Art Archives - Page 50 of 63

Expanding Your Comfort Zone: Finding Festive Attire You Will Love

November 25, 2015 I mentioned a few days ago that I'm going to be moving slightly out of my comfort zone for my Thanksgiving attire...It all started when my contacts at House of Fraser offered to send me something - they had a list of garments that were available (I'm guessing they were buyer samples?), and let me choose. The only item in my size that really interested me was this:

Until now, I only rarely wore anything metallic, and never a dress like this. But because I am so comfortable in knit and sweater dresses, this wasn't a real "reach" for me... And it is a really cool dress!

We're going out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, so I can wear this with opaque tights and low-heel dress shoes, and be both ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Echo and Narcissus by Waterhouse Version 2

This is a painting that easily provides a second color scheme! Remember last week, when I used more pastel colors as the accents?)

Today we will see how a change of accent colors alters to whole mood of the "Whatever's Clean 13."

Start out - the same outfit as before - I'm still deeply smitten with this sweater....

Jacket – Damir Doma; jeans – Austin Reed; turtleneck – L.L.Bean

I changed a couple of pieces here, just to show you a little bit of variety:

Jacket – L.L.Bean; ribbed sweater – The Row; twill pants – L.L.Bean

And at this point, I still feel that some accessories are handy - at least you're going to want some shoes or boots! A scarf that pulls the colors ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones Version 2

November 12, 2015

She loved her travel wardrobe so much, she decided to gradually, carefully, and thoughtfully augment it in the same colors and mood!

Remember, this is the painting and the color scheme with which she was working. Beautiful, graceful, and evocative...

And this was the entirety of her wardrobe for her recent family trip. While the dress might be a little bit "over the top" for work, the rest of the pieces will be appropriate, if only for casual Friday.

And so, gradually, she made some purchases. She carried a wee laminated print of her painting with her, to keep her focused, and to keep her colors on point.

Eventually, she could open her closet and see this!

I pulled together 20 outfits from ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse

November 11, 2015

If I ever catch any of you pining away like this, I'll give you a very stern talking-to, and then a hug...

But it's so beautiful, in that lush, opulently colored way that the Pre-Raphaelites made so appealing. I have, in fact, another color scheme in mind for this same painting, so don't wander away in the next week or two...

Recently, I've been asked about the nuts and bolts of putting together a Whatever's Clean Wardrobe - where to start, and how to choose what to include. I'll try to explain my thought process through this one, in the hope that I can clarify how you can easily do this yourself when you're packing, or just when you want to build a small collection of clothes that will see you through your ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Arrival of the Normandy Train by Claude Monet Version 2

November 10, 2015

We're back to visit our friend who made the long train trip!

This was her inspiration - the soft colors, and the strong sense of the grid patterns in the ceiling of the train station. Very beautiful!

She DID have to do some shopping when she was on the road! It was bound to rain, but it wasn't bound to stop her...

And these were the clothes that she took with her on her trip. It was a wonderful trip - well planned, and thoroughly enjoyed. If only her return to "real life" had been so pleasant...

Utter Chaos Reigns... She returned to a madhouse. Drinking at lunch, crying in the bathrooms, shouting in the halls - it had all of the elements of a bad soap opera, without the ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: The Golden Stairs by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones

November 9, 2015

This painting caught my eye, and held it for a LONG time, on my recent trip to London.

After studying this for a long time, I realized that the majority of the color tones found here fall into two distinct families, which work beautifully together.

I feel an immoderate affection for taupe, but it is a THANKLESS color to try to find in our world. I don't understand why; it's subtle, rich and elegant without being difficult to wear.

Happily, I was able to find just enough things for our heroine... Standing Out, Quietly There are always LOTS of women at these family events. But they do look to her for a certain quality of elegance or sophistication; she IS the one who lives in the city, with the cool job ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Arrival of the Normandy Train, by Claude Monet

November 6, 2015

She loves Paris, and she loves Monet, and she loves these colors...

Just three colors here, but WHAT colors...

Softly shaded colors, blended shades, and a few touches of a grid pattern to do homage to the glass roof of the train station. These subtle shades aren't easy to find. Happily, they can be blended, rather than having to be perfectly matched! The Trains are Essential She has a list of destinations. She's planned VERY carefully, studying train maps at length. While she understand that schedules might change, she's confident that she will make it from city to city with no problems. Taking trains is truly the only way she can make it work!

A little bit dressy, a little bit ... View the Post

You’ll Thank Me…

His name is Phil Rosenthal, and he travels, and he eats. His enthusiasm is infectious, and he goes to some amazing places...

http://video.pbs.org/program/ill-have-what-phil-having/

Watch him...

love, Janice

p.s. This is indeed L'As du Falafel, in Paris... mmm...

... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Rossetti – THE FINALE

November 2, 2015

I think this is going to be my last post about Dantis Amor; as much as I love the painting... Today, we're dressier, we're completely out of control shopping, and we're going to travel along with one of our friends....Just a few reminders of our Style Reference Point:

Thanksgiving is Canceled... Yes, her grandchildren have 2 sets of grandparents. Somehow, this year, they're ALL going to the "other side" for Thanksgiving. And she is going to be home alone....

Or not...

She always wanted to see the Thanksgiving Parade in New York. She always wanted to eat at that restaurant. She always wanted.... lots of things. This is the year!

She got onto her computer, and cashed out every flyer mile and ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Rossetti – Step 3

October 30, 2015

Now the fun starts! The clothes from yesterday are certainly very nice, if not mind-bending, but in order to give things just a touch of zest, and a sense of finish, some well-chosen accessories are imperative! (well, shoes are imperative, even if you never wear a scarf or a piece of jewelry; when pressed to offer up what piece of clothing every woman, without exception, should own, the only thing I can honestly think of is shoes...)Reminders of our basic style source, and the clothes with which we're working:

As I said, shoes first! I always look for something comfortable - that's completely NOT negotiable. When men start wearing uncomfortable shoes, I will too. In the meantime, my ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Rossetti – Step 2

October 29, 2015 Okay, now that we have our color scheme, we'll need to start picking clothes!

As always, I'm going to start with the neutrals, since they're the really essential foundation garments for your 4 by 4 wardrobe. First up, the elusive camel, or vicuna, or caramel, or walnut (although I think of walnut as darker), or amber, or whatever else this color might be called. This is one of the essential qualities that you have to bring to the clothing search - a real flexibility in how you describe what you want! And look outside your normal comfort zone - Google images and see what comes up.

This turned out to be a tremendously tough color to find, unless you were interested in spending four ... View the Post

Building a Capsule Wardrobe by Starting with Art: Dantis Amor by Dante Gabriel Rosetti – Step 1

You've been asking for years - HOW to I look at a work of art and devise a color-scheme from it?Today is my attempt to explain a little bit of what I do...

First off, let's pick a piece of art that I personally really admire. The admire part is critical - you need to love the colors, the subject, and the style of the art in question, or there's no point in analyzing it in any detail. If you're looking for a piece of art to serve as an inspiration or a leitmotif for your wardrobe, it must be something with real "staying power" in your heart.

This painting would never work for me for my wardrobe - all the wrong colors. But otherwise, I'm a big fan. I can't pinpoint what it is that I love about Pre-Raphaelite painting, but I am always ... View the Post