The courage to wear a getup
My husband, Denis, reported that he saw a woman in a coffee shop on Saturday: bright yellow blouse, red skirt, green coat, purple scarf and red/black striped tights, seventy-five if a day."I had to admire her bravery", he said. I remembered an even older woman at a sidewalk café in Paris, every beautifully tailored piece clashing and chaotic, sitting up straight and enjoying the attention.
Several years ago I took a local woman to lunch at an austere restaurant; she showed up in head to toe neon purple. Her clothes were cheap, her eccentricity forced. If you're going to do mad, strive for coherence inside all that dazzling disorder, hard to do with sad synthetics.
Some women enjoy what eBay sellers love to call "wearable art''; it's usually neither. As my DH says, "Des goûts et des couleurs, il ne faut pas disputer."
Wish I were braver sometimes- not to the getup level, but more daring with colour.
First, I need some honkin' Tony Duquette jewelery to get the party started, like this coral and citrine bracelet.
Photo of jacket: Janice Heitbaum
www.heitree.com
Comments
I am all for a little colour. And, like you, I would like to add some more in my wardrobe. But, I am not a fan of all the colours in the rainbow being worn at once.;-)
But it isn't a style I can do well. I need one colour from top to toe with a small highlight colour (Hermes scarf or lipstick to the rescue!)
The fashion curator/writer Anna Piaggi springs to mind - there will only ever be one of her. Long may these types dress as they please - they add some much needed colour to the world.
also, please consider that to a person wearing what appears to be a "getup" might simply be their honest personal style. they may not feel remotely forced in making their choices.