ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE: Knockout Pink.

I'd like to present the third in my series of posts sponsored by Pantone colors, featuring Knockout Pink. This one is tricky, as it appears much more neon in person than the swatch below.

Nearly all of my posts are inspired by established artists and their work.  This time, I'd like to present a student work, Cai Xi Silver's Pink Slips Flying, part of the Art=WorkStrengthenNourish project.

Pink Slips Flying exists as an outdoor installation, a wind-powered sculpture, and as a video work.

An MFA candidate at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Cai Xi's installation draws on the concept of the "pink slip" as termination notice and simultaneously as a woman's undergarment.

I find this work intriguing because of its use of the textile in an environment, vaguely referencing Christo's Surrounded Islands, my favorite environmental installation.

The billowing fabric also calls to mind the Ann Hamilton installation I discussed recently.

07 Pink Slips Flying, an art piece by Cai Xi Silver, fabric art, installation and video from Cai Xi on Vimeo.

Dress: Erin Fetherston One Shoulder Gathered Bodice Dress (80% off!)

Shoes: Betsey Johnson (similar here with a higher heel and platform)

Reptile Minaudiere: Lauren Merkin Lucca (on clearance here)

Photos by @kay_elle_pea, video stills from Cai Xi's vimeo page.

ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE: Grenadine.

For the second installment of my Artfully Awear + Pantone series, I'm featuring Grenadine.

I originally intended to use this dress in relation to the flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe (see my previous post here), but when I came across Jason Martin's paintings on Artsy, the resemblance to both color and form was undeniable.

Martin's (b. 1970) paintings are almost sculptures, utilizing thick impasto, resembling brushstrokes.  They are actually made using modeling paste on canvas.

The "brushstroke" is the subject of these monochrome works, and his paintings have been described as paying homage to Abstract Expressionism because of their focus on the process of painting itself.

They hearken back even to Suprematism, reminiscent of works such as Kazimir Malevich's Visual Realism of a Peasant Woman in Two Dimensions (Red Square), 1915, and even Piero Manzoni's Achrome series, which I discussed here.

I appreciate the paintings because of the way they collapse the realms of two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork, existing simultaneously as both.  

Dress: BCBGMAXAZRIA Ginger Strapless Ruffled Silk Dress (the color in my photos is closer to the actual hue)

Necklace: Emporio Armani (some options here)

Shoes: Lisa for Donald J. Pliner (75% off here!)

Leather clutch: Lauren Merkin (similar here in straw)

Photos by @kay_elle_pea, images from artsy.net

ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE: Magenta Purple.

I'd like to present Magenta Purple, the first color in my Artfully Awear + Pantone series.

When I discovered this gown, featuring Magenta Purple at the yoke and gradually changing gradient, I could not overlook its relationship to the Color Field paintings of Morris Louis.

Louis (1912-1962) lived and worked for most of his career in Washington, DC, becoming central to the Washington Color Movement along with Kenneth Noland and others.

Louis is best known for his gorgeous unprimed canvases featuring specially formulated Magna Paint.

Two important series make up his artistic oeuvre, the Unfurleds and the Veil paintings, pictured here.  View my previous Morris Louis post here, from 2011.

In addition to the beautiful tissue-like quality of the layers of paint on Louis' umprimed surfaces, I've always been drawn to his use of color, and the way they interact on the canvas by overlapping and becoming more or less sheer.

Dress: Nicole Miller Evening Ombre Strapless Gown (on sale!)

Shoes: Badgley Mischka Ginnie

Beaded handbag: Vintage, thrifted

Necklace: So Good Jewelry in SoHo

Thank you to Pantone for sponsoring this post!

Photos by @kay_elle_pea

Images from phillipscollection.org, dfwarts2010.files.wordpress.com, faculty.etsu.edu, and guggenheim.org

ARTFULLY AWEAR + PANTONE

Anyone who knows me understands the importance of color in my wardrobe (and life!) and I am beyond thrilled to announce a new series sponsored by THE color experts at Pantone. 

The Pantone team selected a gorgeous palette of fashion trend colors for Spring 2014, and I've created a collection of outfits showcasing their forecasted hues, shown below.

Green Glow, Blue Aster, Emerald (2013 color of the year), Champagne Beige, Knockout Pink, Grenadine, Magenta Purple

I debuted all of the outfits at The Art Directors Club's 92nd Annual Awards Gala on April 4 in South Beach, and I'm excited to unveil the first installment (featuring Magenta Purple) here tomorrow. 

Stay tuned!

Many thanks to Giovanni with Pantone, my quick change specialist, Olga, and my longsuffering photographer, Kathy.