In the Praise of Color

A major clothing retailer sings the praises of color in their latest catalogue—“Color Means Something To Us”…and I get it, I really do. I love color, too—just not in my wardrobe.

I’m a New Yorker, born and bred. I’ve lived in NYC my entire life—save stints in Boston, San Francisco, and Scotland. Sensing a theme here? Me too. My clothing palette is perfectly suited to these cities by the sea—charcoal grey, dusty blue, olive green. If my closet were a weather pattern it would be blustery and overcast. If my sweater collection were a location it would be a misty grey moor. My favorite color when I was a little girl was “Army Green”.

Though I don’t like to dress in brights—rich reds and bright pops of blue make me feel like an imposter—where I do turn to color again and again is in my jewelry. I grew up on the mouthwatering jewels of Verdura, David Webb, Cartier and Pomellato. I love nothing more than to glance down at my hand and wonder at a deep purple Amethyst, bright green Chrysoprase or a fine blue Turquoise. My own jewelry is designed with color as a primary feature—I try to keep my stones simply cut and minimally set so as to show off their distinct hue.

I may be dressed in a uniform perfectly suited to riding the subway and hauling myself around the NYC city streets all day—my beloved native city can be a little grimy—but the beauty of jewelry is that it elevates my outfit, and allows me to adorn myself with color on a smaller scale, which feels just right. I may not ever wear a blouse in the Pantone Color of the Year.