Orange and blue, spectacular together in a sunset and an outfit, are opposite each other on a color wheel. (I Googled it to be sure.) And I’m feeling orange, lately, like I can’t shake this vision of orange as a motivating presence in my life. When I envision where I want to take my life right now, I see less of a defined path than blurs of tangerine orange, cherry red, lemon yellow. Mango, peaches, and lime. I think what I’m feeling is actually… optimism… finally. Juicy, bright, orange optimism washing over the too-comfortable melancholic blues, a 180 from how I felt last year, lost and blue, lost at sea.
It could be that I have bossa nova playing in the background, a pair of long-awaited silk pants and some books coming in the mail, a sunburn reminding me that life outside of my head exists, and a candle burning in front of me. It’s definitely related to quitting my job and the blooming of nearby Magnolia trees. I also have a bottle of celebratory orange wine waiting for me in the fridge for a 70 degrees Thursday, on the porch, with one of those books? Or maybe it’s just that spring is an inherently optimistic time and I’m anticipating, predictably, the fun of future weddings, park vistas, lake sunsets, bare shoulders, Aperol spritzs on patios, and the company of friends who feel more social when the sun stays up until 8 p.m. 🍊
I was listening to a podcast recently, Style Not Fashion by fashion forecaster Talia Carpintiri, and she theorized about a sustainable path for the future of fashion on the internet/influencing, in which influencers become known for specific items, and they just wear those items always, sometimes in new ways, sometimes in tried-and-true formulas. They’re not ashamed to be photographed over and over in the same dress; they choose to be. It’s their thing.
That would be groundbreaking for influencers/vloggers/TikTokers and the like who both capitalize on and reinforce the feeling in consumers scrolling through their aspirational outfits that we always need the next new thing.
I try not to spend too much money on anything that isn’t very high-quality, practical, and purposeful in my wardrobe, so if something pricey is entering the fold, then I’m going to wear and maintain the shit out of it. This means using a tank top as a skirt (and as a different kind of blouse), rewearing a statement-y two-piece set all spring and summer long, and finding accessories that lend a new look to something I wear often, like a pair of black stirrup tights worn with silver ankle cuffs borrowed from a pair of flats I own (the platypus bills!) and leather slingbacks (which I bought on The RealReal from a previous owner who loved them enough to have them resoled with Vibram soles).
Here are some outfits I’ve worn recently and asked Ben (plus my neighbor Steph!) to photograph <3 featuring items I’ve had for a while and some I bought over the last couple of months to add to my upcoming summer wardrobe.
I’m aiming to write a newsletter weekly from now on, probably on Mondays, and it will be about fashion mostly, usually with a little cooking blog-eqsue intro about my LIFE, so stay tuned.
Enjoy cherry blossom season xx,
Francesca 🍊