One. Moonstone ring

I got this ring on Poshmark a few weeks ago, and haven’t stopped wearing it. Moonstones and labradorites are my favourite stones because they’re such chameleons, and I love their inner fire (the blue/green/purple flashes that show up in sunlight/at certain angles). They’re mysterious and gorgeous. Anyway, recently I have been obsessed with square-cut stones set in chunky, more masculine settings. I have a blue-flash lab ring that I got last year and is a favourite, so when I saw this moonstone one, I was immediately intrigued.

Two. Labyrinth/Mind Palace

This one will be harder to explain. I had a realization the other week which surprised me, and on which I am continuing to reflect. The longer I spend at home (and I have spent a lot of time here over the last 2 years), the more I love my home, the more it feels like an extension of myself. I’m like a snail, at one with my shell/house. And my house seems to grow larger, not smaller (despite its relatively modest 1,700 square feet) — I am constantly finding new corners and nooks to fall in love with. Some of it has to do with the fact that we often “update” parts of of our house, moving furniture around, changing the art, and so on. But part of it is a state of mind. My house contains a multitude of rooms, and houses — rooms I’ve seen, read about, dreamt about, all of which are reflected in some small measure (sometimes a very tiny sliver) in the things which ornament my house. So, I guess, in a way, my house is a labyrinth of my life, a physical representation of a mind palace if you will. I’m not sure I am explaining it very well, but there it is. By the by, there is a Paris Review article on “The Celestial Memory Palace” which sort of tangential to this idea, and which opened other intriguing avenues of contemplation. Any article that quotes Borges is a good article, in my books.

Three. An Outfit

This Alberta Ferretti outfit is currently living rent-free in my head. It’s not just the silhouette or the textures that I love, although those are fantastic; it’s actually the colour palette that intrigues me the most, even though it’s not one to which I would normally gravitate. I am pondering ways to interpret this in my own closet.

Four. Sunrises

It’s the time of year when I can catch the sunrise on my walk to/from school in the mornings. And we have been getting some beautiful, breathtaking ones. So much colour inspiration. I’m still not able to get outside as much as I would like these days, but these short walks and sunrises are helping to make me feel connected to nature.

Five. Stamps

When I was growing up in the Old Country, one of my favourite hobbies was stamp collecting. My parents did a bit of it too, when they were younger; I “inherited” their collections. These collections were some of the few mementoes of my childhood that I still have. My stamp albums have been sitting in a box in the basement for years, but recently I felt the urge to look through them again. I love the diversity of designs (from all over the world, through primarily other Communist countries because, duh, that’s all we could get) and have been thinking of turning some into embroidery patterns.

Details: Gucci blouse, Tabi vest, Malorie Urbanovitch skirt (all thrifted); Manolo Blahnik shoes (via eBay)

Thoughts: possibly the best combination for each of these 3 pieces. They simply work so incredibly well. The textures are interesting, but I like the colours the most (and no black!). The vest-blouse combo, in particular:

Details: My Little Pony tee (thrifted); Maeve skirt (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: dressing for my inner 8-year old always results in the happiest of outfits. The lesson is: always have fun with your clothes.

Details: Liz Claiborne dress and bag, London Fog coat, Arnold Churgin boots (all thrifted); Mango sweater (via Poshmark)

Details: Pink Tartan dress, Anthro belt (thrifted), Babaton skirt (via consignment), Stella & Dot necklace (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: layering a longer skirt under a dress is one of my fave styling “tricks” because it instantly changes the silhouette. As I’m currently a fan of longer hemlines, it also makes it possible to wear older dresses (that are shorter) in a way that suits my current aesthetic. The key is that the dress has to be roomy enough (and the skirt underneath streamlined enough) so there’s no bunching.

Details: Chico’s top, Lord & Taylor turtleneck, Wilfred pants, Amaryllis coat (all thrifted); Twinset fur collar (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: I love blue and brown together and need to remind myself to wear them more often. And yellow is a great accent colour for that combination. The kids calls this fit collar my “lady beard” and the name has now stuck forever, but I don’t mind because I kinda love it (the piece and the name).

Details: Zara top, Vero Moda pants, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted); Anthro belt (retail, old)

Details: Gap shirt, Second Female cardigan, BlackMilk leggings (all thrifted); Ana Effect corset (retail); Zara shoes (retail, old)

Fit comments: I recently thrifted this pair of “latex” leggings, something I’ve been wanting for a while. Last year, I was eyeing the Commando version, as I have their faux leather leggings and like the fit. But for $130CAD+, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the cost. Well, I paid about $8 for this BlackMilk version (retail approx. $100AUS) which is a much better gamble. My pair is size Medium, which honestly looked too small on the rack; I pulled up the BlackMilk sizing chart on my phone in the store, which indicated that the Medium *should* fit comfortably. It does fit … but only just. Caveat: I like my pants to fit loose, and even with leggings I prefer them not to feel “strangle tight”. I wear Medium in Commando, and find them very comfortable. The Black Milk are less comfortable, but wearable. They have a stretchy panel on the inner side (and crotch) which helps with the comfort factor, and also with avoiding any squeaking noises while you move. Still, if buying new, I would recommend sizing up from your usual size.

I’ve been obsessed lately with Monet, especially his waterlily paintings from Giverny which have given me inspiration from some of my embroidery projects. But the more I looked at my favourite paintings, the more I found myself being influenced by the colour palettes. Recently, I realized that I was (subconsciously?) seeking ways to recreate those colour stories in my outfits.

Pulling ideas for colour combinations from existing patterns is one of my favourite (and easiest) styling tricks. Someone has already done the legwork for you, figuring out what goes together. It’s an especially helpful trick for finding less common combinations, especially if you don’t feel confident enough to make the decision — do these two or three or four colours go together?? — on your own. Doing the same thing with a piece of art is, well, kind of a no brainer.

Here are some examples I’ve been working with recently.

[Note: we all see colours differently (especially when viewed through a screen) so this isn’t going to be an exact science. My two cents would be: trust your eye to be your guide.]

Per last week’s post, here’s my current obsession. There are a few colour stories I’ve pulled from it, including these two 3-colour palettes.

There are more colours and combinations that could be pulled just from this one painting, including 2-colour, 3-colour, 4-colour (and more!) palettes.

Here is an example of a recent outfit based on a 3-colour palette drawn from this Monet painting:

Here is another Monet painting and a possible colour palette:

And here is an outfit based around it:

Never fear, you don’t need to stick to Monet only. Here are some ideas based on Van Gogh’s irises (another favourite of mine):

And here is an outfit which incorporates a 2-colour palette:

Klimt is another favourite of mine:

Here is an outfit built around a similar colour story (with multiple colours):

Norval Morrisseau was an Indigenous artist, whose work is wonderfully vibrant. Here are a couple of palettes based on his Man Changing into Thunderbird triptych (one panel only) which speak to my closet:

And here is an outfit based around a similar palette (but picking up the royal blue instead):

I hope these are helpful illustrations to get you thinking about how you might draw inspiration from art. As a general tip, I would suggest looking at paintings/drawings whose colours are similar to what’s in your closet, not necessarily just your favourite artists. To discover new (classical or modern) art with which you might not already be familiar and which might provide inspiration, I recommend following art accounts on Instagram such as @dailyart_official, which post a broad range of artworks on a regular basis, or borrowing art books from the library which cover different eras/movements in art.