Listen to me for a Secondary

HAPPY HALLOWEEN my ghouly, witchy, batty friends! I hope that your day is full of candy eating, spooky sighting, and letting go of any inhibitions and just going crazy (in the area of costumes…not in anything else. Don’t get too wild my children). Sadly I am not able to partake in any celebrations, as I have to go to class at the wretched time of 7-9:30 pm. It’s just dreadful. However, as I like to think of myself as a rather optimistic person–despite a certain cynicism that I can't seem to shake off–I thought that I could use this opportunity to my advantage and teach you all a lesson. This is not one of those “teach you lesson” things like when the bully on the playground teaches the scared kindergarteners a lesson by taking their lunch money and tying their shoelaces together. No, I want to actually teach you something because I find it fascinating. You see, the class I have tonight is called “Color and Design for Fashion”. In this class we learn all about the theory of color and what color is and what different color combinations are and pretty much everything about color. It is a lot more complicated than you would think. However, it is incredibly relevant because whether or not you are aware of it, color is all around us and has a profound impact on our lives. You’ve probably had an experience where you saw a color and it made you feel something. Like peaceful when you see a light blue, or happy when you see a bright yellow. There are individual colors, but then when you combine these colors a whole new world arises. Different color combinations mean different things. For example, when you see green and red together, most of us think of Christmas. Why do we think of Christmas? It’s a little silly really. It’s just two colors. A combination of two pigments. Nothing complicated. It’s not like they are images of the birth of Christ. Nevertheless, we see these colors and all of a sudden “Jingle Bells” is ringing in our heads.

Another example, today, Halloween, you may notice a large amount of orange, green, and purple together. Such as these Halloween m&m's

Or this little girl's Halloween witch costume

These could be strongly saturated (very vibrant, like they came straight off of the color wheel), they could be muted (more earthy tones), or they could be desaturated (darker or lighter by the addition of white or black). This color combination is called the “secondary color triad”. This is simply because it is a triad (three) made up of the secondary colors on the color wheel. 

Secondary colors are made when mixing two primary colors. Orange= red + yellow, Purple= blue + red, Green= blue + yellow. WOW! It’s like math! This is so exciting!

I’m not quite sure when or why or how these colors became associated with Halloween and fall time, however I do have a theory. Two actually. One, because these colors seem quite witchish. Orange for their wrinkled, old skin. Green for the toads they use in their spells.  Purple for their magical cloaks and the vapors that come off of their potions. Just watch Hocus Pocus and it will all become clear.

There is another reason though, as to why we these colors come into style every October-November. When I see these colors I automatically think of fall. That's because in autumn these secondary colors occur in nature. They may not appear exactly as they do on the color wheel, but instead we see them in muted forms. 

Orange is the color of pumpkins, falling leaves, the ground after the grass has begun to die, and most importantly, the color of pumpkin pie.

Green is the color of the leaves as they are changing, it isn't the vibrant green of spring but a duller green, a green that is beginning to turn brown. It is the color of green apples, the kind that make amazing apple pies.

Purple is the color of thistles, one of the only flowers that stay blooming through fall. Not to mention the purple foods that we eat at this time such as aubergines (eggplant), purple potatoes and red cabbage, at least I eat a lot of those foods at this time. And of course red pears! Which can be made into pie!

So essentially, these colors are the colors of PIE! and we eat pie in the fall and therefore these colors are fall colors.

Have a Happy Halloween

In honor of the day, I am wearing an outfit of secondary colors (pumpkin not included)
Green Sweater from Anthropologie
Shorts from Calvin Klein
Purple tights from Target
Orangish brown suede booties from Clarks

xoxo

Justice

Chameleon Confidence

Every once in a while I am reminded of the fact that I am from the middle of no where Colorado. I mean seriously, middle of no where. Sure I can go into the city (if you can call Denver a city) but seriously, my neighbors are cows. My house barely shows up on GPS. So when I come to places like, oh say, New York City, it is quite a culture shock. Like, did you know that some kids actually have neighbors to play with? I mean when I was growing up my parents shoved me outside to let me "get in touch with nature". Here's a stick, your new best friend. But no, some kids actually have human contact outside of school (not to mention they go to schools that don't regularly have lock downs because there are mountain lions on the playground).
Exhibit A:

