Two Looks for Two Colorways-“Calyx” by Lucienne Day

Hello, and welcome to Style Imitating Art’s “Reveal Monday”. Today is the day that the hosts, unveil our interpretations of the chosen artwork.

What Is Style Imitating Art?

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and me. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration image and we each post the image on our blogs. The following Monday we share our art-inspired outfits. The next Wednesday, the curator shares all of the submissions on her blog.

Calyx (the original colorway)

Calyx-a Couple of Later Colorways

As I mentioned last week, Calyx was a groundbreaking design in 1951. I will refer you back to that post HERE. I also list quite a few more posts in that I featured Lucienne Day’s work when I was solely an art and design blogger.

My Take

I knew I was in trouble when I decided to pick two more colorways besides the original print. It was going to be really hard for me to just pick one to work off of so I didn’t. However, I did limit it to two, which are the two later colorways (brown and yellow).

Starting off, I will mention one color/texture I didn’t use (and something that is in both pieces). This is the black and white almost zebra texture. As much as I love black and white, I still decided not to try and make it work with the two designs that had been floating around in my head.

As I probably stated before, I am not compelled to use every single element in an artwork. Sometimes my takes can be more of the spirit of the piece and in doing that I usually pick up a few of the elements the artist has used.

This is a modern print with very clean linear lines. It fits in with my general dressing esthetic which leans towards classic minimalism. O.K., enough of the philosophy stuff, let’s get started.

Look One for Summer-based on a brown background Calyx

For my Summer “Calyx” look I’ve chosen a pair of raw silk Katherine pants (an older Macy’s brand) that I picked up second-hand from eBay quite a few years ago. It had to be ‘2014 or earlier because I remember wearing them to my high school reunion that year.

Also, I have paired them with this thrifted rayon/linen Chaus vest a few times and always like the vibe the outfit has. The best was very crisp when I bought it (did anyone ever wear this thing?). Eventually, I washed and ironed it and the piece took on that laid-back texture that I associate with summer linen. Being fully lined, I have no problem wearing it as a top.

However, the armholes are a bit deep and I added one of my Style & Co camis. Style & Co is another Macy’s brand and this is a new item. In the early summer, looking for camis, I ran across a good sale at Macy’s online and picked up three; in white, cream, and black. They filled in a hole in my closet and have been under heavy rotation all summer. Now, during the summer, I can wear long sleeve shirts unbuttoned with one of my camis underneath.

Accessories

With this being such a simple style, I layered on the gold! My long pendant, found on eBay (pre-loved?) is a Stella & Dot.

The gold choker is by Eddie Borgo and was in one of the my Curateur boxes when I was subscribing. If you like subscription boxes, I really believe that this is one of the best out there. However, I made a deal with myself to just do it for a year and I think I went one subscription over. Curateur makes it very easy to unsubscribe which is an incredible plus for me.

The small pendant is from a non-profit that no longer seems to be in business, which is sad. I really loved the work they were doing in India.

The Bag

I used orange in the design for my one accent color. This is done with what is probably my favorite Anthony Luciano bag in my collection. It’s gorgeous ostrich embossed leather, which I found on Poshmark. All of my AL bags are pre-loved. Even at second hand, they are still pretty expensive but a fraction of what his new ones go for. I consider this man an artist and all his bags are handmade in his Manhatten, New York studio.

The only two things left are my Aerosole wedges and the leopard pattern cuff, both also thrifted. Outside my cami and some jewelry, it looks like this outfit is all mainly pre-loved things.

Look Two for the Transitional Season and Based on the Yellow Background Calyx

With September peeking around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a transitional look. It is based on the yellow background “Calyx.”

I’ve picked four colors for this look; yellow, grey, and white, with black being my accent color. I vaguely remember getting the grey trousers at Marshall’s. It has been a few years ago, but I’m fuzzy on exactly when and don’t remember if it was B.R. or A.R. (before and after retirement from teaching). Anyway, even though I had some grey trousers already, I wanted some with more of a straight leg and these did it for me. They also came with a belt. But, we all know that those kinds of belts don’t hold up and this one is on life support.

The cami and cardigan both came from Macy’s. It’s looking like Macy’s is just my go-to online department store when I need basics. The cami was one of the three that I just picked up earlier this summer. I bought the Charter Club (another Macy’s brand) cardi early on during the pandemic. I think they tweak this design every year to make it a bit different. They seem always to be a rayon/nylon fiber mix but this year’s model seems to come in more intense clear colors (and a tad shorter). The new model can be seen HERE. They do run large and I wish I had gotten a medium rather than a large.

The Extras

Accessories are always important, right? Being a look for the transitional season, I broke out my Anne Klein patent black leather Oxfords. I am going to make an educated guess that I also ordered these from Macy’s. I remember an intense hunt around five years ago because I wanted a pair of black Oxfords. These were the only ones that remotely came close to what I was hunting for in a price range I wanted to pay.

The last two things finish out this simple minimalist look: my locket from Brighton and my DeMellier bag. The locket was the only thing that looked simple enough to go with what I was going for (might have to work on that). It was one of the pieces that I picked up when my friend Debby had her boutique. Brighton has some ornate pieces but then they also have simple pieces and I will always love Celtic Knotwork, which is the motif on this particular one. I was very disappointed to see that this one was discontinued. Brighton still has quite a few beautiful Celtic Knot-themed pieces, but not this locket.

And finally, carrying on with my love affair with bags, I have my DeMellier Marrakesh, which I bought in late winter from DeMellier. Last fall, I made a pledge to myself not to buy any new articles of clothing, bags, or shoes that were made in China. It’s fairly easy to find garments and fabric made elsewhere. However, bags and shoes are another story.

DeMillier’s mission is to be sustainable. They say that,

“We use real leather of the highest quality, sustainably sourced exclusively in Italy and Spain and complying with the highest EU regulations and standards. Our suppliers are certified by the European Leather Working Group, guaranteeing the highest standards of sustainability and sourcing.
Our packaging is made of partially recycled paper sourced from FSC accredited suppliers and natural cotton, thus fully recyclable.

All our handbags and leather goods are handcrafted with integrity by skillful artisans using local techniques and traditions in a family-owned factory in the South of Spain. We only work with partners who we know very well and trust, who offer fair working conditions and a safe working environment to their workers.”

I don’t really need anything, so when I shop new, I am trying to be mindful. I did shop my bag during one of their sales but it still was a fair amount of coins.

They also emboss your initials (or first name) on the strap for free. This creates a problem in trying to pick a DeMillier up on the resale market. More than likely, there are going to be someone else’s initials on the bag.

That is enough rambling and it’s time to wrap this party up.

I hope you find something in this work that inspired you and didn’t mind the ramble into some of my shopping philosophy. Send me what you come up with at meadowtreestyle@gmail.com along with a small blurb on how the work influenced your choices by tomorrow.

I will do a roundup this Wednesday featuring all your designs. I hope that “Calyx” has inspired you to put together something.

Take care everyone and stay creative!

P.S.

Here are two more Lucienne Day designs. The first is Calyx (1951) with a grey background and the second is Perpetua (1953). These are from my own collection. They are the only two designs by Lucienne Day that I have. Someday, I will probably frame them.