Instead of talking about how you can make (even) a black and white outfit pop, I’ll share with you how a little bit of knowledge in design can help you polish your look in an instant. Being a Communication Arts graduate, I have always been interested in media and design. One of the many things I keep close to my heart is actually designing—particularly, designing for a publication.

Back in college, I was taught quite possibly the most basic yet very crucial design element there is—the concept of WHITE SPACE. White space is basically the empty space between and around the elements of a design. It gives the eyes of the reader or viewer breathing room, making the whole content seem more legible. It’s a simple element that does wonders to the overall appearance of any design.

Tying this with fashion or dressing up, I try to incorporate the white space into my looks by having an “empty space” between and around the key pieces of my outfit. This works to my advantage especially if I am leaning towards more than one statement piece, like what I have for today’s look. The top, the jacket, and the printed sneakers are all eye catching on their own; and when put together, it can be a bit too much. So, I allotted a bit of an empty space by throwing on a plain white skater skirt in the middle of the chaos. Didn’t it do wonders for the whole look?

While the term implies that the space needs to be white, it isn’t always the case. For your outfit, you can even throw on a solid colored piece or a basic piece amidst all the busy prints and/or statement pieces just to tie the whole look together and add sophistication and richness to your whole look. It works for all types of looks, be it casual, formal, or business.


So, now, there’s no need to worry about wanting to use more than one statement piece as long as you remember the concept of white space. It really helps!