It occurred to me recently that in the midst of a somewhat rocky, stressful, and very busy start of the year, followed by suddenly being unexpectedly computer-less for all of February, I hadn't yet had a chance to share my colour of the year for 2016 with all of you.
Historically, I've often done my reveal as part of a Flickr Favourites post, but as I opted to retire that series at the end of last year, I no longer had have it available do so in come January and that, too, no doubt played into while I'm only now just getting a chance to blog about it.
In years past, my colour choices have included brown, purple, and green, and the premise behind such is dead simple: after a fair bit of thought and a thorough survey of my current wardrobe, at the start of the year I decide on a colour that I want to add more of to my closet and/or focus on in other areas of my life (here on the blog, home decor, crafting - even cooking, in some cases) and then try to focus on in various enjoyable ways throughout the following twelve months.
This year's choice came to me quite quickly and instantly felt right. I entered 2016 really feeling like I was ready for a clean slate and though such didn't happen entirely, I have been making changes and managing my time (all the more) in ways that have created a degree of such over the past few months.
Seeking an even greater sense of serenity in 2016 as well, this hue was especially logical to me and while it isn't one that we typically wear head-to-toe (save for on our wedding day), it is a gorgeous achromatic colour that has the added bonus of suiting summer's sizzling heat especially well.
As I'm sure you've deducted by now, I'm talking about none other than the colour white!
For ages upon ages, it has been associated with things such as tranquility, innocence, newness, stillness, rebirth, care and love, goodness, light, and of course purity. We think of it during winter, at christenings and weddings.
We natural picture it when we think of with winter, soap, clergy, angels, various animals (including unicorns), our eyes, dairy products, hospitals (very much including nurses), and peace, amongst many other things.
Being every inch the neutral that it's dark counterpoint black is, white goes with just about every other colour and shade under the sun and indeed, we need it in order to get many of the hues that we enjoy in all areas of our life, as it softens dark primary and secondary colours to create lighter shades such as pink, peach, and violet.
White enjoyed many moments of great popularity during the 20th century, though perhaps never more adored than during the Edwardian era, when it regained supreme as the lawn/lingerie dress colour choice of countless women the world over (though such frocks and skirt + blouse combos did certainly exist in other, generally pale, shades as well).
It appeared, for example, on boater hats and beaded bags, kid gloves and linen suits in the 20s and 30s; peasant blouses, gingham patterns, winter knits, and high heels in the 40s; fitted dresses, circle skirts, elegant suits, beaded jewelry, buck shoes, and millinery flower bedecked hats in the 1950s, and lead the pack on the Mod front during the 60s, where it also cropped up in earthy, boho and chicly tailored garments alike, too.
At times, being fair skinned (with pink undertones to my colouring), green eyed and auburn/red haired, white can, in larger doses, be overpowering on me and objectively, as most women in particular will tell you, white is not exactly famous for being the most figure flattering of hues, so in some respects, I've shied away from it at various points in my life.
I always had at least one or two white blouses/button front shirts, pairs of gloves, socks, a few other accessories, and maybe a snow coloured pair of shoes, but it hasn't been until just the past couple of years that I've intentionally sought other solid or primarily white hued pieces.
It's rather unlikely that white will ever eclipse other neutrals like grey, brown, navy blue, and black in my closet, but there is an enchanting quality to this colour that makes me appreciate it and I find that if a garment's fit is truly on point, white can be surprisingly flattering, especially if there's a bit of roominess (say, billowy sleeves on a blouse, for example) to it.
To mark my colour of the year choice, at the start of 2016 I bought a garment that I hadn't owned in more years than I could recall: a solid white dress from Hell Bunny.
Fitted, flirty, sweet and unendingly summery, it is ultimate proof to myself of how far I've come in terms of welcoming white into my wardrobe and with the weather really starting to heat up, not only will I be wearing it, but it may even land here in a blog post of its own.
{Something I'm always keen to add more of to my closet: vintage (or vintage appropriate, as the case may be) white shoes like these mid-century beauties! Vintage image source.}
I don't foresee stocking up on white pieces right, left and center, but I have been enjoying looking for more and seeking out garments, such as that dress, that I didn't previously have in solid white.
I've always adored the pairing of white and classic denim shades, and now that summer is (almost) here, I'm sure I'll be marrying those two, while also letting white shine along side a wide array of other colours, from coral to mint, turquoise to mustard yellow and have already begun thinking of ways to include it more heavily in my fall wardrobe.
So there you have it! :) White is my colour of the year for 2016 (Pantone's, in case you hadn't caught wind of such yet, are rose quartz and serenity blue) and so far I've really been enjoying having the chance to get to know this peaceful hue better.
Are you a fan of white? What decades do you most associate with it? And perhaps most intriguingly of all, would you wear a completely white dress for any occasion other than a wedding?
*PS* I truly want to thank everyone who has shopped my Etsy store's 32% second anniversary sale over the past five days. I've been thrilled to watch nearly 100 vintage and antique items fly off the shelves there in that very brief time and can't begin to tell you all how much I appreciate your stellar support of my shop.
If you haven't picked up a vintage treasure (or ten! :)) for yourself there yet, you'll definitely want head on over and do so today, as this sale will wrap up at midnight tonight and I won't be having another storewide one there again until summertime.
