....said the artist, Gerhardt Richter, quoted on a current affairs programme we listened to on Radio 4 on the drive back home from London on Saturday night. This was in relation to a review of a monochrome-themed exhibition where all the artwork on display is in varying shades of black & white. One of the panelists loved it as, being colour blind, had often wondered if he was missing out by not seeing colour in paintings. The other two found it dull and uninspiring, admitting to losing interest in the exhibition after the first few minutes, one commented that even the most talented artist failed to stand out in a room filled with grey.
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| Painting by Malgorzata Lapsa-Malawska SOURCE |
Maybe this is why the masses trudge round the town in a zombie-like state. Almost without exception, every one of them is clad in grey, from quilted jackets, jogging bottoms and fleece-lined sweatshirts to corporate suits, beanie hats and overcoats. Little wonder they roam the streets in a trance, from the moment they open their wardrobes to get dressed for the day they're already bored, uninspired by their clothes. Grey speaks of conformity, of knuckling down and blending in. Yes, grey is the colour of indifference.
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| SOURCE |
Keeping quiet, despair and fence-sitting! Richter may be referring to art but isn't how we choose to dress ourselves considered art? Like it or not, we're judged by strangers before we've even opened our mouths so we should think carefully about how we adorn our bodies.
Don't clothe yourself in indifference and despair, instead embrace life & joyous non-conformity and choose colour.
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| WEARING: 1950s Pendleton wool overcoat (Jon swapped his two-sizes-too-big Pendleton with a mate who had one that was two-sizes-too-small), red canvas skinnies, Doc Martens and 1950s Tootal scarf (all charity shopped) |
Practicing what we preach. Here's what we wore for a fun-filled morning of shopping for DIY supplies (we're planning to spend the next few weeks redecorating the house from top to bottom - anything to escape the hype & idiocy of the C****mas season.)
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| WEARING: Vintage psychedelic maxi dress (eBay), 1970s red leather platform boots (vintage fair, 2015), Vintage 1960s suede coat (Second to None), Flouncy sleeved top (Charity shop) |
This was us when we traded in London on Saturday. The colour is a bit odd - blame the diffused light in the splendour that was Walthamstow's Art Deco fabulous Assembly Hall. My dress was one of three psychedelic maxis I snaffled from the same Ebay seller last week (£21 including postage!!)
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| Photo courtesy of Vintage Pop-Up Fairs, London |
Who knew Walthamstow would be so goddamned glamorous? Before Saturday the only thing I knew about London E17 was that it was home to 1990s boy band East 17 (and no, Brian Harvey didn't pop in which is just as well, unusually for vintage fairs of late there wasn't a vintage shell suit in sight).
Right, back to work, there's a bastard massive to-do list that needs my attention.
See you soon!
Linking to Natalia, Beate & Tina for their Art Deco themed link-up and Patti for Visible Monday.
Linking to Natalia, Beate & Tina for their Art Deco themed link-up and Patti for Visible Monday.
we just did a dance that was all grays, the dance itself was beautiful, the gray.....not so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you there, grey could never be beautiful, it's just bland. xxx
DeleteI've got pewter and dove grey which I wear with my usual in your face range of colours...I use it like a base colour, a bit like black I guess. My wan appearance does not lend itself to the slug colours well...makes me look even paler! Arilx
ReplyDeleteSlug colours! Yuk!
DeleteI don't wear a base colour, I just chuck it all on and go forth!
I've got some silver boots which err on the pewter-y side, dead comfy and good if I'm wearing a mad patterned dress. xxx
Grey is for teenagers that toss all their lights and darks in the wash together resulting in a wardrobe of varying degrees of grey...not that I ever did that ;)
ReplyDeleteToo right! That's probably the reasoning behind the British population embracing it, too - they can wear it for weeks at a time. xxx
DeleteWill john be getting his deep blue room now then lol xxx
ReplyDeleteWe're not really changing anything - just redoing it. He's still angling for the blue room - but I still think it'll be like living in a cave with the lack of natural light from all the trees in our garden. xxx
Deleteyou're such a brilliant couple, you two! Looking fab in your colorful pieces - I can't wait to see pics of the new decor (if you'll share!) xox
ReplyDelete-Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
Thanks, Patti! I suspect there won't be any great changes, I love how it already looks, it just needs redoing! xxx
DeleteI've only truly embraced colour in the last few years. Finally, in my 40s, I've given myself permission and found the confidence to dress in a way that really expresses who I am, and there's no way I'm going back now to the grey, and the beige, and the nondescript. Life's too short to wear drab clothes; so much colour, so little time!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful, Fran. Life is too short to wear drab clothes. I always say that if I wanted to wear a uniform I'd join the army!
