MY YELLOW PHASE

Hello dear friends,

Hope you are coping well and that your spirits are high.  We, in Australia, are slowly moving forward: the students are back at school and from 1 May the restaurants will be allowed to seat up to 50 patrons, with social distancing in mind of, course.  Also we are now allowed to travel interstate, have picnics and invite people over.

The nail salons will be opened, so you can go and have your nails done but the gyms are not going to be open any time soon which is a shame as despite the fact that we are unable to eat and drink out anymore, I have managed to gain some weight that I can't shake off by myself, as hard as I try L.  

Funny but I have mixed feelings about the current situation, on the one hand it’s nice to get back to the life we lived pre-COVID, on the other hand I am petrified that the virus might come back with a vengeance.  So my husband and I have decided to wait for at least a month to see what happens, I still wear a mask and a pair of gloves when I do the grocery shopping, we will avoid places with large numbers of people gathering and have our coffee and food take-away only.  

But back to the topic of today's post.  It is the 3rd post in the series that I called "MY COLOUR PHASES" and it is about the colour Yellow.  The first two were about Orange (read here) and Blue (read here) ones.  A quick Google search revealed that the colour yellow is the brightest on the spectrum and hence is the most noticeable.  It means happiness and optimism, hope, energy and enthusiasm but most importantly it is the colour of the sun and of brightness.   

As I sit at my desk on this cold miserable grey day in Sydney writing this post and looking through the window all I can see is pelting rain, just writing about bright colours helps me to break up the bleakness of the day, fills me with positive energy and elevates my mood.  Just what the doctor ordered 😃

I am sure it would not come to you as a surprise to know that I absolutely adore bright colours, I like to wear them and I like to have them in my home. 

It is a well known fact that the choice of colours reflects personality, and the strong bold bright hues are not everyone's cup of tea.  However, if you feel that a little injection of a bright colour would do no harm but are not sure where to start, the good way to tackle this challenge is to start with something small like a scarf or a pair of earrings, a handbag or a pair of shoes and go from there.  

As your confidence builds, you might like to wear a blouse or a jumper of a bright colour that suits your complexion and keep the bottom garment, skirt or pants, dark.  This is a perfect example of how the 60-30-10 rule works.  You can read more about it here.

Also, you can tone down the intensity and the volume of the colour a notch, instead of bright red, you can wear something in pastel pink or burgundy or rather than canary yellow, it could be pale yellow and instead of intense electric blue, you can find something in a more calming blue.  Just give it a go.

What is your feeling about bright strong colours and how do you incorporate them into your wardrobe?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Until then,

Anna

xoxo  

MY BLUE PHASE

Hello darlings,

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably read my last post which was a first in a my new series called "MY COLOUR PHASE" where I talk about a period of time where one particular colour would subconsciously dominate my entire wardrobe popping up in every outfit and even spreading over to my home decor.  Reading your comments, I realised that I am not alone in it and quite a few of you have experienced similar "phases". If you missed that post, you can catch up on it here.

Encouraged by the success of this new idea, I would like to continue the series and tell you about mine next BLUE PHASE.  The fact that is is have been chose as the colour of the year  2020 by Pantone is purely coincidental.

There are a lot of good things mentioned about this colour:  it is the colour of the sky and the sea which has a peaceful effect on our minds and gives us a sense of normality and therefore is often used in bedrooms. It is often associated with depth and stability and it symbolises trust, loyalty and intelligence. 

It is hugely versatile and when mixed with other colours, offers us a wide spectrum of beautiful hues that would suit people with different types of complexions.  Just think about a gorgeous turquoise blue, cobalt blue, sky or sea blue, Tiffany Blue and one of my favourite, teal just to name a few. and don’t forget denim to name just a few that are loved and worn by many.

 And don’t forget denim that has been loved and worn by many for generations.

I am sure we all have something made out of blue in our closets.  They key in choosing the right hue is to know what type of complexion you are.  For example, if you like to wear something in cobalt blue, be aware that it has red undertones and if a red does not suit you then this particular hue might not be your best choice or if you after something in gorgeous turquoise, be aware that it has yellow undertones that might not be one of your favourites.

Here are some images that illustrate my BLUE PHASE. Scrolling through the images for this post, I realised that I have much more things in blue than I imagined.   As with the colour orange, my BLUE PHASE has spread over accessories, shoes, handbags and spills into my home interiors in the form of artwork, home accessories and even crockery.  

I am pleased I am over it, at least for now as I moved on to the next phase.  But that story is for the next post.  Please share your thoughts and pictures.

Until then,

MY ORANGE PHASE

When I was studying an Interior Styling and Decorating course, the first thing we learned was the importance of colours in relation to creating a happy environment for our potential clients which would reflect their lifestyle, taste and individuality.

One of the golden rules of interior styling which I learnt from the styling guru who guest appeared at one of our lectures and it was the one relating to the process of choosing the colour, the so called  60-30-10 rule, where 60% is your main colour, 30% is your secondary colour and 10% is your accent colour or as she liked to call it, the fun bit where your personality really comes through the choice of small accessories and a finishing touch that will unite all other decorative elements you’ve selected into a perfectly looking room.

When it comes to clothes, the same rule, although with a slight variation, may apply whereupon a skirt, a pair of pants or a coat will be the item which represents the main colour; a blouse, a jumper or any other kind of top would represent the secondary colour and our accent colour will be attributed to accessories, shoes, handbags, scarfs or even a lipstick, in other words, anything that adds that last touch that brings the whole outfit together.

While the choice of colour in clothes is equally important, the approach in choosing the right hue is predominately based on personal taste and understanding of which colour suits you best rather than the application of colour psychology.  Surely, we dress according to an occasion and our mood, but we can change our appearance as quickly as our mood shifts which is not as simple when it comes to interior styling.

And speaking of colours, it seems that I developed a tendency such as from time to time I become obsessed with a single colour and this obsession will dominate my subconscious choice of clothes.  I call it my Colour Phases and they are totally random.  After a while it will go away until the next Colour Phase takes its place.  

Over the years I have been through many of them and when this attachment becomes too strong, it projects on my home decor.  Not that I re-paint the walls or change the upholstery, it is more reflected in the accessories:  vases, decorative plates, ornaments, flowers etc.

Today’s post is about my Orange Phase.  There is a lot of good things which can be said about the colour Orange, mainly that it is a colour of happiness, enthusiasm, attraction, success and determination to name just a few.  I just like it for its bright colour but most importantly that I think it suits my colour tone and hair colour.  I would say that it is the most heavily represented colour in my wardrobe and in my home.  I included some images to support my statement.

Do you have a favourite colour and how it is represented in your wardrobe?  Do you go through the colourful phases like I do?  Please share your thoughts on the subject