Posts Tagged ‘fashion trends’

They called it “TWAHL” for short!

Posted in Features, tagged , , , , on 14 February 2022| Leave a Comment »

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Once upon a time, Marie Antoinette, weary of her heavy and thick brocades, lovingly and happily embraced her new found freedom in the airiness of toile. At last. . . she could breathe again.

Sad to say but history knows how long that lasted!!

However, until her beheading, she enjoyed the comfort and freedom that the fabric of Toile du Jouy gave her and her fashion sense greatly influenced the popularity of toile in the 18th century.

Shall we take a step back. . . before your head spins too far off its axis?

In a world of brocade, be a toile!

We think of toile as the pastoral life, mythology, exotic travel, flora and fauna prints on the fabric but, actually, way back in the 18th century, toile was the light and airy linen fabric itself. While it was first made in Ireland, yes Ireland, the town of Jouy-en-Josas in France came to be its permanent manufacturer. In French, toile du Jouy means fabric from the French town Juoy.

Toile du Jouy is a mouthful so it got shortened to “Twahl” for short.

The original German designer of prints on toile fabric was influenced by Chinese nature drawings and drew those pastoral designs that we come to associate as “Toile.” They were single color prints on a white background. Today those prints appear on a multitude of colored fabrics as well.

Toile is delicate, romantic and artistically beautiful and pops up in fabrics, wallpaper, china, bedding, masks, cell phone cases, etc. You get the idea!

While toile design is classic and not going anywhere, like most fashion styles, it comes and goes in popularity. The past two years have seen a surge in its popularity in everything from tops to bottoms to accessories. It rides the wave from romantic dresses to sneakers and sandals.

Toile on sneakers? I gotta go find me a pair of those, as the thought of having a flowy, romantic toile top and some sneakers to go with, uplifts the imagination. Well my imagination is uplifted at the thought.

And, of course, toile is on the racks of Sound Styles, as shown in Jenny’s weekly video dated. . . January 13th, 2022.

Want to partake of this French remedy for stuffiness? “TWAHL” anyone?

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Orange Ya Glad?

Posted in Features, tagged , , on 27 July 2021| 1 Comment »

Quote of the Week:

Okay. . . so  maybe it took til almost three o’clock this afternoon, but this day’s sky did become quite a glorious one with the colors of yellow and orange enhancing the beauty of its milky blue.  I think Van Gogh meant that blue becomes its most vibrant when it is enhanced by its complements (opposites on the color wheel) yellow and orange. That seems to be especially true at sunrise and sunset. 

The “fashion” colors of this year are turning toward a palette fit for a painter.

From lemon yellow to tangerine orange to bubblegum pink, these deliciously bright pops of color bring a feeling of joy and happiness. And that was purposely planned by fashion designers, as they wanted to exude a sense of optimism and positive spirit into their 2021 seasonal runways. 

I love color so choosing a favorite is impossible but orange is right up there in my color wheel of favorites. For goodness sake…. I have an orange sofa in my living room. Not at all what I was thinking when I walked into the showroom of the furniture store… “I want an orange sofa” was not on my agenda. But, there it was right in front of me and I was stopped in my tracks by its happy energy, its warmth, and its evocative feelings of Autumn. 

Since the rest of the room is relatively neutral, I felt safe in adding a pop of color with this sofa. It worked out great and I and my kitty, Gracie, love that sofa. I had to find an orange throw blanket to drape over the top so Gracie could curl up and sleep without leaving too much “debris” behind. Doesn’t hurt that Gracie is an orange calico so she fits right in. Designer kitty!

And then there is this! A spring birthday bouquet of exquisite beauty with one bright orange parrot tulip as its centerpiece.

Oops! I digress! But… you know how one picture is worth a thousand words and, in this case, make it two pictures. It’s definitely impossible to write an essay on such a vibrant color, or any color, without visuals. So. . . perhaps we can learn a lesson or two from my living room decor, minus Gracie, of course. And from a birthday bouquet of definite distinction.

Yes! By all means, orange is a bold, attention-getting color not to be worn by just everyone. If you can, DO! But, if you can’t, then go for just a touch of orange in an accessory that pops the more neutral outfit and, by all means, don’t be afraid to wear orange, if only just a touch. And no. . . orange is not the new black, at least fashionably speaking. But it is out there in force and represented by nearly all the fashion vendors so, if you need to brighten your day, bring some orange into your life. It evokes happy and energetic feelings that just lift you up and help you find and embrace life’s vitality.

WOW! Just to showcase my little essay on orange: here is one of Shelly’s “Van Gogh” moments in her photo of an Edmonds skyline on an Autumn’s evening sunset. Spectacular and makes me happy to be in our small corner of the world.

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What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Posted in Features, tagged , , on 4 September 2012| Leave a Comment »

please click to enlarge image

 
What’s wrong with this picture?
 
 
Absolutely nothing according to this year’s fashion trends.
 
 
          It’s simply called “Fashion!”
 
 
In fashion today, the “old rules” no longer apply.
 
Afterall, fashion is always about newness.
 
So, take a closer look at our picture and you’ll see some of today’s new ideas…
 
 

      Long goes over short!

      Short goes over long!

      Chunky jewelry is back again as are those long, long chains.

      Patterns are mixed… go ahead and put together stripes and dots and prints.

      Textures… do the same by putting linen with butterknits or corduroy with lace.

      Color… well, that’s a whole other horse of a different color!  Take out your box of crayons and play!!

      Then tie it all together with a splash of animal print.

It’s that time of year to make a “playdate” with your closet and have fun putting together “new” combinations.  You might just surprise yourself!

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