black and blue

over summer i decided to wear more black, starting with a pair of black jeans hemmed and tapered to perfection (slim not skinny), which i perused almost every day. black, i realized, was the best color for lazy people cutting down on sloppiness.

but then i received the perfect jacket: a chambray blue with a hoodie (perfect for dc's unpredictable showers) and a form which swung gently from my body. best of all was the clever inner right pocket taken from menswear. so i started thinking about blue. the most humble of colors, always easy on the eyes. a color that gently sways between emotions.

then, my best friend, who surely has esp, showed up for our day adventure in the most perfect blue outfit--loose navy grandfather sweater, white and aqua sailor striped shorts, multi-colored blue sperrys. she fit perfectly.

i like how clothing and location harmonize. i remember seeing photos from the devastation in africa (here). they are tragic to be sure and mainly meant to be informational, but i was also dazzled by the colors in their clothing, the array of colors and patterns which looked beautiful framed in rust sunsets and barren deserts. wsj did a recent article on the sapeurs of the congo (here): "kin sapeurs, they tell me, adore yohji because his style is violent and brutal, in line with the spirit of their city."

similarly, i cast cities in different colors and feel myself gradually shifting my preferences. baltimore, a city of experimentation, of neons, prints, and mix-matching. washington, shimmering white and glass-blue accented in black like the sec building i pass by on my way to school. but while i find myself dressing more formal, with less colors and less strange shapes, bits of baltimore still peeps in. recently: a beautiful mediterranean-colored scarf swimming with fishes.