DeleteI love that you've "given yourself permission" to dress exactly how YOU want, no conforming or trying to fit in. xxx
You've both brightened up a winter's day in your lovely colourful clothes. It's so cold here today that it's nice and cheerful to see.
ReplyDeleteLove your photos from the weekend trading, that building does look glam.
I quite like decorating, have fun! xxx
Thank you!! It was cold yesterday and so drab, too.
DeleteI never understand why people need to wear dull clothes when its miserable outside, colour is such a mood enhancer.
I don't mind decorating at all, the preparation I'm not so keen on. I hate the feel of sandpaper! xxx
What a stunning couple you are. Have to say Jon really does it for me l just love ❤️ that blue jacket and it looks so warm too.
ReplyDeleteAs for gray well let's try boring depressing and totally uninspiring
Have fun decorating I hope we get some progress figures as well as the finished project. One colour I know won't be there - GREY��
Thanks, Sally! I'll tell him! That jacket has hardly been off his back since he swapped his other Pendleton with a friend.
DeleteGrey is a trend in interior design here - argggghhh! You can stick that idea! xxx
I love all the colors---including grey lolololol!!! U two are brilliant <3
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! I don't think grey is a colour, it's just a dull and boring expanse of nothing! xxx
DeleteI did buy an orange coat a couple of weeks ago but it had to be exchanged for teal, it just didn't do anything for me....I did get a yellow sweater though. I have always believed that more colour is required in winter, not less. What colours are planned to adorn your walls? Both of these new frocks are fab, loving the vibrant green and Jon's ensemble is bloody marvellous. Haven't heard much about STN recently, is June still there? xx
ReplyDeleteShame about the orange coat but the teal replacement sounds fab, as does the yellow sweater. The few shops we've got left in town all have window displays featuring grey clothes - I'm not surprised the retail trade is in such a sorry state!
DeleteWe're not going to change anything really, just re-do it although a couple of the wallpapers have been discontinued so I might splash out on the ones i really, really wanted when we first moved in.
June's doing fine - I must pop in and see her, its been weeks! xxx
I love how you both embrace colour, without a hint of grey in sight! Your psychedelic frocks are such a feast for the eyes, and I'm swooning over that suede coat! Jon really rocks that pair of red trousers and I love his Pendleton jacket and Tootal scarf too. Walthamstow's Assembly Hall is stunning. What a venue! Walthamstow itself always makes me think of E17, although I can't say I liked them. But - claim to fame - I was on a plane with them once. Not that I'd recognized them: they were pointed out to me by Jos's 14 year old daughter ... xxx
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe I snagged all three of those frocks for £20! Jon loves his red trousers, he pounces whenever he spots them in charity shops.
DeleteWe were having a East 17 You Tube disco yesterday, I'd forgotten If You Ever featuring Gabrielle! xxx
Chris's brother lives in Walthamstow, it's very hip. Never been in the Assembly though. I don't wear much grey, but I'd wear a Dior New Look grey suit in a heartbeat. Jon's blue Pendleton is particularly special. Xx
ReplyDeleteWalthamstow is very hip, there were some very cool looking pubs and terraced houses on our drive in.
DeleteI love the shape of Dior's New Look but would only wear one if they came in bright colours! xxx
When I first got married way back in 1973; I lived in my parents in law house in Walthamstow for 16 months. It has a fab market!
ReplyDeleteI agree about colourful dressing. I don't know why people are so scared of colour! I do like a bit of grey but always paired with some vibrant colour. It's so heartening to see men like Jon boldly and beautifully wearing colour. My eldest grandson; 22 years old is also a great fan of colour. Long may it continue!
xxx
Kelly said the market was amazing, loads of great fabrics. It does seem very up and coming and the locals we spoke to were rightfully proud of their manor!
