Blue Silk and Palazzo Pants for Lucien Freud’s Queen Elizabeth

Welcome to my interpretation for this round of 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 inspirational image and we each post the image on our blogs. The following Monday we share our art-inspired outfits. The following Wednesday, the curator shares all her blog submissions.

This Round’s Curator

Shelbee is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art

Shelbee has chosen a 2001 portrait of the queen by now-deceased British artist Lucien Freud. By the time he painted this portrait, Lucien Freud was well-established and seventy-nine years old, which made him much bolder in his interpretation of the Queen. He probably really didn’t care what the Queen or others thought when it was finished. Being quite different that anything that was ever painted of her, this painting created a great number of controversies. However, it is now considered one of the most respected of her portraits and is part of the royal collection.

My Take

There wasn’t really any way for me to go except with a fairly straightforward presentation. This includes a bright blue shirt, white hair, and a simple black headpiece, which I consider to be a version of a crown. I don’t own any tiaras, I’m afraid.

The Top and Pants

On my Instagram bio, I say, “As far as clothes, right now, if I can’t make it, I don’t need it.” Well, occasionally I make an exception and this silk Lilly Pulitzer top is one of them. I ran across this top on Poshmark last September and immediately noticed the smocking. I tried smocking a few decades ago and was TERRIBLE at it. Score one for this top! Also, it was silk and colorful. Let’s face it, my closet doesn’t have very many bright colors and I really did like this blue. It was in great condition for $25. I decided that, because of the smocking, which I really don’t want to try again, this was something I would wear. This top is usually worn with jeans, but for today, I am wearing it with my Pallazo pants.

The pants I did make and think they are one of the best things I have made in my entire life. Made back in September 2016, I keep wearing these pants over and over again with a whole array of tops. My original post about making them to go the 2016 Fall Kansas City Fashion Week show can be found HERE.

The Two Main Accessories, a Judith Lieber Belt and Clutch

If I had not purchased these two pieces from a pure collector standpoint, they would definitely make Shelbee’s “Bad Buy” posts. I believe I’ve only worn the belt one time and I’ve never used the clutch. However, they are gorgeous pieces and I have the clutch on display. I was attracted to the clutch because of the Egyptian hieroglyphics that she used. They are inscribed in the direction that the wearer of the clutch can see them right side up. Everyone else sees them upside down.

If the belt was not navy blue leather, I am sure it would be worn more. With the blue silk top, I don’t think it matters that the navy is against the black fabric of my pants. Is it even noticeable?

The Jewelry

The buttons on my top are gold, so I went with gold jewelry. The necklace is from the year that I subscribed to The Curateur Box. It was a fun experience, but after a year, I was done because my goal was to only do it for a year. Honestly, I liked everything about the box except the bags. What I expect in a bag is far more than what was ever in the box and that’s OK. Most folks don’t have that problem, I know it’s just me and my bag insanity.

Back to the necklace, it was designed by Melinda Marie. She really does have beautiful and very wearable jewelry. The earrings are just some that I picked up a TJ Maxx, which is still my favorite discount store, even after thirty years.

Now to the ring. It is by my favorite jewelry designer and she is up in Kansas City. Her name is Cheryl Eve Acosta. Originally from Puerto Rico, Cheryl is really an artist who happens to make jewelry. I was wearing another one of her rings this week when I actually ran into her (in Kansas City). Of course, she was wearing another one of her rings, which I am now absolutely obsessed with. I’m not sure if I will ever get it, but I do love it. The ring that I have on for this post is her Oyster Ring from the Mer de Verre collection.

Close Up of the Pretties

Finally, the Crown

I don’t know if you can consider this a crown, but it is the closest that I have to one. I picked this up in the summer of 2018 from another Kansas City Jewelry designer Christie Nelson of Anne Mann. She does rather fanciful designs and this was one of her more understated headpieces. At the time, I thought it would be perfect to wear to a Con of Thrones convention that I went to with my daughters (it was). I also wore it to a Kansas City Week fashion show. But those two places are about it. It doesn’t exactly go with my everyday post-Covid style.

Con of Thrones, Dallas, May 2018

Christi of Ann Manne Designs and Me During 2018 Kansas City Fall Fashion Week

As I mentioned, I actually purchased one of her more “quiet pieces.” During the summer of 2017, I was having some fun trying on a more “noticeable piece.”

OK, enough nostalgia for now. That finishes me for this one and hope you enjoyed reading about my idea for this painting. Have you sent Shelbee your idea? If you have not done so already, please send it to Shelbee at shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com by tomorrow.

I will see you next time!

OK, just one more-when designer Cheryl Eve Acosta and I showed up at the same art opening and both wearing her ring design, me in blue and she wearing white.

This was also back in 2017. I guess I hung out a lot with the fashion folks back then.