I have a feeling some of you are still shoveling your way out of the snow, but here in my corner of the world it feels like summer already. People were out in droves in their shorts and tank tops this weekend in Old Town Pasadena. The heat was exactly what Jamba Juice and Pinkberry were praying for; the lines wrapped outside their respective doors. I’d just like to know what happened to Spring?

When it’s warm enough to wear flip flops outside, my first fashion thought is always of the white pants, even if we are still 3 months away from Memorial Day, the point in time when we are supposed to pull out those white pants. I say to heck with all those fashion rules. If Coco Chanel ever taught us anything it’s that convention is to be bucked…but all in good taste. Right?

So when all my girlfriends are talking about getting back in shape for swimsuit season, I’m secretly thinking about doing extra exercises (squats and situps) to get into the unforgiving linen pants or skinny capris. White pants are a royal pain to master, but when you find a pair that fits just right, it can be the backbone to your entire warm-weather wardrobe. So here goes today’s experiment.

Test Item: white linen theory pants

Business: I’m pairing my pants with a Chanel tweed sleeveless tunic and patent cap-toe slingbacks. Nobody does black/white like Chanel.

If your workplace like mine is more lax in its dress code and allows sandals, I’d also go for the whole Havana all-white look with a white linen shirt and black accessories:

Casual: this is what I call my weekend uniform when I’m on the road or at home. Give me a pair of linen pants and Converse sneakers and I’m a happy camper. Here, I am wearing this look with a grey JCrew henley top. My white leather sneakers are courtesy of Converse. I have a rainbow of these sneakers, but this is why I am in shopping rehab.

Play: Raise your hand if you have a hard time transitioning your look from work to an evening out. For me, it usually means just swapping out a pair of heels and grabbing my clutch or a metallic bag. But it’s even harder with white pants because they are so…bright. I know I live in LA where it’s OK to wear swimwear to dinner so it shouldn’t be a problem to carry white pants over into night, but it’s still tricky. So what I’ve done is layer it with a silk Gucci scarf top in rich colors and patterns then throw a black cardigan on top. Black cancels out white (in my head anyway) so I’ve gone from day to night. See how my messed up logic can get you out of just about any fix?

Anyway, last word about white pants. The reason I love white pants is because they will go with just about any pair of shoes. But especially black and white shoes.