Any one who knows me know that I love, love, LOVE the colors orange and red. They are my faves to bring a burst of life to both my home and wardrobe- and when something can only be described as orangish/red it’s a sure bet I will buy it ( or at least dream of doing so )! So when my ‘post carrier’ was kind enough to deliver the latest CB2 catalog on what is proving to be yet another unseasonably cold NYC autumn day- I was spinning in delight with all of the orange and red accents I spied.
1.Henna Pillow $59.95 2.Moroccan Oranment $6.95 3.Lacquer Tray $29.95 4.Fu Dog Bookends $49.95 5.Script Desk Lamp $59.95 6.Burst Rug $299 7. Folio Storage $16.95-$49.95 8.Tessuto Throw $39.95
I think any of these would be a great way to add a little ‘pop’ of color to a room and help to brighten up what is looking to be a very early and bitter cold winter season!
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
According to all the self help experts… you must love yourself before you can truly love another…right?
Sounds to me like a great excuse to show yourself the love- treat yourself to a little something special that says “I won’t wear my heart on my sleeve…but I will wear it on my shoes and bags!”
You’ll be stylishly feeling the amore all season long!
(from top to bottom) handbag from DKNY, Oscar de la Renta heart and ikat flats, lips hair comb from Azzaro, broken heart slippers from Stubbs and Wooten, sunglasses by Cutler and Gross, Flirtatious perfume from Flirt!, Geri gold and diamond lip necklace, Moschino heart bag, YSL flip flops and lip shoes by Christian Loubitin
all photos from Elle.com
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Nevertheless the red roses, candies and cards inevitably show up on store shelves almost immediately after the Christmas and Hanukah decorations are put on clearance and shortly after our New Year’s resolutions are on their way out…
We always hear about the love stories, the cards and even the heartbreak, but what about the hue that has forever been tied to February 14th? Why red? Why not blue or green or purple?
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Happy New “Year of the Rat” to all!
Today is the beginning of the fifteen day Lunar New Year (aka Chinese New Year) celebration in Asian communities worldwide.
Red for good fortune and happiness along with gold for wealth are the auspicious colors of the New Year. (more…)
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RED is a sizzling color full of symbolic meanings and many hues. Whether you prefer scarlet, crimson, maroon, ruby, rose or tomato, there is a shade for everyone.
Shanghai wallpaper from Jaima Brown Home
Red creates the perfect accent for any space when paired with timeless neutrals like brown or cream.
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Valentino, the designer whose name is as synonymous with the color red as it is with fashion, took his final bow from the catwalk this past week in Paris following his Spring Couture show.
His departure comes in the middle of what could be called the “year of Valentino”. A year that has included a 3 day extravagant 45th anniversary celebration in Rome this past summer, followed by a beautiful retrospective of his work featuring over 300 of his designs, the filming of a hip-indie documentary to be released about him this spring, the planning of yet another retrospective in Paris slated for the summer of 2008, and to top it all off being awarded the Grand Medaille de Vermeil de Ville de Paris just this past week (that’s the medal of honorary Paris citizenship to you and me).
Not a bad way to go out for the 75 year old Italian who has spent the last four and a half decades dressing the world’s most famous women- literally from Jackie O. to J.Lo.
His final show, which took place on the grounds of the Rodin Museum, included all the glamour and femininity one has come to expect from the designer who has always been thought of as the epitome of elegance. His swan’s song-a sea of his iconic red, as 30 beautiful models flooded the runway all wearing the same red gown amidst images of red dresses projected onto the sides of the tent covering the star studded audience.
His spectacular departure from fashion this week got me wanting to know more about him. After all, we are sort of known for being interested in color around here, and I realized I knew very little about Valentino or how his fascination with the color red came to be.
I must first mention that Valentino’s rise to uber-fame came in the 1960’s without an ounce of red fabric in sight. In fact, the designer warned the American buyers in the late 60’s with the quote ” I am a non-color man”. His 1968 collection, which was comprised of only shades of white ( ecru, ivory, pale beige ), was a huge hit amongst jet setters and fashion editors alike- establishing him as a force in fashion.
It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that Valentino would first discover his love of the color red, or rosso valentino, as it is now often referred to.
Here the story gets a little fuzzy… as I found three different scenarios of this “aha” moment. All three have Valentino visiting Barcelona…. the first suggests he was at the circus and spotted the color, the second is that he was at the Opera and was enchanted by a red costumed diva, and the third that it was on this trip that he first meet editor-extraordinaire Diane Vreeland who infected him with her love (and also signature color) of red.
