OOTD: Summery White and Black

White and Black Dressing, my summer uniform.

Jun 17, 2025

**OOTD: black Uniqlo t-shirt, black Stone Island jacket, white trousers from Universe Works, and black Church’s loafers.**

Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed yesterday’s post. I’ve officially retired denim from my wardrobe this summer, opting for cooler, gentler fabrics. I’ll be writing about them here.

I am starting to write a little more about my personal style on Style Beat, while maintaining a diverse drumbeat on the subject at hand. Today’s post (and look) is as translatable as you can get between menswear and womenswear. Honestly, if there is crossover aesthetic, it’s white and black summer dressing.

For today’s feature, a short dissertation on White & Black Summer Dressing. For 5 Things To Pack, I sifted through the sale at Neiman Marcus for sandals. This season’s variety feels a lot more diverse than last year’s. I hereby introduce you to Simon Miller shoes, their platform sandals are heavenly. Check ‘em out. And I really liked Jacquemus’s croc sandals. You’ve got a really good round-up today. Let’s get to it.

**Photo on the Place de la Concorde, Paris. 17/06/2025**

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As someone who wears full-black at least twice a week, I decided to flip the switch. Go cold-turkey on my dark jeans and add a carte-blanche of color: the white trouser. I feel enlightened. The severity of the denim gone in an instant, replaced by cooler, sun-reflecting cotton.

It would be a stretch to say that I am reinventing my wardrobe. Hearty pieces like my Stone Island military (I prefer to think of it as a biker) jacket, years old loafers, Ray-Ban wayfarers, and a simple black tee still crowd my closet, and make me feel like myself.

I write as a toasty 83 degree sun beats down the Place de la Concorde—the change feels refreshing.

Like Paris, White and Black summer dressing has been around forever. Although it is derived from black tie, consider the former its minimalist iteration. The aesthetic strives for a fresher, cooler form of classicism.

As someone who avoids being precious about their clothing, opting for functionality and ease, I’m thrilled about White and Black summer dressing as a methodical solution to giving my wardrobe its chops, and keeping it light.

As an American expat in Paris (cue in Emily in Paris joke), as someone who’s been watching Parisians dress for a decade, White and Black dressing feels like the space where French and American style intersect. The careful point in where Inès de la Fressange and Marlon Brando meet.

In some ways, shedding the skin of my jeans feels like a recalibration of my Northern star. A little less salt in my food, and a little more pepper to mirror my suddenly changing hair color.

And it feels good.