White to Keep Warm & Cool, a Fashion Color for All Seasons

When the temperature drops low and the days get shorter, we tend to reach for our autumn and winter colors - brown, orange, red, black. However, this fall-winter season, white is the new black for me. Don't get me wrong, it's super easy to throw on an all-black outfit and look classy and put-together any day, but there's something different about an all-white outfit. White reflects light and seems to make our faces glow. White also makes it easier to see little details in the fabric that black just sometimes drowns out. Black might seem appropriate for the winter, but if you're trying to beat the gloominess not only in color but in mood, then white is the perfect remedy for these cold, dark days. If you're going to go for a monochromatic look, white is the way to go this season - it just seems to give you that extra sparkle and glow.

I've also included summer looks, because I don't think I'm going to do another post just on all-white outfits for the summer. White looks great under the bright sunshine of spring and summer, too. It's funny, because while it seems to fight the cold in the dead of winter, white double hustles by also giving a cooling effect in warmer weather - both on the eyes and in reality.


DRESSY & CHIC
What I love about all or mostly white outfits is that they act as a blank slate to show off the pops of color in these celebrities' accessories. For SNSD's Yoona (above), it's the colorful print in her shorts (I know, it looks like a skirt - that's how skinny her legs are -_-). She's wearing a loose, textured sweater from Jacquard. Actress-model Park Si-yeon shows off her engine red lips at a 'No Wear' event in NYC a few years ago. Hyosung from Secret flaunts her cherry red hair in a button-up paired with an interestingly textured tulip skirt. As for our lovely girl from SPICA (sorry, don't know what her name is), her bright orange clutch stands out from her simple but pretty button-down dress. Finally, my favorite girl Suzy layers white on white with a textured wool and mohair blend jacket from Theory at a fan signing event in December 2014. She shows off her pink lips and a maroon over-the-shoulder bag with her white outfit.

EVERYDAY CASUAL
I find these outfits the most interesting and inspiring because not only is it more applicable to our common-folk's wardrobe, but it's also harder to pull off an all-white outfit for the everyday look compared to, for example, a red-carpet look where it's the norm to wear bridal-like dresses.

Starting off, we have 4 Minute's Hyuna strutting in her white graphic tee whose white is only broken up by 2 red hearts interestingly placed so that it's cheeky and reminiscent of her summer hit song 'Red.' She paired it with skinnies and heels making it casual, but chic, and eye-catching because it's all-white. I love it. Next, actress Kim So-eun, recently popular with her gig on We Got Married (which I'm purposely avoiding because I know I'd get insanely jealous of her with Song Jae-rim. Pout.) and the mind-thriller Liar Game. I love this outfit from a photoshoot she did with Elle Girl back in September 2009. I love how the stylist did not shy away from using all white, layering white on white and finishing with a pair of white oxfords. Even though it's all one color, this color shows off the different textures in the outfit without drowning out any details. SNSD's Seohyun also goes for an all-white look at Incheon airport on her way to Nagoya, Japan this past summer. I also love that she doesn't shy away from going all-white, even accessorizing with a white clutch. Former Wonder Girls member Sohee brings out her innocence and light skin with another all-white outfit in Oh Boy! magazine's August 2014 issue. Finally, finishing off our casual train, rookie actress Yoon So-hee attended at a Nike Vogue collaboration runway show this past September with an appropriately sporty look. The red plaid shirt around her waist adds a pop of color to her outfit.

PROFESSIONAL
I didn't have to save too many professional outfits that are all or mostly white, but the two that I did save I love a lot. Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan (高圆圆) layered a white blazer over a chiffon dress choosing to show off some blue hues with an aquamarine bag and dark blue printed pumps. On the other hand, our ever-chic 'Barbie of Korea' Han Chae-young shows how you can accomplish a white professional look that's more appropriate for cooler temperatures with pieces from Balmain.

 

FORMAL, RED-CARPET

Let's finish with some dazzle and sparkle with some formal looks that were worn to the red-carpet or formal press conference events. There are many all-white looks for such events, but I've tried to pick some more interesting ones that aren't too bridal.

Actress Cha Ye-ryun glided the red-carpet with a simple white dress at the 2014 Boulder International Film Festival in October 2014. It isn't revealing at all but shows off her figure so well. She was recently in the idol-drama, She's So Lovely, which I heard was so horrible that even a seasoned actress like Cha couldn't save it. And actually, its fate seemed to have affected her greatly because her performance by itself wasn't good either. Poor her. Hopefully her future projects will go smoother.

Next is Taiwanese singer Hebe Tian of the famous girl trio S.H.E - are they still active? As in, are they still relevant? Anyway, here she shows off a dress that could easily look like a tent or tarp, but Hebe's smart and swings it around for the cameras to take it from drab to ethereal.

Chinese actress Shu Qi is more daring in this masculine-but-not look from Stephane Rolland's Spring 2014 Couture collection at the Bulgari LVCEA launch event in September 2014 that took place in Beijing. I love how the classic black tuxedo meant for guys is re-invented for a modern girl by making it pair with a floor-length gown and coloring it all in an off-white cream. White can feminize, too. See Paris, it's not all about the black.

This is one of my favorite looks from this post even though it's the closest to the traditional, white, bridal dress. Yoona makes her second appearance in this post with a lovely white dress at the red carpet for the 2014 KBS Music Festival this past December. I love that it's a little sexy and daring with the see-through tulle train. It perfectly shows off her legs-for-miles. It must have been a little difficult to walk in, but she wears it well with her hair down in loose curls.

Finally, Chinese actress Yang Mi wears a knee-length dress with interesting draping patterns. This is a perfect example of how the color white shows off the detailing in the draping without drowning it out, which I'm afraid black would do had this dress been in black.

And...that's it! Oh, I'm so glad. That took a long time to put together. I've had this post smoldering in my drafts folder forever. I'm happy to finally send it off and share with you all these outfit inspirations from our favorite Asian celebrities! Enjoy, and keep warm.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9