparent. They might look good with a colour underneath as well, but I do like them as they are. I think the colour is a nice contrast with the white in the outfit.

The earrings I am wearing are also new! I bought them from RabbitsFantasyWorld, an Etsy store based in the Netherlands. The package came quicker than I expected (maybe only about eight days, when I was expecting at least two weeks). I had searched far and wide for stainless steel or titanium earrings for all my ear piercings. As I mentioned in my recent post about continuing to destroy my jewellery obsession, the claws of my titanium earrings were coming loose and I wanted some simpler earrings. I can’t wear non-precious metals because my ears get infected, so I was so glad I found this affordable little store. The shipping was not pricey either. And they have many other simple designs in store. The quality is exceptional, and yes, I have worn these earrings in the shower like I usually do with precious metal earrings. And they have survived and done really well. :)

I really wanted shorter bars for the lowest part of my lobe but I suppose this size is alright. I should have bought them in all the same colour but I was actually only intending to wear two at a time and change the lowest part of my lobe… I like these earrings too much though! I love them.

The necklace was a choice I made on a whim. I have quite a few necklaces but they are very long, and a shorter chain was better suited to this top. I picked out this delicate one I’ve had for a while. I usually wear it under the collar of tops, but I think it looks better on an open neck. :P

I have recently been wearing a hair tie on my wrist all the time. I find that it comes in handy and there is nothing wrong with a simple black hair tie. Sometimes if my hair is bothering me at work, I will tie it up. Speaking of my hair, though, I do love my new haircut. I get less pissed off at the style and it’s really simple, I can tuck my hair behind my ears and because it’s now parted in the middle it doesn’t look as stupid, and leaving it in front of my ears doesn’t look stupid either. It’s easy to maintain. :D

Photography by Nick.

Outfit details

• Top: Carrislabelle (White knitted top)
• Skirt: The Closet Lover (Double zipped skirt in white)
• Shoes: purchased in Florence
• Necklace: Lovisa
• Earrings: RabbitsFantasyWorld on Etsy
• Sunglasses and Bag: Fossil
• Nails: Scratch (Dotted)

White is not a colour that is suited to everyone, but what do you think of white? Do you wear white often?