DeleteYou ought to see some people's reactions when the pull clothes out from our rails. A group of grey clad women were aghast at a raspberry coloured tweed jacket at a fair the other day! xxx
I had to laugh, I just bought a grey knitted dress in Primark today, but I do plan to wear it with my ebay shocking pink tartan mohair scarf so can I get away with it? I think so! Will be more careful of grey after this post though!
ReplyDeleteOh no! Step away from the grey! The scarf sounds fab though, I love those vintage mohair ones! xxx
DeleteI would love to see you two walking down the street here - you'd make me smile for the rest of the day :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fil! xxx
DeleteIf you looked up the exact opposite of grey in the dictionary there would be a picture of you two! Very beautiful and colourful
ReplyDeleteThank you! We do get some strange looks sometimes! xxx
DeleteI love that quote. I personally think of grey as a really depressing colour, there's just nothing cheerful about it. And I think outfits should be cheerful because whats the point in getting dressed if what you're wearing doesn't make you smile? People seem to think black/navy/grey and dreary dark colours are perfect for winter which I've never understood, it's miserable enough with the weather!
ReplyDeleteLove both your outfits! I used to live just down the road from Walthamstow, just two tube stops away. Sadly I never really explored it.
Grey seems so pointless. How can anyone have so little regard for themselves that they chose to dress in it? Who needs neutral clothes? xxx
DeleteEuropeans always seem to wear muted drab colors for some reason. (San Francisco is like that too.) I always wonder why everyone's staring at me when I go to Europe- then I realize I must look bizarre to them wearing my bright Indian clothing & bejeweled sandals!
ReplyDeleteYou two look fab!
And I do not miss all the consumeristic hyppe & crap of the holiday season in the West AT ALL)
xox
The English in particular (not that we'll be Europeans for much longer....sob!) love their drab neutrals. They even paint their houses in it and buy grey sofas. We are a nation of conformists! xxx
DeleteI think it's the light. When I go to Spain, the bright colours there really pop, whereas the subtleties of northern muted shades get lost in the strong sunlight. But here in the softer light, the variations between muted colours are clearer.
DeleteThere is something to be said for the light. I tend to wear burgundy, burnt orange and pink in India as my beloved blue looks a bit harsh and at odds with my surroundings - great excuse for a separate wardrobe. x
DeleteI agree with you, Vix, colour is the best, black and grey clothes are the most depressing things to me. I wonder how you'll redecorate your house.... I saw a lady buy a painting the other week at a market. It reminded me of the ones you've got of the ladies, the vintage paintings... I think it's called the Green Lady. I'm absolutely spewing that I didn't spot it myself. I'm now on a mission to find one. Hopefully you're not getting rid of them in your redecorating plan. Xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Jess! We're redecorating the house exactly the same as it looks now but after 12 years it needs refreshing. You know me, my taste never changes, I'm not one of those people who needs to reinvent myself on a regular basis!
DeleteThe Green Lady was my first ever Trechnikoff (£7 from a car boot sale) - they command insane prices these days because they were designed as throwaway art and few survived! xxx
Hi Vix & Jon, lovely to meet you in real life at the fair! My OH loves his kilt-thats 2 hes got now (for some reason!), I managed to buy a beautiful gold cape that was £££ but I am in love with it!
ReplyDeleteWalthamstow is cool now but very aware of itself, the Assembly Hall is fab though so it'll be great if the fair continues there.
Lorna.
Hi Lorna! It was lovely to meet you on Saturday! That kilt was meant for your man, he looked amazing in it.
DeleteI saw you trying on that gold cape, those shoulders! I tried to run over and tell you how much I loved it but somebody wanted to buy something - customers, eh!
We've already booked for March 17th and I've just submitted my application for April's Classic Car Boot. Hopefully we'll see both of you plus the baby in the Spring. xxxx
I knew you'd appreciate that cape! I will see you at the next fair then with baby in tow-I've already got her lots of vintage babywear! x
Deletethis has replied as my old account for some reason!
DeleteLorna - I had no idea Thoughts Running Through My Head was your old blog - I used to love reading it! xxx
Deletethank you for that fab art deco building!
