Hey Dolls!
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the blog of a fellow librarian, Jen, at Librarian for Life and Style. She had written a post about style imitating art (SIA). In the post, Jen featured an outfit or look based on a piece of art. That day, Jen’s SIA inspiration was a silver filigree Grassi family crest embedded with peach and plum stones carved by de Rossi. The crest was regal and magnificent. Jen’s interpretation started with her necklace and went from there, featuring a lovely sweater and skirt, tights and shoes that reflected the colors of the crest.
A few weeks later, Jen’s SIA post featured an Edward Hopper painting entitled Automat. Not only did Jen capture the mood of the painting but the colors and the spirit of that era as well.
That’s when I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try my hand at Style Imitating Art.
The inspiration for the SIA I am styling was chosen by Jen’s friend Salazar on her blog 14 Shades of Grey. It is a Dong Ho woodblock print that reflects Salazar’s Vietnamese roots. She chose this painting for its bright colored carps which symbolize good fortune and success. The Dong Ho paintings have traditionally been a part of the Lunar New Year (which began on February 19, 2015).
Here, side by side for the very first time are the wood block inspiration and the outfit I was inspired to put together.
I started with the blouse. Something about its circular pattern reminded me of the scales on the carp. I bought this popover blouse at Target specifically for my SIA.
From there, I shopped my closet for the other pieces. I used a Target mustard, boyfriend cardigan, olive drab, skinny jeans with embellished pockets from Kohl’s, and a gauzy, bright colored scarf from Charming Charlie’s. The flowy, fluttery fabric of the scarf reminded me of the movement of Koi or carp fish in water. I finished the look with Wal-Mart leopard flats that also echoed the shapes of the fish scales.
Here I am wearing my outfit.
I wore this outfit to a face-casting party for the Reflections of Generosity Foundation, for which I have just started volunteering. Paul and I first met the foundation’s founder Sgt. Ron Kelsey at one of the Tumbleword’s Writing Project’s workshop in the fall. I will be devoting an upcoming post to RoG but you can also read more here.
I love my supportive husband. He not only attended the face-casting party with me but he also chose a carp colored shirt to wear so we would match! I am so blessed to be supported and loved by my very own PC.
If you would like to join the next SIA, please stop by Jen’s or Salazar’s blog or the blog of their friend Jess at Animated Cardigan to check out the art for our next artistic inspiration.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
~Pablo Picasso
Also linking-up with other bloggers through I Feel Pretty. This outfit did make me feel pretty. And curiously put-together despite all of the patterns and colors going on.
You can share in the fun by linking up at Get Your Pretty On.
Hugs and chocolate kisses,
Love your outfit! You look pretty as a picture.
Thank you, sweets. The older I get, the more I look like my daddy. Miss him!
Awesome interpretation! I can totally see the fish scales in that blouse, and great pattern-mixing with the scarf and animal print flats! The SIA challenges are curated on a cycle, by Jess @ Animated Cardigan, Salazar @ 14 Shades of Grey, and then me. Jess and Salazar are also the co-founders of SIA — I joined the lineup in fall 2013 — and the challenge is biweekly (1 week to interpret the challenge, 1 week to showcase the results). So glad you’ve joined the SIA bandwagon! 🙂
Thank you, Jen, for coming by. Can’t wait to see our next inspiration for SIA. Hope to encourage a few blogging buddies to join in the fun. I edited my post to include Jess’s name and blog link. Hope to get to know you gals better.
Love this idea! So very you too!
Come join us, Deena! You are artistic and have a great eye for design. Would love to have you join in the fun.
Mom I think this is such An awesome idea and you did an amazing job of finding an outfit that really complemented that piece. Well done! I hope to see more in the future!! XOXO
What a great idea! You are so creative, and the outfit looks lovely on you!
Oh Leslie the the outfit is perfect! The colors, the patterns…..I love it! I also read Jen’s blog but have never tried my hand at creating an outfit from art. After see in you do this, I just might!
Awww, it’s lovely to hear that you read my blog! Yes, please, feel free to jump into the SIA fun — all are welcome! It really helps you think about art and style in a different way. 🙂
like your outfit
Why thank you! So glad you stopped by and left a comment. Please come back again. Thank you!