So how does the gorgeous, warm palette from last Saturday translate into a much more casual grouping? Beautifully!
In order to keep the feeling of softness and flow, I looked for fabrics like corduroy, which has both depth and softness, moleskin, which has a nice plush texture, and of course silk. Gathers and jacquard fabrics also give us a little bit of grace and detail… (note: I even chosen nail enamels with shimmer, which gives a sense of movement!)
When choosing items to go into this wardrobe, always ask yourself “yes, it goes, but does it have the requisite fluidity and movement that gives me my desired image?” There’s lots of brown and orange in the world, but much of it is crisp or static – not right for this! (I made an exception for the suitcase – a fluid suitcase is just weird to imagine, and would be a nightmare to pack!)
Blazer – Kenzo Vintage, leather and brass earrings – CAIA, leather bracelet – Karl Muse, boots – Burberry, cotton pants – Topshop, blouse – Rosie Assoulin, scarf – Jean Paul Gaultier Vintage, bucket bag – Marylai, rolling bag – Hartmann
Orange sweater – Title Nine, triple-wrapped bracelet – Vivien Frank Designs, nail enamels – Butter, brown flats – Blackstone, gold silk cloud scarf – Yuh Okano, crystal drop earrings – YooLa, brown moleskin trousers – Tulchan, silk v-neck blouse – Emilio Pucci, leather chukka sneakers – Frye, brown silk cashmere scarf – Yuh Okano, vanilla jeans – Mint Velvet
A weekend on the west coast of Ireland would be all the more delightful if you had this in your hotel room armoire!
More painting suggestions, please!
love,
Janice
Janice,
My oh my, oh my, c'est moi ! The colors, the sense of fluidity and sensual textures, the casualness, yet oh so ladylike throughout ! I have learned from you on a conscious level this sense of theme throughout individual selections, although I think I have been doing that to some extent subconsciously. You are clearly back again with all of your creativity ! Continued healing to you, and I'm looking forward to all that I keep on learning from you ! Bravo !
Happy Birthday Janice, also, thanks to Pam's enlightenment !
Love, love, love the colors!! And Happy Birthday, Janice!
Ah, a big hug to you, you beautiful and clever woman!
Yes, very much me as well! Except that…I would include the beautiful counterpoint of the deep navy just visible in the sea in the distance. In fact navy, soft blush, beige, brown are my main wardrobe colours – with some recent additions in rust/cinnamon/orange. But colours are just the starting point, thank you for drawing my attention to the issue of flow and texture. This is where I fall down, too much is matte and a bit pragmatic. Some touches of silk make such a difference.
Hope you are recovering comfortably
Alice
Love all your start with art posts!
A couple of (very different) suggestions:
The Blue Pool – Augustus John
http://www.magnoliabox.com/art/189082/the-blue-pool-1911
To Pastures New – Sir James Guthrie
https://mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/to-pastures-new-by-sir-james-guthrie-1882/
Thank you for these links – I wasn't aware of either site. I am especially loving the My Daily art Display blog, and already found anothe Start with Art candidate: The Mountain Range ‘Trolltindene’ by Peder Balke (https://mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.com/)
Would you consider building a wardrobe or 3 for "plus" sized gals? I love a lot of the picks you make, but alas, the items are not carried in my size. :(
Beautiful! I'm off to Ireland for 3 weeks next fall and I still own a bit in these colours. I could "tweak" them a little to suit my colouring. Have you done any wardrobes with the art of Marie Laurencin? Hope you are feeling better.
Madame – one of the posts Janice created last autumn featured Laurencin's portrait of Chanel. https://www.theviviennefiles.com/2014/11/start-with-art-are-you-more-renoir-or.html
if Janice still loves Laurencin's work, maybe it's time to consider creating a new Start With Art with this lovely artist's work??
The entire Start With Art series (helpfully collated on a File tab above) is totally worth reading over and over again.
I am particularly partial to the posts in which Janice explores the details of style and accessorizing by comparing/contrasting two artists. What an incredibly beautiful way to highlight the feeling that the best wardrobes share in their pieces!
Sue G
Wow, this is perfect for my imagined woman, a work and casual wardrobe that would also intermingle. All this person needs. Plus, as always, you pay attention to the nuance and rhythm in the paintings. So, for me, the woman that owns this wardrobe is also like the painting. A solid, athletic person with straight red hair and green eyes would not look as good in this wardrobe, in my opinion.
Deb from Vancouver
This wardrobe was definitely chosen with the ideas of wavy hair, soft fair skin, and an overall fluidity in mind. You understand me so well!
big hug,
Janice
Breathtaking. Unbelievable. Perfect!
What a great blend of softness, but using these strong delicious, strong, rich colours! As Deb and others have written, the blend of pieces is amazing. This balance of tailored and fluid would carry me through almost any occasion I encounter!
With a deep sigh of pleasure at the sheer beauty of this collection, I wish you a happy birthday, and a year full of as much joy as you bring to all of us. : )
Sue G
Birthday Greetings from a damp and windy Galway Bay…. I love the colours today
I love art nouveau and would be so happy to see a wardrobe based on Alphonse Mucha's "Amethyst".
Oh!I got so carried away rhapsodizing about this post, I forgot to mention one of the BEST PARTS: how thoroughly and generously you outlined your decision-making criteria. What a lesson!
Whether or not the style or the colours suite the reader, the way you shared the ideas behind the choices make this a bookmark post I plan to return to and study many times!
You're the best,
Sue G
These start with art are so good at challenging our conceptions of what colour mix well together. I've been looking at the while pants with a degree of discomfort- like doesn't white look better with black? Hmmm- it is look to have our "boundaries" pushed…. great stuff :) Jazz
Love the flow of all this. Finding the brown I love in this world has proved to be a huge challenge for me, I can't really seem to find a brown t-shirt or long sleeve where I love the color, you wouldn't think chocolate brown is so difficult to find, but for me in something I love it is. I shall keep searching until I locate what I am looking for. Your blog has enabled me to do this and not settle. It will be worth it when I find it!! Also when I find what I have been searching for, it makes it so much easier to make the decision, my recent a light coral open cardigan, that I have been missing and know its worth the price. thanks so much!!
Beautiful choices as always.
How about Salvador Dali's Caberet Scene. Maryann
Request relayed from a conversation at work today (she = 32 yr old executive production designer at a major studio):
"Please consider Joan of Arc, 1879. Jules Bastien-Lepage."
Happiest of birthdays to you, friend.
This may be a repeat post (first time technical challenges!). Would you ever consider something by Edouard Manet? You may have already, because there are super combinations of blacks, grays, and pinks. What appeals to me is the interesting mixture of contrast and softness. Love your start with art posts – so inspiring! – Amy
Happy Birthday Janice!! Another great wardrobe! What a great match for the painting!
Oh, you've clearly had this redhead in mind when you put this collection together. It's perfect! I love these colors, and the choice of fabrics is inspired.
Happy Birthday, dear Janice.
Cheers, M-T