Tuesday, May 13, 2008

"Where's my Brick? Where's My precious Baby?"

OK, so that's a line from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" said by Big Mama, but that's not what this post is about. This is about my observation that the "in color" for 2008 Fall mens' fashions is what I am calling "brick red". I'm sure professional fashionisti know it by some other official name, but it seems like brick red to me. And, judging by their TV ads, I bet I could find a pair of brick red jeans at Target. While I am no slave to fashion, I do think color has a cyclic appeal. When we have saturated our eyes with, perhaps, waves of teal, we find ourselves yearning for something like the color of fire. When we have had enough of Marimekko lime green, we move to the muted rusty plums of Alexander Julian. And so it goes. One color is a salve for too much of another. My natural color is sapphire, and I should stick with it, much as Katharine Hepburn learned that her natural color was camel offset by black. When she found the tops and slacks that she felt great in, she bought fifty sets.

Yesterday, I ordered some sapphire blue contact lens. Not that I don't like my natural golden brown eye color. It's just that color is everyman's luxury. It's sad and foolish to deny one's self the delicious embrace of strong and varied color. The time to be careful is when you are furnishing your house. You are going to have to live inside your color choices for quite a while. For Florida, I just took delivery of glass tile in a color that is like the sky before rain, or through polarized glasses, or, cornflower, or maybe the color of a pack of Gauloise, This, for the kitchen backsplash. I know I won't grow tired of that color.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems like the 80's are upon us again with the red pants and skinny ties,and if I see you with those contacts in, I will rename thee Crystal Gayle.

Birdie said...

You may wear outfit #1. Maybe #2. Absolutely NOT any of the rest.

I can't imagine you with blue eyes after seeing those soulful brown eyes. Post a picture when you get those contacts.

evilganome said...

I have finally resigned myself to earth tones. Though, I can wear most colors if I want to. Except yellow, which makes me look like a corpse.

Have fun with the colored contacts. Why not?

M. Knoester said...

Ooh! I love sapphire. In fact I have sapphire earrings, necklace and ring that I wear almost every day.

I know it'll look stunning, but then your eyes are gorgeous already.

Mark said...

the blue eyes will be amazing with your coloration.

the red clothes? i'm sure you could pull them off, but i know for a fact that i'll resemble a fire engine. or a small factory.

cb said...

I am more of a 'blue-red' person... not an 'orange-red'. That said, does red ever truly go out of fashion? A little goes a long way, though.

And for some reason, medium to navy blues work best on me. Don't know why.

Anonymous said...

I hope the mirror makes you happy when you're wearing the contacts.

Fashion's fun because, for me, it's about the souls who get to see it, less for the soul who's wearing it. So all the great views of colors you describe, bring 'em on.

Tony Adams said...

Dear Ashe, to paraphrase your comment, my friend Kitty's (Fr. Ken's) mother always used to say "Dress to please others. Eat to please yourself."

Anonymous said...

Apparently, pale blue contacts work well, too:

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html

Doralong said...

One can never, ever have too much red.