Looking effortlessly chic in a white shirt and black trousers requires the classic swan technique: frantic paddling below the surface
Black – edgy, minimal, chic, slimming, solid black – was the hallmark of the fashionista for years. But this fashion shorthand doesn't work any more, because solid black has gone mainstream. Look around a train carriage or a supermarket or a restaurant, and the odds are someone will be wearing solid black – and, unlike 15 years ago, there is no guarantee that the person wearing black will be the best dressed.
Oh, let's get to the point, shall we? What I'm getting at here is this: now that any old riffraff can wear black, how do the tastemakers differentiate themselves from the hoi polloi? Javier Bardem came up with an answer to this one. To make his Bond baddie truly modern, he dyed his hair Hitchcock blond, and the effect was all the darker and more striking for it. A shot of white or cream looks sharper and more surprising now than top-to-toe black.
Black and white is the combination to master for 2013, and the one rule to bear in mind is the need to avoid the obvious. Hardest to make work is a white top worn with black skirt or trousers. We immediately identify this as a work uniform, so if you're going to pull this off as a Look with a capital L, you need to work hard to make it compelling. Looking effortlessly chic in a white shirt and black trousers requires the classic swan technique: frantic paddling below the surface (perfect grooming, accessories, posture) in order to make everything seem serene and elegant.
Much easier is simply to turn the colour combination upside down. A black top with white trousers looks a great deal fancier than the other way around. True, you will have the constant worry about sitting on or leaning against any non-spotless surface – but this is good, because standing ramrod straight rather than slouching at once boosts your look.
I know what you're thinking. Who swaps black trousers for fat-making white ones on a fashion whim, right? Fair enough. Stick with your black trousers, but mix up black and white on top, to avoid being asked for the bill every time you walk through a cafe. And that's it. Colour blocking in black and white is brilliantly simple. Why didn't we think of this before?
• Jess wears shirt, £32, by Littlewoods. Trousers, £125, Jaeger. Heels, £670, by Gina.
Stylist: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Dani Richardson at danirichardson.co.uk using Lancôme.