How do YOU wear white?

A few weeks ago I wore an all white outfit for an entire day and at least one piece of white clothing the following two days in an effort to see if I could keep myself clean for 72 hours.  What I realized when I accepted this challenge* is that

#1 I don’t have much white in my closet, and #2 I stopped wearing white of any sort around the time my daughter was born almost 13 years ago.

I wore head-to-toe white on the first day, just to get it out of the way and see if it was actually possible to go an entire day in white without looking crazypants.  I pulled out a pair of white jeans I only wear when I’m away from the kids, and even then only for a few hours at a time.  This outfit is pretty close to what I wore, pops of color in my purse, shoes, necklace, bracelets, and earrings.  I couldn’t help myself, and I really tried.

White just isn’t practical in my life with two kids and a horse, a black cat, and whatever else comes my way on any given day.  I didn’t even realize it was a rule I made for myself, it was just an unconscious decision I made (probably) in 1999.  I was happily surprised to find only one small stain on my pants (I’m looking at you, dinner) on day one, and no other major stains on days 2 and 3 even though I helped a team assemble a kids playhouse with fresh paint on canvas and spent time on a chairlift in the mountains.  I’m totally impressed with myself.  Granted, the kids weren’t anywhere near me and I didn’t make dinner or do dishes the whole time I wore white.  Still, it’s a milestone.

Here’s what I learned about wearing white:

• It’s impossible for me to not to wear at least a few pops of color in my shoes and accessories.
• White actually makes more of a statement than wearing bright colors like jade green or bright red.
• Sure white isn’t as slimming as black or navy, but it can look really sexy and slimming if paired with the right accessories.
• White looks good on almost everyone, even if just one piece at a time.

My question to you is how do YOU wear white?  Do you wear white at all?  If so, what are your tricks for keeping clean, I’d love to know!

*Tide sponsored this challenge + supplied me with a bottle of laundry detergent to help me erase the inevitable stains I created.

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!