Color at the Met & Paris Fashion Week

A couple weeks ago during New York’s early burst of spring, I met girlfriends at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We wandered through its centuries of marble, gold, cloth, paint, stone, wrought into the extraordinary by mind, hands and soul. Because we were aimless, what struck me was each new grouping of materials and colors as we hit a new medium around each corner. We half-heartedly looked for the Seurat exhibit, but kept getting wonderfully lost, only to be delighted by the next beautiful collection of Egyptian jewelry and pharoahs’ tombs, ancient textiles, modern paintings, heavy silver, and ceramics. We took random pictures of things that moved us, and were excited with what we captured on our new IPhones.

When I looked at the photos I took of paintings that grabbed me, I realized there was a color story in my randomness. I’ve been thinking lately about using creative color combinations to begin moving us out of the end of winter. It’s not time yet for strictly spring fabrics and cuts to pull us out of the cold–not because of bygone fashion rules, but in order to stay present where we are. I like to stay in each season as long as I can, until it becomes grating. When we just can’t take it anymore, that timeframe is shortened for me if I’ve been delaying looking forward.

I like to use color to begin transforming our seasonal frame of mind–in a fitting way. By adding a pop, or all-over intensity to weather-appropriate clothing, we’re opening up to spring. Quintessentially summer blue and white shirting cloth lightens black patent pants, sunny florals bring out boots, and bright pleated stripes start us buzzing.

We find spring color inspiration in these street style looks from the just-concluded Paris Fashion Week. They pair with these glorious paintings at the Met–including the Seurat that we found in the end.