WIW 05.01 Picture perfect challenge, day 2

(For my YLF blog! Hope you gals don't mind me posting the photos twice ^^)

Water lilies (Nymphaea nouchali), Okavango Delta, Botswana by Frans Lanting

This is my favorite photo of the week but unfortunately my favorite aspect of it, the yellowy lily pads, is hard for me to properly represent; I don't have any yellow clothing items except a gingham shirt which I felt didn't have the right vibe for this almost-surreal photo. So instead I focused on the moody green and blue shades that surround the lily pads, the soft vertical lines of their stems, and the fluidity and murkiness of the water.

I wanted to wear mostly green since the plants and water are what really set the vibe of this photo for me, and the blue is a reflection of the sky. So I chose my green skinnies (vertical lines) and paired with a breezy (fluid) tee that has a green/yellow print; since the hi-lo hem is cropped in front, I chose a teal tank to layer underneath to pick up on the murky shades in the photo that blur the water and sky. And then added bright cobalt heels as a nod to the small dose of blue from the sky reflection.

Since there's not really any yellow, I wanted to represent the lily pads as more of an echo; I chose round earrings and put my hair up in a fanned bun to mimic their shapes. Their dark stems are very striking, and though I tried every single dark necklace I own as a nod to them, I ended up going without because I felt they interfered with the soft vibe of the outfit; ultimately, what inspires me most about this photo is the surreal feeling.

I chose a bright orange lipstick as a nod to the small bit of orange in the largest lily pad. And for the outerwear, today it's very VERY wet so I needed my trench coat. Luckily since it's dark I can pretend that it's representing the stems, but really... it's my only spring coat ;) So I decided to go with that, and added a printed mustard silk scarf and my gold purse to make myself a yellow lily pad ^^

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

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20 Comments

  • kellygirl replied 11 years ago

    SO pretty, Aida! I love reading about how you interpret the photo! You are so creative :)

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    You've put a lot of thought into this outfit Aida and it shows. You've definitely captured the feeling of the picture with your use of the blues and greens. I particularly love your top with the cream and green in it over the blue.

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    Great interpretation. I like how the green jeans flow into the blue under top like the water. Like how your hair echoes the shape of the lily pads too.

  • Tanya replied 11 years ago

    Absolutely beautiful Aida! The colors reflect the photograph very close. And I loved reading about how you came up with this outfit.

  • cheryle (Dianthus) replied 11 years ago

    Lovely colors and although the top is not floral, the mix of colors does evoke a garden to me. Very well done for a fellow non-yellow wearer.

  • Mellllls replied 11 years ago

    Gorgeous

  • christieanne replied 11 years ago

    I love how you put all the different greens and a little blue together to make a unified outfit. Your spin on the inspiration photo is upbeat and lively.

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Thanks for the lovely comments ladies! I'm glad to hear that many of you felt I captured the feeling of the photo, since as I said that was the most inspiring thing for me. A success! :D

    Shevia, thanks that's just what I was going for! Ideally I'd have gotten the true green-yellow-blue gradient but I'm happy with what I was able to do here.

    Dianthus, ooh I can see that for sure. Underwater garden color palette is right up my alley!

  • Amy replied 11 years ago

    Ooh, look at those rich blues and greens! That top is really lovely too. Like you, I wish I could have captured the photo's colors more accurately, but you did a great job evoking the feeling it captured!

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    This is just lovely, Aida! I love how you've been using your hairstyle as a way of interpreting the photos (today and yesterday); so creative!

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Thank you Amy and Diana!

    Amy, I was off the rich blues and greens for a while but I've been feeling back on them lately. Half of my recent purchases have one color or the other in them! EDIT: I think it's a spring/summer thing; I just love how they look paired with white but with gray/black they get a little too dark and moody for me!

    Diana, my hair is pretty long, may as well use it for something eh? ;)

  • cheryl replied 11 years ago

    Wonderful interpretation.

  • Ana replied 11 years ago

    Wow, this is awesome! I love the outfit Aida, and the colors are beautiful on you. I also like how you styled your hair to reflect the photo. So unique! This is great.

  • replied 11 years ago

    Great interpretation Aida! But my favorite thing is your hair! I love seeing you experiment with it (I'm living vicariously through you). And I feel exACTly the same way you do about rich blues and turquoise-y greens. They are summer colors for me because I too prefer them paired with white to grey or black. I could technically wear them with white jeans in the winter, but I need colors to signal the seasons for me, since the climate is not very good at reminding me when it's winter here.

  • CocoLion replied 11 years ago

    Very flattering and I like seeing these colors on you. You look like a New Yorker in the trench, up-do, earrings and sunglasses picture! A New Yorker who is trying to be a lilly pad, that is. ;-)

  • jayne replied 11 years ago

    Oh the hair is a perfect touch! Too cute. The colors are spot on!

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Thank you all so much for the great comments! I'm tickled many of you are enjoying my hair use in the challenge, it's been fun to think of how to "make it work" each day ^^

    Claire, I hoped you'd catch this outfit! This is one of two bun styles I occasionally wear when it's warm out (today wasn't, hehe), the other being a tight-and-high ballerina bun. Was this kind of what you were picturing when you suggested a chignon, or maybe you had something else in mind? I hear you on the seasonal colors with a lack of seasons; I get that people like to wear what they like regardless of season, but when it's "overcast and 50" for 6+ months sometimes switching colors is the just the seasonal refresh I need.

    Denise, I think I made a pretty good lily pad :D I did notice that this bun felt a bit dressier, though it's decidedly more messy than how I usually wear my hair. It was a bit odd!

  • krishnidoux replied 11 years ago

    I love your interpretation. So creative!

  • Vicki replied 11 years ago

    Yikes! I've just stepped into a Frans Lanting painting and all I'm doing is sitting here drinking hot Almond Breeze with nutmeg and cinnamon floating on top, honest!

    Aida, you've met the challenge in such a creative way and I, too, love the way you write about your interpretation. Plus, I'm glad it's a bit wet in your parts so that I could see your very cool trench coat. I love the mustard yellow scarf with it! May I visit your art museum any time? ^_^

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    Thank you Krish and Vicki!

    Vicki, my dear you can come visit my art museum ANY time :D

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