Growing up, I was a true tomboy and I never really got over my distaste for florals, pastels, or anything I deemed “too Laura Ashley.” Although I have learned, since the age of six, to embrace wearing dresses, skirts, and heels, I can’t deny that the majority of my wardrobe exists in grey-scale (mostly black), with the occasional brown or beige piece thrown in to mix things up.
No one could have been more surprised than myself when I took such a liking to the rainbow of pastels walking down the Spring 2012 runways. What is it exactly about this season's take on the country club color palette that makes it appealing to a girl who refused to dye Easter eggs because “eggshell is such a nice neutral and really does go with everything?”
In part, I like that designers have given these colors an edge. I like this Spring's pastels the same way I like a baby-doll dress on Courtney Love, but not on Sandra Dee. There is a toughness to them that is undeniably ironic. You wouldn’t want to mess with any of these girls even if they are pretty in pink:
Courtesy: fashionista.com
One other explanation of my willingness to jump on the pastel bandwagon could be desensitization as a result of exposure to the ultra-saturated hues of this past Fall. Beautifully tailored dress clothes in shades previously only found among the selection of Manic Panic hair dyes at the local "Hot Topic" is another trend I never saw myself getting behind...until I saw the fire engine red blouse tucked into hot pink skirt, and the kelly green pants worn under the electric blue blazer...
Maybe, like plaids and stripes, it all goes back to the sheer joy of rebellion. The tiny thrill we experience when we go to our closets and pair together two things that we know to be a “mismatch.” The little boost we get from “pulling it off.” Maybe the clash works on an even more fundamental, sensory level. That color wheel they give out on the first day of art class in elementary school. When your teacher tells you your paintings will pop if you pair up colors from opposite sides of the wheel. Maybe it is biology -- opposites attract.
All I know is it works. And whatever mystic appeal the combination of marigold and plum had for me last Autumn has transferred to tangerine and lilac.
Courtesy: The Kooples
So, go ahead, embrace wearing pastels. Just be sure to also embrace rule breaking!
Posted by josie and the pussycats on February 20, 2012 at 05:45 PM EST #