Street Style: Summer's Black-and-White Trend Made Easy

You've heard of winter whites, but black for summer? You wouldn't be alone in thinking it's a recipe for a heat stroke.

Leave it to print master Ilana Kohn to give us the best of both light and dark. Her Abby dress has enough of the inky, slimming shade that fashion types and New Yorkers can't seem to part with for long, broken up by artful slices of white and gray that will help stave off that frying-pan feeling. It's a one-piece answer to the summer's two-tone trend.

On the subject of duos, it's been said that good things come in pairs, and this Spanish-style building is the dress's architectural counterpart. Behold the ivory walls and soot-colored window bars, the ridged vertical columns that mirror the pleats on the dress (seen here on Ethica pal Savannah). A closer look reveals thoughtfully sculpted moldings and a nuanced graphic print respectively.

Enthralled with the metaphor, we topped off Savannah's look with a black-band Panama hat that echoes the building's Colonial flair. To finish, we couldn't resist adding just a hint of coral via the necklace and vegan clutch. Though the runways said monochrome, this is one summer style rule that could take a while to stick.

Eco-friendly dress: Ilana Kohn. Necklace: Anton Heunis.  Vegan clutch: Gunas.


The Way We Wore is our take on ethical and eco-friendly street style. Now you're up: shoot a selfie, start a movement. Tag your pictures #TheWayIWore to share your style with our ethical fashion community.