Tag Archives: Color Block

En Fleur!

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Cardigan: Brooklyn Industries, Blouse: Jennifer Glasgow, Belt: H&M, Pants: Zara, Shoes: Soda (from Modcloth). Photo by Christian

There’s a few weeks in April and May that are fleetingly perfect. The sun is out, the breeze blows, you can wear stylish layers, but not overheat, and still not freeze if you happen to forget your jacket. Flowers pop and everywhere you look there is renewed energy, color and vigor. This past weekend was an oportune time to pay a spring visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens where, thanks to a strangely warm spring, the cherry trees and lilacs are in full bloom several weeks early.

Azaleas at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

In planning my outfit I wanted to dress to match the colors I knew would be in full effect and also dress to around comfortably. Azaleas, lilacs, cherry trees, tulips, and peonies are all in bloom right now…  I knew the color palate would be pink, fuchsia, lavender, magenta and rose, so I put together the hot colors of the season: tangerine and bright pink, with the print of the season: floral. It was the perfect time to introduce my new shirt by Canadian designer Jennifer Glasgow that I bought in Montreal. With transparent tangerine and floral prints its on trend and timeless. Also, do you like how my pants disappear into the azalea bushes? Finally, did you know you can check out the status of the cherry blossoms at BBG on their bloom map?

Photo by Christian

I love the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in any season, but in early spring it is over the top with color and flowers. It’s wonderful for a weekend morning wander with friends and as a word to the wise, if you get there between 10 am and noon on Saturday entry is free! What is your favorite thing to do in spring?

Walking among the cherry blossoms

Lilacs are on of my favorite flowers. Couldn't you just smell them all day?

Cherry blossoms and blue sky. I tend to take the same photos every year at the Botanic Gardens.

Celebrating under the cherry trees. Photo by Christian

Tulips at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Falling for the Color Block

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J Crew shirt, Zara jeans, Ben Simon Sneakers, Cachemire et Soie for Jimmy Fairly sunglasses, and my mom's vintage leather tote from LL Bean

When I first saw colored denim appear on the fashion blogs earlier this year I thought to myself, “Ooh, noo, the 90’s really are back with a vengeance.” The last time I wore colored denim (dark green to be exact) was in 1992. It was the year I bought Nirvana’s Nevermind album on cassette and felt really cool about that. I also got my first pair of Converse All Stars, which I quickly found out you cannot wear in the Maine winter and expect to have dry feet at the end of the day. I bought a pair of Airwalk shoes too (before they were made by Payless), but claimed I was “not a poser” even though I didn’t skate. Not being a poser was very important in the early 1990’s.

I never stopped wearing Converse and still proudly sport an American made pair I acquired at a clothing swap in Portland, Oregon in 2001 (may they buck the trend of Converse and never wear out!). However, I quickly abandoned colored denim and have stuck with straight leg, dark wash jeans since the mid-1990’s.

A Flate White from Cafe Grumpy to match my color block

Well, Nirvana’s albums are being re-released as fancy re -issues (I still have my battered cassette), Converse are now being made by Nike in Asia and are all the rage with the high fashion set, and colored denim is back. I really held out. No way was I going to be running around like some poser in skinny, bright pink jeans this spring. But I kept seeing them on the blogs and on the street. And they looked good!

Essie "Braziliant" and "Super Bossa Nova" to extend the color block to the tips of my fingers and toes

I think I finally cracked when I was offered a pair of dusky rose jeans at a clothing swap. They were a way to ease my way back into colored denim. Finally, I decided that one of my two major purchases for the fall would be pink or red jeans. I looked at J Brand. So nice. So out of my budget. I ordered a pair of knock-off red denim from Asos. They didn’t fit and felt too much like jeggings. Finally, I took a late-evening wander through SoHo and tried on every pair of pink, orange or red pants that Zara had to offer. I found them. Skinny. Denim. Bright, dark pink. And on sale! My Ben Simon’s may win out over my Converse as a shoe pairing, but I guess the dream of the 1990’s is still alive in my adult fashion choices.