Colour catches the eye so many ways, yet I often pull out a favourite black sweater and wear it, unadventurously, with blue jeans. But Montréal is a city where both men and women wear a good deal of colour. We even have a laundrette/boutique, Chez Pinkita, dedicated to pink!
This fall and winter, I've enrolled in a self-study Remedial Colour Class. I began several weeks ago, when the Fall-Winter Eric Bompard catalog arrived. If you don't already receive their catalog, you can download it from their web site, or order the free paper version.
They no longer tuck sample cards with neat bits of cashmere yarn marching down both sides into the catalog, but the photos are delicious reminders that camel looks sensational with more than navy, and purple and red revivify. While two colours are enough (a post on that here) three raise the bar. The styling below stops me in my tracks: the "Colour Block and Flowers" square cashmere scarf worn with a pink crew neck. There is no match here, just harmony. Whew, that's artful.
I'm not there yet, it's enough to sidestep safe coordination and my this-goes-with that myopia. Even low-key loosening up gives me more wear from what I have.
For example:
Left: Ecru cords stride into fall with a thick, colourful sweater and black loafers. (Shown, Margate cardigan from Plumo.) This is the colour also known as "winter white".
Right: Black "leather" jeans lighten up with an off-white top and cobalt watch cap (I collect these EB classic hats)—but the kicker is bright socks. (Not cashmere for long walks, though, because they won't stand up to hikes.)
My favourite colour excursions are anchored by a neutral, even after the eye-opening EB browse. Contrarian tendencies are well-served by remembering the equal appeal of monochrome:
A word about the cost: If buying a neutral, plenty of sweaters in whatever fibre you like will do a decent job. But low-priced wool blends are a false economy, especially when you veer from black or navy. There here is no hiding sad, flat dye, no matter what the textile.
As the days here darken earlier—soon dusk will fall by late afternooon—colour delivers free and fast therapy for the spirit. Well, not so free if you buy a full-on fabulous piece like this pink Dries van Noten satin-jacquard
coat!
Northern-winter readers, this hat is making my heart sing. Here's a worthy splurge (£140): the Begg cashmere two-toned ribbed
beanie. If this combo isn't you, there are
18 more colourways, and look how that lifts a navy sweater!
Comments
BTW todays' post seemed to end a bit differently...did something drop off? Not a complaint, just an observation.
I must admit that I often go for the relatively safe strategy of combining a neutral top and/or bottom with a 'zinger' item in a bright or intense colour. Now that the colder weather is here, I'm really enjoying wearing the various colourful lightweight cashmere woven scarves I've collected over the years. They add a real punch to a neutral sweater - I love to combine my camel sweater with a bright orange or a turquoise scarf. The bright orange one also makes my charcoal grey sweater sing. Fire-engine red looks good with a navy sweater and jeans, but my Kelly green scarf looks even better!
As I've aged, I've had to think more carefully about how I place very bright colour next to my face during the colder months when both the light and my face are paler. I find that wearing a plain white shirt between my face and the colour works best for me during the day; the evening is less problematic as I just wear more makeup and stand next to the candles!
Laura J: I have found a few cashmeres secondhand but it's not often that the unusual colours show up here. There is a deep green called "Zurich Green" that I find very tempting.
Size: Height and width for each garment are on the site, as well as in the catalog. Measure the height and width (at the bust) of a sweater that fits well. and have a good idea.
Plys: Ply is a variable thing among brands, but the better best houses will deliver good weight for indoor wear in 2-ply. Four is thick (chilll-prone people like it), six is outerwear, like a knit jacket. (The "extrafine" is divine but light for Quebec winters unless under a jacket.)
Tip: Download the catalog to see the colours more completely in photos. The catalog also lists the various models by cuts so you can see what is straight vs fitted.
Longevity: Typing this in a 27 yr old raspberry v-neck cardigan that friends still ask where I got because it's a delicious colour. Also, they get softer the more you wash them.
I buy from Brora and Johnson's of Elgin too, but if I consider price, quality and style, Bompard is my strongest supplier for what I call "my life support system".
I have lost hardly any sweaters to moths because I keep them in bags! I buy the classic v-neck in the sweater and cardie most often but have other styles, too.
Ordering: There are good sales in Jan-Feb. But don't compromise and buy a colour that's not one you especially like because it's on sale. Buy the one that makes you smile.
Any questions, email me. Also I am curious about what your "aversion to cashmere" is based on. It is expensive but when I look at the durability of quality cashmere, a very good investment unless a woman wants to flip her wardrobe every year and that's not the kind of woman who finds her way to the Passage ;)