Whatever the events, the color had a strong impact on his aesthetic from there on out.
“Red has guts…. deep, strong, dramatic. A geranium red. A Goya red…. to be used like gold for furnishing a house… for clothes, it is strong, like black and white” he said.
“Women usually prefer to wear black at events because it makes them feel safe, however, if there’s one woman wearing red, she will inevitably be the eye-catcher of the evening. It’s as though the room is suddenly illuminated- simply perfect for a grand-entrance”.
From then on Valentino used red in his collection to symbolize ” the power of femininity”, and in the age of disco and economical distress it all seemed to make sense.
Funny enough as the 80’s rolled in, women wearing red quickly took on another meaning. Remember Nancy Reagan in her red suits, more powerhouse than demure first lady. The culture was changing and women in the workforce took to wearing the color red not so much to symbolize “the power of femininity”, but to shout out “the power of equality” to their male counterparts.
Throughout this Valentino remained steady and never faltered with his visions. His love of a luxurious silhouette survived through the 80’s gender-bending punk trend ( which he basically found beyond distasteful), and as the 90’s were ushered in with the monochromatic pales of Calvin Klein (sound familiar) and the grunge inspired street wear of Marc Jacobs all the rage… his red dress remained.
Now with the return of elegance once again at the height of fashion, Valentino seems to be ending his career very much where he started it, some 45 years earlier.
But does this mark the end of the Valentino “red dress”?
No doubt the label will go on, already Alessandra Facchinetti formally of Gucci, has been named as Valentino’s women’s collection successor.
But will the timeless, elegance forever associated with the label remain?
In a business where constant evolution is seen as good, Valentino always held strong to his simple belief that a women should be dressed elegantly at all times- he was even often heard bashing other designers whose over-the-top designs drew attention, but left the customer with little to wear.
And what about the iconic red dress? The “look” we always knew would show up at some point each season? Will it remain?
Well fashion is a fickle place, and those who drive it are often more interested in creating the next great trend than keeping alive an iconic classic. I suppose we will just have to wait and see… and keep our “rosso valentino” fingertips crossed!
Photo credits:
- Photo of “Valentino Retrospective” Jason Schmidt, New York Times
- Runway photo, getty images
- Vintage Valentino from historyoffashion.com
- Book cover image from amazon.com
- Couture 2008 photo from style.com
- Valentino with red dresses from madeinitaly.com
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Being born in January means you have GORGEOUS garnet as your birthstone. Lucky for us it is jeweler Kimberlin Brown’s birthstone as well and today we posted an article on Sensational written by Kimberlin about this regal red gem.
I was most surprised to learn that this amazing stone comes in a virtual rainbow of choices not just red.
See what Kimberlin has to say about garnet…
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July 4th is a day when Americans celebrate our country by decking out our homes and ourselves in red, white, and blue. But why were these three colors chosen to represent our nations?
In 1776, with America’s hard-won battle for freedom behind them, the people of our country wanted a national flag that would symbolize not only their independence, but their spirit of unity. The Continental Congress responded by passing the first “Flag Act” which established the first official flag for our nation.
It stated: “Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field.”
The significance of the colors was defined thus: White signifies purity and innocence; Red, hardiness and valor; Blue, vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Our founding fathers recognized the ability of color to communicate meaning, but whether Americans today know the specific significance of the flag colors is not as important as the power of these colors to evoke our patriotic spirit and unify us as a country.
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Red, a new French movie, is an innovative approach to French entertainment. Red is all about the color red and the dark side of emotions.
This film will show you the color red in a new light and encourage you to explore the dark side of all human emotions.
Experience the passion, love, and erotic sides of red in the movie that will surely be talked about for years to come!
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It is always fascinating to me to see how color trends translate in different countries and regions.
In this story on current trends in South Africa, the two designers interviewed are quoted as saying “the opportunity to play with color has arrived so don’t be scared to combine textures and colors” and, in their view, “Bottle green, maroon and navy have been replaced by pillar box red*, white, metallic, naturals and skins.”
The Mercury Times featured “Time to play with colour” and included the pictures shown above.
You can read the article online…
* Note: Pillar red refers to a bright, true red that standard British pillar boxes (mail boxes) have been sporting since 1874.
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