Time is Not On My Side

Multiple ideas for blogs, but the demands of making a living have kept me from writing; I am stealing a few moments now.

Have you seen all the purple and violet in the stores? I love it! Being a redhead, I can pull it off really well, but purple is a good color for lots of people, and the right shade makes a good "neutral" - you can put all kinds of colors with it.

One small observation. Out to dinner last night. Yes, it was a bit chilly, but this is Virginia, not Montreal. I wore the same embroidered silk mandarin-style jacket I'd worn all day in the office. It was perfectly fine for going from car to restaurant. I had to laugh at all the people who had already broken out the fur-trimmed parkas and winter coats. I mean, c'mon, people! Don't your cars have heaters? Particularly in light of all the cute jackets, sweaters, and coat-length sweaters available this season. Or just layer, for heavens sake. "But it's co-wuld out there!" No, it's not, fool. A mild nip in the air is all it was, no matter what the TV weatherman said.

Hrrrrrrumph!

Over dinner last night I told my husband, Eddie, about my new blog. "It's called 'Clothing is Candy' I told him happily. He thought about that between bites of his lamb kofte. Then his face lit up.

"Is it about edible panties?" he asked hopefully.

Men.

Autumn's Colors

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I am wearing fall colors today. A screen-printed T-shirt with three-quarter length sleeves, printed in a mad pattern composed of paisley and floral. The colors rise up the body of the shirt, from a deep, night-time purple, through rust and glowing orange, to a muted green the color of not-yet-changed foliage.

To complete the autumnal theme, I am wearing my favorite, very well worn, black velveteen jeans.

The shirt looked out of the closet this morning and said, “Wear me!” Since we had gotten up late and I was in a hurry, I was only too willing to do something easy.

The shirt fits nicely – it skims the body, defining my general shape without clinging to any specific body parts. The overall effect is trim. Beads and sequins surround the neckline (except for a few pecked off by my parrot), and the embellishment is completed by some faux gold coins.

But what makes my heart swell over this otherwise simplest of outfits? Why, the colors, of course. The shirt captures every shade of autumn, my favorite time of year. The colors speak of leaves changing, nights growing longer, candles and warm fires. They whisper to me of Halloween, of ancient Samhain, of the death of the old year and the dark beginnings of the new.

Yes, that’s a lot to get out of a shirt. But the meanings and lore of color is embedded deep in our psyche, and we react with emotions we barely understand. Yes, these colors suit my hair and complexion. But more than that, they fill my heart.

Oh, yeah, and I’m wearing pewter loafers.