Recently, I was inspired by the color palettes of two very different art exhibits. One at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence is full of intense color, highly digitized and monumental. And another at the Flinn Gallery here at my local library focused on simplicity, the hand-made and natural tones.
Machine Hallucinations—Renaissance Dreams by Refik Anadol
The large screen placed in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi displayed beautiful waves of color and immediately brought to my mind Zimmermann which is a gorgeous (and pricey) line of clothing that uses bursts of colors, organic patterns and light, delicate, feminine fabrics. These just seemed to be the perfect reflection of the colors and undulating shapes jumping off the screen. Click here to watch a short video of this piece.
To recreate these outfits for yourself, choose a vibrant color story and organic patterns and mix and match. Fuchsia, orange and pale pink is one palette. Turquoise, orange and green can be another. Continue the themes in the accessories: bows on shoes, beads on earrings, the raw edge on the straw hat. As always, click on any photo and it will link you to these lovely pieces.
Sound Garden by Akinori Matsumoto
The artist’s statement reads, in part, “We used to live more in synch with nature…we tend to forget that we are part of nature...my world is analog…it evokes a sense of nostalgia.” The soothing sounds and natural tones and textures inside the sound garden reminded me of the brand, Everlane. It’s known for simplicity of design, solid colors, natural texturing and quality fabrics at great prices. Click here to watch (and listen!) to a short video of this piece.
To recreate these outfits for yourself, limit the colors to neutrals found in nature. I restricted the palette to burnt umber, ivory and tobacco. Another idea would be olive, sand and white. Keep the details simple and geometric such as wide straps, circular buttons and spare accessories. Click on any photo for more details.
A Note about sets
Matching sets are still having a moment in fashion. These became popular during the pandemic with at-home, lounge wear sets and have morphed into “clothing you can wear out of the house” sets. Buying a set is a great way to maximize your wardrobe: you get a ready-made outfit when wearing the matching pieces together and at least two more outfits by dividing the pieces up. When you shop using a color palette, that ensures that all pieces will easily mix-n-match. Just a little pro tip for you!