Denim & White

Friends,

I just received a notice of dilemna from my dear friend, Joanna. It seems that her family has decided to do the infamous Family Photo al a denim and white theme. In my experience this has never been a success, therefore, I need your help in directing our little Joanna towards the perfect white top and denim bottom....

Dear Joanna,

I wish I could go directly to Rachel Zoe for this one because when I tried to research stylish white tops with denim things came up all 1990's trailer-park-ish with an odd teenage slightly slutty twist. I don't recommend Google for these searches. What I did find, when my mind so cleverly told me to try investigate these separately, was this:

jcrew

 I have come to believe that adding lace, ruffle, a hint of color, or detail to a white top in such photos can make you really pop, whereas a flat white can wash you out and tend to leave you not exactly loving the photo. We want this to be a keeper. 

Anthropologie

Now this is how you do Denim and White! 

Rachel Bilson glitters in a navy D&G sequin blazer, white top and jeans, toted around Jimmy Choo’s yellow “Zulu” clutch.

Vanessa Hudgens in J Brand Jeans

Here's the bottom line, YOU, my dear, can look great, classic, timeless, like a true Ralph Lauren poster girl fresh off the wild flower fields, but when you add "family photo" to the equation things just tend to get crazy, unpredictable and well, not everyone is going to be happy. It's just the facts. You, my dear, are fortunate to be on the most positive end of this spectrum because your family is in fact stylish, more or less tan, and I doubt would be the type to do something regretable. That being said, just make you look cute and crop the photo if things get carried away, like say, Aunt So and So still thinks denim jumpers are in style or some one brings out the acid wash with the elastic ankles.

As for the denim, stick with dark and skinny (you have those sassy Calvin Klein's I adore) and definitely stay clear of shorts or skirts because you never know where in these photos you might end up...I always end up sitting on the dirt ground and skirts are a poor choice in those circumstances. But I don't have to tell you these things.

When in doubt, you can always accessorize with a scarf (like Jessica Biel's above), chunky necklace or some fabulous bangles to spice up the pictures. I might recommend a adding a spice of color by way of footwear too.

Hopefully one of these tops helped my dear and perhaps a little inspiration from the stars?

Love, Love! 

-Chels