Color Week Day 6/ Purple

Purple gets a really bad rap. Over years of working in fashion, I've never seen so many people express so much dislike for a color as they do with poor poor purple. Who knows why? Maybe people think it's too new age-y or eccentric (that might explain why I like it). Lately, purple reminds me the most of the character Marie on Breaking Bad, who has a fanatical love for purple. She would definitely think, as would I, that purple deserves a second chance.


Lavender by Thomas Giddings


on left: Daria Strokous shot by Francois Nars for Vogue Japan June 2012    on right: watercolor by Luli Sanchez


“Operación Dragón”  with model Du Juan  for Vogue Spain September 2012 shot by Miguel Reveriego

I think purple...
looks like: an over the top baroque dinner table set with candles, grapes and wine/ a dark and stormy night
smells like: lavender fields/ the intoxicating scent of lilac
tastes like: plums/ port/ truffles/ violet candies
feels: royal/regal/ decadent
sounds like:  Siouxsie and the Banshees/ Bat for Lashes


image by Sania Pell


on left: Isabel Marant Spring 2013 collection     on right:




on left: Natalia Vodianova shot by Steven Meisel (and styled by Grace Coddington) for Vogue   on right: Vanessa Bruno's Paris apartment


Watercolor and ink piece by Francesca Lancisi

Color Week Day 4/ Green

Oh green, how I love thee! As a city dweller, I have a deficit of green in my life so whenever I get a chance to see some green life, I take it. Green reminds me of my home in New England, and my husband's home in Oregon so overall, green feels comforting and lush, like a big hug.


on left: Vertical garden in Madrid  on right: stylist Linda Bergroth's apartment


composed color collections by Kontor Kontor



on left: Burberry Prorsum Spring 2013  on right: photo from Fine Little Day

I think green...
looks like: the forest/ the jungle/ a garden abundant with vegetables/ lounging under a palm tree/ the wings of a dragonfly
smells like: a rainy day/freshly mowed grass/Christmas trees/mint
tastes like: a mojito/ lettuce picked from the garden
feels: lush/peaceful/soothing
sounds like: the wind rustling through trees/lying in bed listening to the rain


Jungle with Tigers and Hunter by Henri Rousseau


on left: Sonia Delauny watercolor  on right: Orientalism by shot by Pascal Chevallier for Elle Serbia


Charlotte Taylor Spring 2012 lookbook


on left: painting by  Georgia Gray      on right: illustration by Maira Kalman


on left: illustration by Danielle Kroll   on right: photographer David Slijper for Elle UK

Color Week Day 2/ Orange

It's Day 2 of Color Week! Orange is a tougher color for me than red. I love it but I tend to think that a little bit goes a long way. On one hand orange feel like summer to me: it sunny, warm and a little bit retro, like the juice Lily Pulitzer made before she became the doyenne of Palm Beach fashion. On the other, orange is the color of fall leaves, pumpkins and the flame of a campfire. One thing that's always been curious about orange is that there are shades that pretend to be red. More often than not, when people disagree on the shade of a color, it's "is it red-orange or orange-red?". It's all in the eye of the beholder.

styling and photos by Dietlind Wolf for Sweet Paul magazine


on left: Suno shoe from Spring 2013  on right: Confetti System photo with color palette by Color Collective


Acrylic painting by Ken Resen

This amazing chevron coat, the orange sherbert and the orange roofed-Howard Johnsons, all from the Far Away Places episode of Mad Men, via Tom and Lorenzo

Orange mixed with blue is one of my favorite color combos. I also love it with pink and yellow for a summertastic floral print.

on left: still from Moonrise Kingdom  on right: Clements Ribeiro Spring 2013


Just a liiitle bit of orange in the dining area of my last apartment photo by Jen Causey




Still Life with Apples, Peaches, Pears and Grapes by Paul Cezanne

I think orange...
looks like: a farm fresh egg yolk/Hermes boxes/fall in New England/ pumpkin patches/'60s shift dresses/ eating mangoes with abandon that year I lived in Brazil
smells like: citrus fruit/marigolds/saffron
tastes like: creamsicles/ orange marmalade/
feels: warm/happy/playful
sounds like: Stereolab/ Dent May


on left: Marni Spring 2013  on right: illustration by Ashley Goldberg


on left: Rose Smith in Prada by Emma Tempest for Vogue Russia   on right: weaving by Sheila Hicks

detail from Proenza Schouler show, photo by Tommy Ton

Color Week Day 1/ Red

It's Day 1 of Color Week! And we're starting with a personal favorite: Red. Colors spark intense emotion and memories in people, from the taste of a ripe summer fruit to the shade of your grandmother's favorite dress. That's why I don't like to say that I dislike a color: color isn't just visual, it's something more. Each day I will be sharing inspiration, memory and feelings about the colors in the rainbow, ending with rainbow!


on left: photo by Benny Horne Numéro Tokyo #22 January 2008   on right: Louise Borgeois Spirals


Jaroslav Sura Illustration: Poster for a performance of Yugoslav songs and dances in Prague.


Photo by Roland Bello


on left: Twiggy, on right: my "red hued" manicure


Photo by Roland Bello/ styled by Maggie Ruggiero for Gourmet
 

I think red...
looks like: Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick, worn by my grandmother, my mom and now, me/ My favorite dress, a black and red polkadot number with a peplum/ Poppies/ French girls with top knots and striped sweaters
smells like: Roses/ Ripe Apples/ Cinnamon and Sandalwood
tastes like: The jeweled seeds in a pomegranate/ Cherries and chocolate/the best summer tomatoes
feels: Rich/ Sultry/ Powerful/ that first dizzy month of dating someone knew
sounds like: Billy Holiday/ Little Dragon

 

on left: Moroccan vintage rug from Nazmial Collection  on right: Red midi skirt in Milan by The Sartorialist


on left: White over red by Mark Rothko, on right: Scent of Madness by Cy Twombly


on left: Josefine Vandt shot by Olivia Frølich, June 2012  on right: Kelly Mittendorf by Ellen von Unwerth for Lula

on left and right: Creatures of Comfort S/S lookbook


What memories and moods does Red stir up for you?

Get Ready: Color and Print Weeks!

Paper Magazine: Get Busy, Get Dizzy, photo by Emily Shur

I've never met a color I couldn't grow to love. Same goes for a pattern. Even when I think I don't like a certain color (I once proclaimed that I didn't like yellow only to be proven wrong a million times over), I work hard to like it. It seems like a dis-service to hate on a color, you know?
Anyway, in honor of color-love I thought I would bring back an old favorite: Color Week! And that seemed so fun that I added Print Week too! Starting next Sunday, I will feature inspiration and thoughts on every color of the rainbow on every day of the week and then after that I will do the same with prints. Oh, and feel free to play along and host a color week on your blog too. Let me know if you do, of course!