Insights • Inspirations • Destinations • Design

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Unexpected Elegance of Orange



If there was one colour that kept peeking its cheeky head above the Manhattan monochromes in New York last week, it was orange. Orange is everywhere over there. Everywhere. Blame it on the northern hemisphere summer. Blame it on the Pantone hype. Or just blame the fabulous whimsicality of the colour, but I saw more orange in Manhattan than at Marrakech market.

Furthermore, it seems to be ripening? There's seemingly more orange around now than there was a month ago? Look at the Christian Dior frock from the latest Resort Collections (above), which is a bold blood-orange colour that would stop any French man in tracks.

Here are some of my favourite orange moments in Manhattan. (NB I promise this is the last NY post. Funnily enough, my week alone there cured me of wanting to live in the city. I don't think I make enough money to look as gorgeous as all the New York girls do, all the time?)


The silk drapes of the 'Atrium' restaurant at the new NoMad hotel in New York, which was designed by Jacques Garcia. Who would have thought tomato red, tangerine and green would go so elegantly together?


A beautiful window of a store near Bergdorf Goodman. Look at how they've elevated a simple orange handbag to a grand shrine? So gorgeous.


Florence Broadhurst's wallpaper in Kate Spade's SoHo store. Broadhurst was an Australian designer, so it was a thrill to see how the company has embraced her prints as part of its 2012 'pattern' collections.


A detail of the exquisite chair in my room at the Gramercy Park Hotel. (It was so elegant, I was almost afraid to sit on it.)


I took my new tangerine Sambag handbag to the US (which is so orange you have to co-ordinate all your outfits with it in advance) and I received so much praise that I swore I could see the handbag swelling with every compliment. (Every now and then I'd have to poke it, to remind it who was boss!)

 Look at how full it is. I can't tell you how much I stuffed in there! I think there's a SLR camera, a lens, passport and wallet, a make-up kit, itinerary and notes, a small bottle of water, and quite possibly my partner too... (See his head sticking out the side?)


A fabulous frock on Fifth Avenue. (Trying saying that five times.) Oh, to have a derriere like this...


The summery windows of Prada on Fifth Avenue. Loved the cute cloche hat. 


The deck chairs of the Sunset Beach Hotel, on Shelter Island. (Near the Hamptons.)


Georges Rech.


Madeline Weinrib's rugs.


More of Madeline Weinrib's rugs.


Mood's amazing fabric store in the Fashion District.


I found some vintage Beatons at a second-hand store in New York. I'd been searching for ages for the orange one. Beaton's early books were so full of colour and whimsy. No wonder modern editors such as Grace Coddington are now being infuenced by them. (See further below.)


This one is almost impossible to find. If you stumble across it, buy it! It's worth a fortune.



I spent one night at The Empire hotel on the Upper West Side, one of New York's most fashionable hotels. (Lots of models stay here during Fashion Week.) It was a smartly tailored combination of orange and chocolate. The lobby was a riot of tangerine and leopard skin. I'm not partial to chocolate but I couldn't stop staring. It was so dramatic. No wonder the models love it.


This is Miss Grace Coddington's memoir, which is due out in November. Do think she was inspired by Cecil Beaton's Sixties book? I wish Grace would also do a book on her Vogue fashion shoots. Perhaps that might be the sequel?



And some more orange inspiration, from the archives...


I'm not sure who this designer is, but I'm in love with the gloves as much as the bag. 
{Via Elle and This is Glamorous}


Love this. {Via Habitually Chic}


And this. (What a smile!)


Kate Spade's Cockatoo Cross-Back Retro Maillot. Now on sale (online). Orange cockatoos on a swimsuit. How cute. This is the sort of number you'd take down to the Caribbean.


And this is what you'd drink with it! This was my orange margarita on the Florida Keys. Yes, that really is the size. I think I was drunk for a week.

27 comments:

  1. All that uplifting orange, I hope you're feeling better! Those silk curtains, I wish, a Kelly, the sleeveless dress with jacket and the fabulous books. Only jarring note for me are the shoes with the Dior, can't help but think the Master himself would not approve. Got to go back for another look and onwards to your next post.

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    1. Oh yes! I DID notice those. How observant of you. And doesn't she look like she's standing on tip toes? Women everywhere were wearing platforms like those. I don't know how they walked on them. I wore flats and I still had sore feet from trudging miles each day! x

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    2. PS Yes, I'm feeling much better today, after 5 days of feeling absolutely awful. Thank you so much for asking. I know lots of others are suffering from this flu. Seems to be bad this year.

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    3. Yes I remember you mentioning Noo Yorkers in heels verses Parisians in flats. Love QE11 in apricot, I remember my mother taking my sister and I to see her in Sydney in the early 60s and I still remember she was in apricot on that occasion also.

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  2. I am not an orange girl, but, I do want a pair of orange shoes to wear with black and white. Orange and pink together is gorgeous, and coral (does coral qualify as orange?) and turquoise is stunning.
    Love the idea of an orange Hermes box with a Cape Cod watch inside!

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  3. Yes Claire, I think coral does qualify as orange. I love coral too. Such a pretty colour in summer. And pink and orange is one of my favourite combinations. xx

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    1. PS Orange with black and white would look FAB Claire! Did you see that the lovely Tabitha mentioned you today?

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    2. I did! Been at the salt mines all day, so no chance to comment.

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  4. The curtains please!!!!!!
    I am not mad about orange but orange and pink is absolutely my favourite!!!

