How to dress like a grown up: Black sucks life out of a midlife face, writes fashion guru SHANE WATSON, but it IS far more chic when the sun shines

Monochrome is an unpleasant term in my book: it sounds cold and metropolitan and the exact opposite of summer, so let’s call it black and white because – and I’m surprised I’m writing this – I feel in the mood for black and white.

I have pants and tops in black and white, a black cotton dress and one with a black and white print; these are the summer pieces I’ve been drawn to, unplanned, and I didn’t see it coming.

How about a bright summer color? How about ocean blue and orange and a cheerful bright pink print? Don’t we know that black sucks the life out of a midlife face faster than Ozempic? Isn’t white pretty much the same, just harder to keep clean? Shouldn’t we women in our bus pass years avoid these two like the plague?

Actress Demi Moore in all black at a red carpet event at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles, California, on May 29, 2024, for the launch of the FX show Feud: Capote Vs The Swans

Juliette Lewis goes for the two-tone look during a photocall for her Sacred Lies TV show at the London West Hollywood hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

Well, I support all of the above, but in the summer the right black and the right white in the right context are something completely different.

The rules change when the fabric is lighter – like cheesecloth, which today is no longer the scratchy stuff we wore in the 1970s, but soft, messy and flattering on the skin. This fabric is my big discovery for summer: it’s cool, relaxed, has a natural texture so it doesn’t look wrinkled and when you hang it to dry, you don’t have to iron it.

Likewise, I’m a convert to summer black, even though I shy away from it in the cool months. Fabrics are lighter in summer, you can unbutton the neck and roll up the sleeves to show some skin, so the overall impact is less severe, and in summer black is more original and adaptable.

A dress with a cheerful print is beautiful at a summer party or a wedding, but if you want to look fresh at work or going out in the evening, it doesn’t have the same versatility. Black can look sophisticated and elegant, sharp and modern or simply combined, depending on how you style it.

A smart black dress – with long sleeves and full skirt with a sash belt (£225, jasperconran.com) or with cap sleeves and button closure up to the waist (€ 79.99, zara.com) – is a dynamite one-stop look for big work days with black or tan sandals, and for a night out with red heels and lipstick or gobby silver jewelry.

Try Boden for the heels (£135, boden.co.uk) and Marks & Spencer for high-impact earrings – the silver-tone folded earrings are a bargain (£16, marksandspencer.com).

You can’t go wrong with black from head to toe and good accessories (silver is big for summer), but the fashion-forward way to wear black this summer is with white. White softens black and keeps it from looking too funereal, and the combination of the two is now fresher than white and navy. Two plain fabrics separated by a stripe is a good choice: a black and white striped T-shirt (€8.99, zara.com) under a soft, cropped black jacket (£149, hush-uk.com) with a black midi skirt (€ 32.50, marksandspencer.com) For example.

Otherwise there’s the option for a print, for example a dress with a light stripe, black on white, such as Anthropologie’s button-up midi shirt dress (£165, anthropology.com).

I like the white cheesecloth blouses from Me+Em or the Parker blouse from Wyse (£125, wyselondon.com) to wear with sagging black pants, but a black top is better in the evening. With black you can get away with fringes and ruffles. Zara’s Embroidered Top with Openwork and Scalloped Hem (£59.99, zara.com) will put on pants, black or white.

Black and white accessories can make a big impact – try these silver-tone folded earrings from Marks & Spencer – a bargain at just £16

Zara’s Woman Collection includes this shirt for $59.99, made from 100 percent spun cotton with a johnny collar, below-the-elbow sleeves, matching openwork embroidery detail and a scalloped hem

In the office you always have to take the air conditioning into account, let alone those unseasonably cold days, and a jacket in an off-white and black striped knit with gilt buttons is an everyday smarty (£35.99, zara.com) — a Breton T and a Chanel jacket in one. Just add black or white to the bottom.

White from head to toe isn’t something that suits me, but I’m all for a white jacket with sharp lapels, like the one from Zara (€65.99). Worn with a striped T-shirt, black cropped jeans and sandals, this is the kind of Cannes week look that anyone can get away with. I would wear this or the reverse – black jacket, white trousers – instead of a colored trouser suit. It feels more now.

Last but not least, when you’re packing for a vacation, it’s wise to maximize your options and the most effective option maximizer is a predominantly black and white palate: black pants and white tops for day, black for evening ( try Me+ Em’s range of black cheesecloth dresses in every style imaginable, meandem.com). That’s not all you’ll pack in your suitcase, but it’s a pretty good foundation.