My lovely sisters in their youth modeling the fabulous style of mountain living

So, like I said, coming to New York has been quite a culture shock. Which is why I have had to turn on full chameleon mode. While in Colorado, where people think crocks and cargo shorts constitute as style, I may be considered the most fashionable one on the block (or mountain as it is), here I have had to try a little harder. A lot harder. But that's okay, I enjoy practicing my chameleon skills. No, this does not mean I have the ability to turn into a reptile, which would be quite fantastic–Xmen style–but it means that I try to blend into whichever environment I may be in at the time. This requires two main things: 1) clothing that looks as if it belongs in the environment and 2) the confidence that you do in fact belong there. Regarding requirement one, it is not necessary that you spend a fortune on completely different outfits so that you can fit in just as well in a mountain cabin as on the upper east side. I highly recommend shopping at places like, shhh, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack. That way you are able to find a few good pieces for relatively inexpensive that are able to work anywhere–like a good button up blouse, nice jeans, and good shoes. The harder part is number two. Sometimes it is really hard to actually feel like you belong some where. You may feel as if everyone can tell that your life started in a trailer or that you spent the first 15 years of your life thinking of Target as practically couture. But you know what? They actually can't! When walking into somewhere like Bergdorf and Goodman or the designer flagship stores on Madison Ave, the only thing that matters is knowing that you are the costumer (even if everything in the store costs more than you make in a year) and that, being in a a free country, you have just as many rights as the models and aristocrats of the world and that means that you too have the right to shop in a beautiful, shiny department store. So, stand tall, smile, look clean and put together, and no one will question why some small town girl from Colorado is in their store. Confidence is key.
And Context is all!
Wait I actually don't know how that is relevant...oh well...
Once you have your confidence in check, you can chameleon your way through anything! It's like that quote, "fake it till you make it", just pretend that you belong there, and people will think you do, and who knows? maybe someday you will. If that's what you want, go follow your dream.

Example: as I have mentioned above, I am in New York. Manhattan that is (for an internship). I brought as many cute clothes as I could fit in my tiffany blue hard case suitcase, which was not quite as much as I would have liked. So, I have had to make do. The other day I went to "work" and then went to some of the major stores on 5th ave, including Bergdorf and Goodman. This is what I wore

Calvin Klein shorts, Rebel wedges, braided leather belt, and Tart Collection gingham button up in mint

(forgive the selfie, I have no photographer out here)

While maybe not my most fashionable outfit, with a little touch of confidence and an air of self importance, I was able to fit right in with the hordes of upper east side moms and rich french tourists roaming around Bergdorf and Goodman and even acquired quite a few compliments. Tada! the magic of chameleonizing. 

So my friends, whether you are going to a fancy store, a cocktail party, climbing a mountain, or going to a ranch, or really just anywhere where you may feel a bit out of place, just pretend you are a chameleon, and adapt as best you can–easier said than done, I know, but believe me, once you master that, no one will ever no the difference. 

Go forth young grass hoppers, grasp that confidence and live a life full of experiences. 

xoxo

Justice

Start Spreading the Word, I'm leaving today

"If London is a watercolor, New York is an oil painting"—Peter Shaffer 

I awoke this morning to my usual alarm clock blaring at 5 am. For a moment I forgot where I was or what was in store for the day. Was I supposed to go to work today? Or school? Or church? Or go back in time to stop Helen from going with Paris and thus avoiding a 1000 year war? No! None of the above. I hopped out of bed and instantly turned on Frank Sinatra. What song you ask? Well "New York, New York" of course! For today, at 8:45 in the morning I got on a plane for New York City!

"NYC!!! Just got here this morning! 3 bucks! 2 bags! One me!"

Okay well maybe more than three bucks, as that would not go very far in today's age, no matter how much it may have gotten some one in the Great Depression  as in that awful musical Annie. 

Starting on Monday I have a two week internship with a New York based company called Fashion Snoops, a fashion forecasting website. Being in one of the top fashion centers in the world, and one of the best cities in the world, I plan on absorbing every bit of "la mode" that I can. 

As today was a travel day, nothing too exciting happened. Dropped our bags off at the New Yorker hotel, popped in a cab and headed down to soho where we got a bit of research and a lot if shopping done until dinner time. We (being my mum and I) are as of now sitting on the floor, absolutely exhausted, watching Roman Holiday and eating a dinner bought from the Whole Foods on the corner. Perfection darling, simply perfection.

I can already feel the muggy New York air doing me good

For the day of travel, I wore a simple, yet stylish outfit, that was as comfortable as being fashionable allows

Corso Como heels, Calvin Klein jeans, free people chiffon top, brass "world" locket, and fossil purse. 

Being a bit tired now, I am not feeling too inspired tonight and cannot leave you with any great words, but I can say that when you want to feel as tiny and insignificant as an ant while simultaneously as large and important as Thor up on his clouds, come to New York. 

Xoxo 

Justice