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    1. I love pink and orange as much as I love pink and red. It's funny how those two combinations don't date. I've seen photos from 50 years ago and the clothes still look gorgeous! I wonder if Shiaparelli ever used orange with her hot pink designs?
      xx

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  5. Am a Hardcore Fan of Orange. So cheering. It's much easier to wear than people think xxx

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    1. Oh FF, you would look beautiful in a burlap sack! (Orange or not.)
      xxx

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  6. Lovely woman flying back from NYCity was in oranges, alas, her luggage was Barbie pink.

    Missed you by days, Bergdorf windows were desert colors with reptiles....

    Garden & Be Well, XO T

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    1. Oh, what a shame we missed each other Tara! I'm sure you were terribly busy, but I would have loved to said hello. I loved the gardens of NY, although I missed the Frick's as they'd blocked off the streets for the President. (So inconvenient...!) I waved to him, but would have rather seen the Frick.
      xx

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  7. I'm such a fan of orange in home decor and fashion. The dress with the zipper in the back is fabulous!!

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    1. Oh my gosh, you have no idea how much I coveted that dress! Lots of other women were staring at it too; I'm sure our breath was fogging up the windows! x

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  8. Orange is actually my favorite color this spring!! I love all the gorgeous inspiration here!
    xo
    Sharon

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    1. Yes, I've just fallen head-over-tangerine-handbag with it too Sharon! It's such a happy colour, isn't it? (To use a prosaic word.) Thanks for commenting. xx

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  9. Dear Janelle
    These are fabulous pics. Orange has always been one of my favourite colours. It makes me feel happy just looking at these shots. Also love it in combination with pink, red or purple or in mixed combinations. Think the important thing is to get the intensities and quantities right when combining.
    Already have several much loved orange handbags - and other orange items of clothing, including a super orange black and white Versace scarf from the days of Gianni. My dream, which will remain just that, would be an orange Hermes Kelly en croco. Also love coral. For me, all these orange possibilities are truly uplifting to the spirit.

    One of my colleagues years ago asked whether the orange was some kind of subliminal message of political persuasion - or did I just love the colour? He then added that he'd heard orange was the new pink. My colleagues mostly wore black! But the pollies I dealt with were much more suceptible to colour and were always telling me how much they enjoyed my clothes.
    The books were great finds! Envious! Grace Coddington is so interesting. She was wonderful in the September Issue.

    So glad to see that you're feeling better! Best wishes, Pamela

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  10. Wasn't it sad when Gianni died? We were actually in Bellagio on Lake Como the day it happened, and took a little boat across to his villa to pay our respects.
    You're right, orange is so uplifting. Your colleague's comment made me laugh. Political persuasion? Did he think you were from the Netherlands? I can't think of a political party that brandishes orange - but then, I'm not into politics as much as my partner.
    Have loved reading your comments about your trip. That husband of yours sounds like a lovely travel partner. Hope your Hemingway drink made for a romantic night! We, too, paid our respects to Hemingway in Key West. I always visit his house when I'm there. It's the most glorious old French-colonial mansion - bought with his wife's money of course. I try to pause at his house near the Luxembourg gardens in Paris too. My sister-in-law isn't fond of him, but I have a soft spot for old Hem!
    xx

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  11. Great post! I ADORE orange. All year round, in fashion and interiors. It's such a happy colour. I have both those beautiful Beaton books (trying saying that 4 times fast!)

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    1. Hi Slim, I'm sure your library would be incredible.

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  12. Judging by the number of comments already, none of us are in the least tired of seeing your NYC images. Love, adore, worship the colour orange. Use it a LOT in my design work, although clients are firmly divided into "you have to be kidding" and "oh that is fabulous" camps, so I have to apply personality testing in advance.

    Would wear the first outfit in a heartbeat (the cost would stop my heart beating, but that's another story). And quite jealous of the Cecil Beaton books. how fab. x

    ps - pretty, pretty please with an orange cherry on top, can you disable your word verification? It takes me several goes to get a comment up on your posts, and sometimes I just give up.

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  13. Of course, I'm so sorry, I didn't even realise the horrid word verification was on. I thought I'd taken it off months ago (at the risk of inviting those rude Anonymous people in, but thankfully there have only been two). Will check for you now and disable.
    You can decorate our (investment) house in orange anytime! I adore your blog, and know how sophisticated your taste is, so I will seriously consider commissioning you.
    The only thing is: I don't know whether to go navy and orange, pink and orange (master bedroom and dressing room), or charcoal and orange.
    This is why we need a professional!
    Thanks for popping by; so lovely to see you, as always.
    xx

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  14. Two words... yes please...

    Fantastic orange inspiration Janelle... xv

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  15. Janelle

    Your post today has opened my eyes to what is around us. After this morning at the Musee Nissim de Camondo and a fabulous lunch at Fraussie's recommendation, Cafe Louise (lobster salad, duckling parmentier and chocolate mousse), we walked (waddled?) again through the arcades at the Palais Royal, and there it was, orange, a feature in almost all the windows! So it's not only in New York.

    Furthermore, I realised I had already succumbed. Last week bought a wonderful nylon, very light weight but roomy satchel which can be worn across the body so is ideal for carrying all the necessities for walks around a city. It's striped, melon-orange, soft crimson, black and yellow with a touch of tan. Not as awful as it might sound, you see it's Sonia Rykiel, and she does these things beautifully, though it did give my husband a surprise when I decided it was a must have. Best wishes, Pamela

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  16. The Madeline and Westley rugs are very beautiful. The Orange and pink hues really help with the contrast and color and the design reminds me of a Persian Gabbeh Rug.

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Thank you for stopping by. It's always lovely hearing from The Library's readers.

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