Flying Colors

As a recent (yet temporary) transplant to Corpus Christi, TX, I am becoming acutely aware that my time to wear longsleeves, long pants, hoodies and black (as per my usual) is growing short...and I'm terrified. The mere thought of a warm weather wardrobe, and I mean real warm-- not the Seattle warm, is enough to make me have convulsions. Going on vacation to a tropical island is one thing; living in the throes of a humid wasteland is another. Here is my experience with the fashion in Corpus Christi so far, as related by the late great Andy Warhol:

"When I see people dressed in hideous clothes that look all wrong on them, I try to imagine the moment when they were buying them and thought, 'This is great. I like it. I'll take it.' You can't imagine what went off in their heads to make them buy those maroon polyester waffle-iron pants, or that acrylic halter that has 'Miami' written in glitter. You wonder what they rejected as not beautiful-- an acrylic halter top that had 'Chicago?'"

Pretty dismal, I know.

Lying on the beach in St. Barth's, one could get away with a billowy caftan, T-strap thong sandals, and an oversized sun-hat. If I wore that to Wal-Mart, even the regular crazies might wonder. Then again, the eccentric-old-lady-from-Boca-Raton look has always intrigued me, in a sort of decaying glamour kind of way...dark lipstick, a housecoat, greek key pattern, a turban...but I digress: it's not a practical thing for someone my age, or my station thus far. I would need to be at least on my third marriage to pull that off, so I have a long way to go.

The problem lies in the fact that I like my clothing as it is, and it's not easy to just shed ones' identity-- and I do consider black as my identity-- like last year's gauchos. I LIKE my closed-toe flats, my black jeans, my sweaters, and being pale. Am I the only one that thinks the whole heroin-chic thing is still chic? (Though sadly, I'll never be skinny enough to really pull it off). So the question becomes: what is going to be my warm weather heroin chic? The only flip flops I own were purchased for a costume when I was Britney Spears at a white trash party. Hardly legitimate for public use!

Ok, so no billowy caftan, but I'll be here Spring thru Summer essentially, and I'm going to treat it like an extended holiday. Besides, perhaps I've been too quick to dismiss color as a viable option for living. There are lots of great colors out there! Like...brown...and gray. I know-- beige! That's light and airy! Do you even know how many shades of tan there are?

I jest people, I jest.

After careful consideration, I have chosen my Spring/Summer '08 color palette*! Here they are, presented to the tune "Y'all Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited (with flashing lights):

*Decisions subject to change

Canary Yellow (loud whoops)

Violet (scattered applause)

Tangerine (audible whistles)

Kelly Green (surprised whispers)

Indigo (widespread nods)

(Clothes courtesy of nordstrom.com, net-a-porter.com, intermixonline.com, forever21.com, bananarepublic.com, vivre.com)

And thus my new identity is born. Natural fibers are a key element to warm weather dress, and so I'm looking for cotton and linen for the most part. I'm usually not a big fan of chiffon (especially for bridesmaid dresses), but for night it could work as a cocktail dress, or flowy halter-top with some wide-leg white linen pants. Er, scratch that-- better make flowy haltertop equal folded Pucci scarf instead. I feel the same way about shoes as I do about clothing-- natural is the way to go. That means I'll be eschewing patent leather for now (it's time has come anyway, je pense), and be going with leather sandals, cheerful tennis shoes/boat shoes, and my one pair of jelly shoes (a childhood favorite).

Horsey Set

Despite having a general disdain for most pastoral pursuits, I still enjoy the idea of escaping to the countryside for some fresh air. Throughout history, nobility has always been intrigued with having a little jaunt en plein air, and it usually called for an entirely different wardrobe and a relaxed state of social etiquette. Even the Romans had countryside estates, suggesting that it's an integral part of the human condition to be drawn out of our urban dwellings and out into the untold wilds of a hunting lodge.

I love the special ceremony that surrounds all things equestrian. The boots! The coat! That hat! And the excuse to wear a French braid. As a child, I rode horses and I refused to settle for anything less than a velvety black riding hat, as opposed to the barn's glorified bike helmet. Ah yes, I was such a precocious little tyke. It reminds me of how I also insisted on wearing the sash style uniform in girl scouts instead of the vest, going against the will of my troop. And I'd do it again I say! Eh, I was never a joiner. But I digress.

Carolina Herrera's Autumn '08 collection was a bold example of modern "haute hunting", and I'm here to say: tally ho! I love a look that sells a lifestyle (I'm an advertiser's dream, I know) and this is one lifestyle I think I could get used to. The collection notes describe the whole affair as "a riding jacket you grab from the mudroom over a crinkle chiffon gown for an elegant dinner on the farm." Just the sort of inherent irony of "roughing it" in the lap of luxury that delights me. Herrera says it reflects "the ease and sophistication of the outdoors," and her design director describes it as a "hunting party at Versailles." Fact of the day: Marie Antoinette was reported to have ridden astride the horse instead of sidesaddle, as her status and the social mores of her time would have proscribed.



Just when you thought Herrera was the only one jumping on this one way trip to trendy town, this month's Domino Magazine featured "Equestrian Chic."

A mere coincidence? Kismet? Or how about just freakin' stylish. Let's not forget last Fall's must-have footwear: the knee-high riding boot. The chicest houses have always had horse sense-- where would Gucci be without it's ubiquitous bit motif? Longchamp without its running horse? You know you coveted that Ralph Lauren polo shirt at one point. And what high-end house of couture started out as a saddle company? Hermes, that's who. While I can't quiet ever agree with painted plate sets (save for Piero Fornasetti's iconic Tema e Variazione plates), I agree that equestrian inspired wares have a classic style that can't be ignored.

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" -Richard III, Shakespeare

Keep your eyes peeled for orange

I'm obsessed with orange right now, so much so that I'm afraid I'll do something drastic-- like buy this bookcase from Cb2:

But even if I never take the plunge in buying furniture in this Hermes hue, you can bet I will be looking for it in clothing this Spring/Summer (more on my personal Spring color palette later), starting with:
C'est magnifique n'est-ce pas? I'm such a sucker for a good advertising campaign, and I'm so glad to see this classic brand revitalized in the last couple of years. Seattleites: while Nordstrom is busy with their snooze-worthy St. John displays, and pointless Chanel boutiques, you can buy Lanvin at Barney's. I leave you with another of my favorite ads from Autumn/Winter '07.

Real Glamour

Here is my first bit of inspiration: the stunning Dorian Leigh, one of the first real supermodels (sorry Janice Dickinson).

Le premier.

This is the first post of the blog I've been thinking of writing for some time. It will be a slight melange of things, but mostly about interior design and fashion. I am excited to see how it evolves. The namesake of this blog is an homage to my favorite novel, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The Enright House was designed by protagonist Howard Roark, who eschewed everything about traditional architecture and it's meaningless excess. He was a true minimalist, and as young girl reading this book for the first time I was deeply moved by his honesty, as well as his innovative style.

"I aspire" was the motto of author Truman Capote, and I like it because it seems like a phrase that is filled with hope, and yet is still ambiguous. I aspire to be many things, and I think if I remember his motto I will never lack in motivation. As far as Mr. Capote, he intrigues me for a number of reasons, but mostly because I've always wished that I could have attended his famous "Black & White Ball." So I'm putting this out now-- if you ever need a +1 for a masked ball, black & white or otherwise, let me know. On a similar note, I can be packed for Paris in practically no time.

In the end, I aspire to inspire-- to inform, and to give my input on anything that enters my mind at a given time. If anyone enjoys reading it, then I will be a success; I will have built my own Enright House.