Thursday, February 8

The Question of Brown vs. Black. (Part One)...

Color

It may be safe to assume that color is an unchanging element of elegance, and that certain color combinations are recognized as beautiful once and for all. However, color is no different from anything else; there is a question of mode; and a shade or combination which seems impossible to us today is quite likely to enchant us tomorrow. Who would ever have imagined that putty beige would become a classic outfit color, that the rich greens and blues of medieval stained glass windows would be transposed onto all kinds of printed dress materials, or that, thanks to Dior, we would combine black with brown, navy with black, and even bottle green with black?

In actual practice, a woman only needs to exercise her own color judgment in a rather limited way. Since leather gloves, shoes, and bags are most chic in neutral shades, an elegant woman possesses a selection of neutral accessories: a black handbag, a brown one, a navy one, and one of natural straw; calf shoes in black, brown, and beige. And so, where color is concerned, all she has to worry about is selecting her hats, blouses, sweaters, scarves, and jewelry in colors which form a refined harmony with her basic garment."

Genevieve Antoine Dariaux
A Guide to Elegance

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