Black and White Fashion Trends for Spring 2009

Every time a new fashion season comes around, someone misquotes Diana Vreeland and tells fashionistas what the new black is. The fashionistas then predictably ignore this advice and go on buying black skirts, black pants and black tops. It's kind of amusing to watch, especially when you're imagining Stacy and Clinton rolling their eyes. But the truth is that both sides of this debate have a point. Black is always easy, appropriate and slimming, though it can be boring if it's the only thing in your closet.

Fortunately, one of the strongest trends for spring 2009 presents a truly workable compromise-black and white. This timelessly chic combination has always been a classic look, but today it's getting a modern spin with the use of bold graphics, making it less Coco Chanel and a bit more Marc Jacobs. Here are some tips on how to wear black and white for maximum visual impact.

The current version of black and white is '60s mod inspired. Think long tops, short skirts and sleeveless for spring. This very pop art look stays within the range of tasteful by avoiding loud, obnoxious color. Proportion is crucial to the equation. Gwen Stefani may be able to get away with horizontal black and white striped shorts, but most of the rest of us can't, so limit the black and white to one piece of your outfit. If you're going for a really eye-catching print, look for some long, flowy tops and pair them with sexy pencil skirts or slim black pants.

On the other hand, if you're wearing a tiny top with a black and white print, avoid wearing long flowing skirts because the contrast will cut your body in half visually and make you look stocky. Tiny tops are better paired with skirts that are shorter if they're voluminous, or skirts of any flattering length that have slim lines. For pants, wear cigarette pants if you can get away with them; if not, wide-legged pants aren't quite as wide as long skirts can be, meaning they'll work as well.

If you're not that body confident, an easier way to follow the trend is to wear white tops with black skirts. This look can appear boring and uniform if you go too simple with it, but stars like Kristen Bell, Chloe Sevigny and Kate Hudson have put their own spin on it by wearing playful tops with more traditional black skirts. Kristen favors tops with unusual shapes, Chloe goes with amusing prints on a mostly white background and Kate takes the easy route to adding visual interest by unbuttoning sheer white tops very low.

Black and white doesn't only have to be for tops, though. You can wear the look below the waist if you follow a few guidelines. One is that black and white prints on skirts and pants are easier to wear if black is the background and the white part of the pattern is small. Black skirts with small white motifs on them will read black to the mind, and offer the same slimming effects.

Skirts with a mostly white background or with equal amounts of black and white are hard to wear with dark tops. Remember Gwen Stefani's shorts? The reason most of us can't wear them is because the black and white stripes compete for attention, causing the eye to roam around all over your skirt and fooling the mind into thinking we're wider than we are. However, there's one way you can wear skirts with white backgrounds and look like a fashion genius because most people don't know how to do it. White background skirts with black patterns that draw the eye up and down have a serious slimming effect.

Also, if you've got great legs, wearing a plain black top with a short white skirt can draw the eye to them. Designer Michael Kors is a major advocate of this look and is famous for stating that white on top plus black on the bottom makes you look like a waiter, but the other way around is one of the chicest combinations you can wear. This may have more to do with the fact that most people aren't happy enough with their figures to wear it, but if you are gifted with a figure like Heidi Klum's, by all means show off your assets.

Another great way to hop on the black and white bandwagon without making too much of a commitment is to do it with accessories. Those black tops paired with black skirts look much more interesting if you wear a skinny white belt, and none of the slimming power is lost. Black and white handbags are very much a part of the current fashion moment, and a black and white patterned scarf can look effortlessly chic over a black outfit. Do yourself a favor, though, and limit yourself to one black and white accessory at a time or you'll commit the horrendous sin of being "matchy-matchy" and may find yourself as a Glamour "Don't."

That point brings us to the question of what kind of shoes to wear with black and white. White shoes are almost never a good look because they remind people of nurses, who remind people of hospitals, which freak people out-freaking people out should not be the goal of your outfit. Black shoes are fine but they may be too visually heavy for spring. There are three workable solutions to this issue-wear white strappy sandals with narrow straps (there's nothing the slightest bit nurse-like about them), wear a pair of colored shoes like red, cobalt blue or yellow for a jot of visual contrast, or go metallic (silver goes better with black and white than gold, although gold can look very chic if you're wearing plain white or black).

Black and white is a great trend because unlike many things the would-be Diana Vreelands try to shove down our throats, it's very wearable for the real world.