Flamingos, Peacocks, and Bluebirds

The runways and racks are vibrant with color this season.  Crayola enthusiasts--the year is yours again.  Designers haven’t gotten tired of rainbows! 

Brilliant blues, riotous reds and gorgeous greens are amazing mood lifters and entirely appropriate after winter’s slushy grey and black mood.  Walking into a store this season is like diving headfirst into a kaleidoscope, but, oh what a trip it is!  Oscar de la Renta, Tracy Reese, and Proenza Schouler were inspired by the hues found in handmade quilts, lush forests, Eastern culture, photography, and pop culture.  And yeah, Pantone’s website is ultra cool.  Dusk blue, emerald, lemon zest, poppy red and African violet are some of their favorite hues this season.

Go ahead and jump into the jade pencil skirt, or punch up your attitude with purple patent pumps. Think a minute--would daffodils be as beautiful if they were grey?  Is a monochrome sunset breathtaking? Which bird would you prefer looking at--a pigeon or a cardinal?

So, here’s what I want you to do--color yourself glamorous and slip into that lemon zest jacket.  It’ll put spring into your step.

Peacocks

Most guys are comfortable in shades of brown, grey, and black.  Dark suits with uninspired pastel shirts for business and varied shades of grey with dark denim for weekends.  Not especially resplendent or memorable.  However, there is an trend that is turning traditional men’s looks on its pointy little head.  In Italy today uomini are wearing summer pants as vivid as the season’s favorite flowers.  They aren’t embarrassed or ashamed to wear pants in bright pink or bold lavender. 

Urban American men have long strutted in Technicolor finery.  Consider R&B performers in the 1950s, 60s and 70s--The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Spinners, and Chi-Lites--who were always suited up in flamboyant outfits in teal, baby blue, or cherry red.  You may remember how everyday dudes from the car wash showed up at the club on Saturday nights in Easter egg-colored pimp daddy suits, or matchy-matchy ensembles in purple, royal blue, and sunset orange.

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

Contemporary urban summer menswear is drenched in color.  Brothers in peach, lavender, and lemon yellow shorts with matching shirts are a typical sight.  These displays of color may appear less than masculine, but its lineage can be found in ancient civilizations where the colors and styles of clothing worn were indicative of one’s social status. 

Menswear designers are stepping deep into the Crayola box and playing with sticks of dazzling color.  Check out this link for more on the trend.  In a recent NY Times “On The Street” montage photographer Bill Cunningham stated that “The mirror of our age is not on women’s fashion--it’s on men’s….”  From everything I’m seeing on blogs and other media, he’s right. This trend will continue in 2013.

Males in full plumage--strutting, preening.  Captivating, colorful trend setters. 

Do you think the men in your life will adapt this style?  Would your dad or boyfriend wear a rose colored suit to work?

In Living Color: In the Navy

Remember when Dorothy opened her front door after landing in Oz?  Technicolor is where the fashion world lives this season.  Intense, amped-up color is on fingertips, eyelids, and in closets everywhere.  We’re told to turn up the volume on our wardrobes, and sometimes loud is fun.  But, if you’re shy or more traditional, you may find yourself wading in a sea of sleepy neutrals, blending into the background while bright sprays of psychedelic prints prance by.

I’ll share a little neutral know-how from In-Style magazine.  Their crew has great advice on working the neutrals.  Today’s focus is on navy--the color of tradition and conformity.

Navy makes everyone think of sailors, police officers, or Catholic school uniforms.  However, classic navy looks fresh when allowed to go a little nuts.  Most of us think of pairing navy with red, but there are other vibrant colors that make navy pop.  A jacket in Valencia orange can juice up a navy sheath dress, a double bubble pink pencil skirt will add snap to a fitted navy jacket, and a sleek kelly green cashmere cardigan will look great layered over a navy blue tuxedo blouse.  I love jewelry, and wouldn’t hesitate to wear stacks of gorgeous turquoise stones with a statement sapphire necklace (in my fantasy life).

So, go forth and be daring.  Punch up those neutrals and turn some heads!

Kill the Khakis! (Some Summer Style Tips)

We need some new rules for summer Fridays at the office. Dressing down from Memorial Day to Labor Day has come to mean tossing on a pair of tired frayed khakis and heading out the door. Instead of tossing them on, toss them out! The office fashionista has other options like a cute white denim pencil skirt paired with a cool slim fitting tee or button down. She could also slip into a sleek sleeveless belted sheath dress with a pair of cute flat sandals in a hot color. 

Cropped pants are always appropriate.  Today’s model features a narrower leg than that of a couple of years ago, and they lend a sophisticated, tailored tone to business casual. Wedges, pointy toe flats, espadrilles, or fabulous platform pumps all rock the crops.

Grab a fitted vest and pop it over a longer fitted t-shirt in a contrasting color.  Add a funky beaded necklace. Wear with the pencil skirt, cropped pants, or sleek dark wash jeans.

Speaking of jeans, relegate those faded, torn jeans to clean-the-garage garb. Don’t you dare wear them to work! Invest in a pair of well-fitted (but not skin tight) dark wash jeans.  Skinny or boot cut doesn’t matter, both are current. Pair them with silky, flowy tops tucked into your waistband. And, always wear a belt!  They serve two purposes, to keep your pants up and pull together your look. Just forget about that ancient rule about shoes and belts matching; work the personal style! 

Most important--wear color! We swaddle ourselves in gray and black during the colder months. Summer is the time to bust out in a rainbow of red, yellow, aqua, and green. Choose a lime green bag to wear with your coral dress. Drape an orange scarf over the royal blue tee. Choose a bold print over a dainty one. You'll look gorgeous!

‘Nuff said. There should be enough style tips here to get you through the next eight summer casual Fridays. Call me if you need me!

This Just In…

Trend watchers and style makers have spoken and the color for fall 2010 is-–RED!  There was a lot of it heating up the fall runways and it looks so right with the workday neutrals.  Everyone looks fabulous in red and there is a shade that flatters every skin tone.  It’s a color that warms the soul, stokes passion, whets the appetite.  It’s bold, sexy, confident, and may lower your inhibitions. 

But before you jump out there in head-to-toe ruby with rose-colored accents, please remember that most things are best is moderation.  Consider a pair of tomato red suede pumps with a black sweater dress, or a cherry red cardigan with a chocolate felted wool pencil skirt.  I would like a coral cashmere scarf tucked snugly around my neck with a black pea coat.

So, get your red on, and wear a little bit of your heart on your sleeve (or your back, head and hands) this fall.