ReplyDeleteas much as i love you both and myself in all that gorgeous colors and the painter gerhard richter and his art - i do love grey! because - used in the right way it can be a cool statement - if i get my arse up to shoot i will deliver proof!
xxxxx
I think that's the problem, grey has to be used in the right way and there's few people that do it! It's just cheap & nasty, sweatshop made clothing thrown on haphazardly.
DeleteGo on, show us how it should be done - you know I love your outfit posts! xxx
I'm a grey girl, it definitely comes from the love of concrete, but I always make sure it appears with at least one shade of orange.
ReplyDeleteGrey definitely needs loads of colour chucking at it!
DeleteI love the concrete walls in Walsall's art gallery. xxx
Mwhaha, it's so joyoux to read your post and see both of you looking so fabulous!, this makes me feel enthusiastic!. I love that Jon is wearing red pants and his blue jacket is stunning!, and you look gorgeous!, such a lovely dress!! and booties!
ReplyDeleteI think that the kind of grey I like it's not the corporate grey, it's not a fleece color!. The one and only reason I like grey is because it enhances all the bold colors, Red and Orange, and Black&White, and Purple, which are all of them colors I love. So grey enhances the boldness and I like this!
besos & color
joyous, sorry!
DeleteI think that's the problem, those who embrace grey wear it from head to toe - it's so depressing to look at - unlike you, who couldn't look drab if you tried! xxx
DeleteI like grey, but for me it's like brown: it needs to have a texture. Thick wool, or plush velvet, soft suede or rustic linen... the cheap, flimsy T-shirt fabric so many modern shops use just looks worse in muted colours. They're colours that need some sense of physical depth. They're the colours of rocks and wood and stone and fur, their surface should feel somehow organic.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, the modern colours that send me screaming are the Mature Woman's Party Palette - black and white with either fuchsia or cobalt. The only time you'll catch me in that, I'll be dead and someone else will have dressed my corpse!
How splendid that building in Walthamstow is! You don't see civic pride expressed in buildings like that nowadays.
Maybe that's where everyone's going wrong - all the grey I see being worn is cheap and nasty, market fleeces and jogging bottoms, shiny suits and sweat shop made High Street stuff.
DeleteMature women's partywear! Good god. There's some truly hideous Xmas adverts flogging some utterly foul stuff lately.
Walthamstow Assembly Hall is fabulous, there's also William Morris's house just around the corner and some very inviting looking Victorian pubs. Who knew? xxx
I think these interior design shows that tell you to paint your house magnolia or grey are responsible for this obsession with grey because 'you will sell her house more easily'. You know I'm with you on the colour bandwagon!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right there, it seems like people are scared to try a bit of colour. Better to have bad taste than no taste - not that i think you've got bad tatse, you've got a great eye for a mad print! xxx
DeleteIn my days as a commuter I had a conformists grey wool coat and used to rotate the brightest scarf and glove combos I could find, plus the odd jaunty hat, made me feel I was sticking my fingers up at the rat race. Love your blasts of unseasonal colour, bet you got plenty of attention in B&Q. xxx
ReplyDeleteMy escape from the horrible corporate attire I used to have to wear was painting my toenails blue or green and having a ring through my belly button - nobody knew but I felt just like you, like I was sticking my fingers up at the rat race! xxx
DeleteWell there is certainly not so much indifference in your wardrobe or blog, Vix! :) I adore all the colorful ensembles here, and the architecture is just wonderful!! Thank you so much for joining us - it's such an honor to have you! <3
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Natalia! When I discovered we were trading in that Art Deco building I thought of you straight away! xxx
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ReplyDeleteSpam!
DeleteI have to admit that I rather like grey, not head to toe, but a bit here and there as a backdrop to some colour can often be seen adorning my body. I hate tracksuit bottoms in 'that' grey marl, and I do like to find soft or sumptuous fabrics if I'm going for grey, it makes a difference in how it looks, and certainly how it feels. That's not to say that I don't like colour too!
ReplyDeletexx
I do agree that grey can be the colour of indifference, especially when it is a pair of grey sweatpants (one of the ugliest things a human being can wear outside). However, that said, I rather likes wearing grey, usually paired with black, red, or blue. My favourite summer pants are made of grey linen, with wide legs. I do like looking at bright colours (which is why I love your outfits) and could never live in a place with grey walls.
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