Ah, you’ve seen this before, I’m sure:
But did you know that Rossetti was working with a model who really LOOKS like this? Her name was Jane Morris; she was married to William Morris, the textile designer… (see the teal and black scarf below for one of his designs!)
What do you do if this kind of aesthetic appeals to you TREMENDOUSLY, but you live a very normal, ordinary life that doesn’t involve having 3 feet of madly waving hair, or standing around all day in swishy velvet dresses, brooding over a pomegranate?
A few small additions might help channel that feeling for you…
As I did yesterday, let’s start with a very simple wardrobe of extremely neutral garments that most of us might own:
And build our romantic and beautiful idea on the classic outfits we already own:
If you can’t wear long dresses with sweeping sleeves in your normal life (even though they’re coming back in style – what ARE they thinking?) you can maybe wear silk, or cashmere, or a scarf with a William Morris pattern. And if you want bold – some substantial beads might do the trick.
Now, at a minimum, you have quite a few ways to dress in a very “normal” way while still keeping a hint of that romance that you crave:
The other really prominent color in our painting (except for that pomegranate red, which cries out for a new lipstick!) is the glorious blush shades of Proserpine’s face and hands. And this is a great color for flattering your face! Again, some silk, some lacy knit, some luminous pearls and a softly draped cashmere sweater carry within them a sense of lush grace and elegance, without appearing costume-y or over the top:
And you now have even more options for days when you want that touch of soft womanly mystery in your outfit. Nobody will know what’s in your heart…
love,
Janice
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Love how the blush color in lux fabrics gives the feeling of lushness to a basic wardrobe.
Wow, I hadn't read that shade as blush but as a beige/khaki. It is so much better as blush.
Blush is such a nice shade, too. Not as sweet and twee as pink can be, but more feminine than khaki/tan.
I love the Pre-Raphaelites! We visited them at the Tate Britain in September. Your post makes me wish that I had bought a scarf.
You have inspired me for today though. I'm leading a book club discussion of The Irish Country Doctor and I shall wear my black pants with my green cardigan and check through my scarves for something vaguely Morris (or by default Celtic). Merci.
Love this new series as the basic wardrobe colors are mine as well — and that dark, bluish teal is also one of my accent colors! I am a fan of Rosetti, although I think poor Jane Morris always looks a little too tortured for comfort, but I cant' wear that color of blush. However, I am fascinated to see that my other accent color right now is magenta – raspberry (anything pink with a REDDISH tone) so this painting could have been my inspiration. Right now I am wearing black and white ankle pants with a small geometric pattern and a flowy teal blouse over a black shell — with the print black and white pants as a pattern piece that outfit could be in in a 4 x 4 wardrobe based on this. And yesterday I wore black pants, a gray 3/4 – sleeve knit blouse with a thick, felty finish and a magenta cardigan. More for the 4 x 4 — and the thick, velvety finish of the shirt even goes with the theme.
As to Jane's tortured look-I think it must have been quite fetching as I have heard there were some saucy shenanigans among Rossetti and Mr. and Mrs. Morris!
Dear Janice just love your blog. Can't wait for Monday to get my daily fix of colour crafting. I live in South Africa and the local fabrics are so vibrant. We also have something called Shwe Shwe which when I was growing up was only found in blue and white and was called German print. Today it is found in every colour of the rainbow but always a small print with a basic colour and maybe white. I've always wondered how to combine different garments with different patterns together. KAFFE Fasett manages to some extent but are there any rules? Eleanor
Hi Eleanor, I've just looked up Shwe Shwe online and seen some of the beautiful fabrics and designs. They are stunning! Like you, I'm anxious about combining patterns – I'm also short, which doesn't help. I look for ideas in magazines – not necessarily fashion, as interiors magazines sometimes show interesting pairings. And the young women in our local art supply shop do clever things with their wardrobes, often putting together op shop prints with contemporary things. I'll keep an eye out for advice from Janice too. Thanks for mentioning Shwe Shwe, it's really tempting me to get out the sewing machine.
Robyn in Tasmania
I had to look up the Shwe Shwe fabrics too. They are gorgeous!
Wow ! -LOVE. This wardrobe . If the dark neutral was navy then I actually have most of this wardrobe – will order the H&M blouse then I will gave everything except the beautiful blush cashmere t-neck. Oh , I wish I could wear wool but I'm allergic :( This blush color needs a lush fabric but I will be looking for one in cotton/nylon. I have that same blush silk blouse and it's one of my favorite items. Thank you so much, Janice. What beauties you put together – I'll also order the teal bracelet as I'm wearing bracelets now and this will be perfect. Janice Collins, Washington DC
Oh how you keep upping the ante on yourself. This is so simple and yet so complex and lovely. I really like the concept of blush with a cinnamon cast if that makes sense!! I would love to have long thick wild curly hair but now I can think about how to have some the "romance" implicit with that in the colours and fabrics of my clothes in small doses.
By the way, Gail Finke, you seem to have a wonderful colour and style going for you.
Deb from Vancouver
Brooding over a pomegrante??? You are hilarious. :)) – Love the colors, though.
~ Cornelia
The William Morris scarf is just lovely.
What a clever way to approach the mood and colours of the painting! The pre-Raphaelites are brilliant at texture and colour, and you've caught that beautifully here. I'm currently reading a lovely little book by AS Byatt called 'The Peacock and the Vine'. It's about Morris and Fortuny (he of the wonderful pleated fabrics). Well worth looking out for, if you're interested in design.
Now for a dash of velvet, silk and pomegranate …
Robyn in Tasmania
I clicked the link for the William and Morris scarf fully intending to order it! It is out of stock! I wonder how many have been sold this week? : ) It is so pretty! This is such a wonderful representation of the painting. I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do!