The last issue of Gardening Life, a glossy Canadian garden magazine, featured a “black” garden, the counterpart to the famous white garden atSissinghurst. While I’ve no similarly concentrated darkness in my garden, I have been seduced by what “black” (generally very dark purples, burgundies in foliage and bloom) can add to the garden in terms of contrast and intrigue. I have a fabulous sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’ that’s stunning to the point of kitsch when it’s in bloom (pink lacy blooms against deep purple foliage) and, of course, the trendy Black Mondo grass (ophiopogon planiscapus). But nothing like these beauties:
I saw this print in Aritzia last weekend in the cutest little skirt. And I do mean little. Once I would have worn such a skirt happily, and it’s going to look so gorgeous on some lithe young women this spring. As for me, I quickly turned my attention to this sundress, which I anticipate wearing with capri leggings and sandals, or over slim white capris, or even over jeans. Two layers of very light airy cotton — on the hottest days of summer, I suspect I’ll even wear it on its own over a tank, at home where my husband still thinks these legs are okay in mini lengths!
I love the cut-work embroidery detail at the yoke.
I will probably wear it often with this cobalt-blue (not quite, really, is it, but what colour is it — Alison?) t-shirt from Banana Republic. Funny, I got a dress in a very similar blue last summer in Paris (at Biscote), and got many comments here about what a great colour, how much people had loved something that colour years ago but hadn’t seen for ages, etc., etc., and then this spring it’s popping up regularly in the shops.
And did I mention it’s got pockets — I know I’m not supposed to like them so much — they wreck the shape of the garment, create an unflattering line, and so forth, but I love the attitude I assume/feel/inhabit when I slip my hands into the kind of pockets sewn into a side seam (patch just won’t do).
Of course, it’s still a bit early to wear something so blatantly, joyfully summer, BUT this weekend the clock springs forward an hour (my least favourite day of the year — I can barely cope with 24 hours a day, and they’re stealing one?), and we have those longer evenings that mean we’ve once again lived through the winter and will be basking in sunshine (I can dream!). What are you itching to haul out of the winter wardrobe? Or what have you bought recently in anticipation of a beautifully sunny day?
Hello again, I’m not really here to comment on your post (although I really love the sundress and the idea of wearing it with capris or jeans), but rather to tell you that I’m now officially your stalker! I checked in with two of my favourite France blogs today, and there you were – at Aimee’s and at Andie’s. Small world! Patricia in Budapest
According to HTML colour charts, that colour is just called “Blue.” Once again, computers ruin everything.
w3schools.com/html/html_colornames.asp
It could also be PANTONE Blue 072 M.
Well, Thomas, how boring is that?! I’m going to have to consult with an artist friend or two and see if we can come up with something better.
Patricia, making the odds even higher against you seeing my comments at those blogs today is that I so seldom post there — at PutYourFlareOn, perhaps once or twice a month, at C’estMaVie not more than four or five times over the last year. I’ll have to share a small world anecdote about PutYourFlareOn and the owner of the Paris hotel we stay in — I’ll try to get a post on that in the next few days.
cute dress – I love the print!
Bronwen
Cobalt is good or maybe Azure for a more mediterranean feel, it is a lovely deep blue. But if you want to be more hip and ‘on trend’ get a really acid yellow t shirt I love a B/W pattern with yellow it looks lovely. As for summer it still seems too far away, its so blustery here. Out of all my summer clothes i can’t wait to put my linen on with some flip flops, my toes need some fresh air!