SUMMER TRENDS The color of the season isn't; it's white this year

You can expect to find it in clothing, accessories and home decor.
It is the color of vanilla milk shakes, christening dresses and writer Tom Wolfe's suits.
White also symbolizes purity and spiritualism, says color expert Leatrice Eiseman.
And it will be a strong fashion color this summer in clothing, accessories and home decor.
Bill Blass designer Michael Vollbracht made a powerful endorsement when he opened his spring show with a pristine, simple, short strapless dress and went on to feature six out of his first seven runway statements in white.
Ralph Lauren chose white for a centerpiece color in his 1920s -- inspired collection. Kenneth Cole topped a white ruffled skirt with a simple tank bodice. Designers from Narciso Rodriguez and Karl Lagerfeld to Tommy Hilfiger included white dresses in spring presentations.
It is an old story, of course. In the 1930s, it was seen on the tennis courts and off. The color was a status symbol indicating that one could afford frequent cleaning. It reflected the sleek turn to modernism that occurred in the mid-'60 s when designers such as Andre Courreges and Pierre Cardin made it the rage.
Vogue was photographing dramatic flowing white pantsuits in the mid-'70 s. And perhaps because of its spiritual connotation, it sold well in the summer of 2002 after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Eiseman writes in "The Color Answer Book" that the implication of innocence and youth means that people who love it may want to take a step back to earlier times. But its relevance today may be more as a pause in the trend cycle to clear the palette before a major fashion shift. After the explosion of riotous color in recent years, muted dark neutrals are expected to re-emerge this fall.