Wearing white is often seen as a major no-no, and not only by fashion-savvy folks, but also by regular people who rely exclusively on their personal tastes in their choices. With all that, and despite the bad rap that white clothes and accessories have, stylists say that they will be all the rage in the winter of 2008/2009, so, if you too happen to have several such items lying around at the bottom of a suitcase, time has come to take them out. However, specialists tell SheKnows that due caution must still be exercised, since there is but a step from looking trendy to looking tacky. 

In order to avoid just that, SheKnows spoke to wardrobe consultant Carla Nemiroff and image consultant Rachel Fauman to get a few advised tips on how to wear white. The conclusion was anything but complicated: with a bit of attention to details, any woman, even the most traditionalist, can pull off such an outfit. The first thing we must bear in mind, right from the start, is that what we’ve heard so many times before, about white being an off-limits color during certain periods of the year, must be discarded.

“Winter white is often thought of as taboo since we associated not being able to wear white after Labor Day,” Fauman tells the mag. “In truth, really what we can't wear after Labor Day are things like white linen pants.” she explains, adding that the same rule also applies to white shoes. This out of the way, the secret to making the best of white this cold season is knowing what fabrics to choose because, clearly, not all of them are a go.

“In order to wear white in winter well remember that the fabric matters as much as the color. You would never wear white wool pants in the summer, but of course you would wear them in the winter.” Fauman says, explaining that the fabrics that are already causing waves on catwalks, and not only, are wool, silk, cotton and satin.

As a final note, the two fashion specialists approached by the mag also advise us not to make the mistake of thinking that, these two steps taken, we are already out of tackiness’ way, because it is not so – yet. “There is a difference between an accent of white and looking like a snow queen,” Nemiroff says, stressing on the importance of mixing white garments with others colored differently, for the sake of contrast and, implicitly, a more dramatic effect. Moreover, no one should strive to keep up with the trends only to end up looking eerily, like Casper, the friendly ghost, so this is why a colored spot here and there can only be of great use.