Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey is the curator for this round of Style Imitating Art (SIA), and she selected the 1896 jewel creation "Imperial Lilies-of-the-Valley Basket" by workmaster August Wilhelm Holmström of the House of Fabergé. According to the Met, the jeweled basket was presented to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Czar Nicolas II) when she visited the Pan-Russian Exhibition in 1896; the lily-of-the-valley was not only one of her favorite flowers but "in the language of flowers, it symbolizes domestic happiness and conjugal bliss." Lily-of-the-valley is also one of Salazar's favorite flowers, and she was ready to select something "a bit different" from the paintings we have worked with lately, even if it is a spring-like.
Combining the stunning green and white of the jeweled artwork with the dark red, black/charcoal, and grey of the backdrops in the three images that Salazar shared, I chose a blouse with a flowering tree and bird print as the starting point of my outfit. This is one of my looser interpretations, but something about the curved shapes of the flower stems really reminded me of the curved tree branches on this blouse, so I went with it.
Since the cool fall temperatures have settled in here in St Paul, I knew I'd need to layer this blouse to comfortable for the weather. Drawing inspiration from the background colors in the images, I selected a burgundy sweater vest, charcoal pants, and a silver pashmina to create my bundled-up look. I have to admit: this outfit was not ground-breaking for me! It draws upon a spring/fall outfit formula that I come back to over and over again: long-sleeved top, slim/skinny pants, open cardigan vest, scarf, and flats/ankle boots. But this is the first time I've put these particular pieces together so it's technically a new outfit for me. I particularly like the addition of the silver pashmina with the burgundy and charcoal, and that was definitely inspired by the presentation of the artwork. I think these three colors together makes a rich autumn/winter color palette that is well-suited for women with cool coloring.
I may be wearing layers and warm scarves, but I have yet to break out my boots for the season (which typically runs until early April). So here I have paired my grey/black ribbon flats with the charcoal pants for a low-contrast combination.
I bought this pashmina from ThredUp for $8.88 in 2020, and with this ninth wear, it's reached a cost per wear (CPW) of $0.99, just at my <$1 CPW target. If secondhand scarves give you pause because people don't tend to wash them, worry not! I highly recommend sink-washing your scarves in scentless Soak no-rinse laundry soap before you wear a new scarf, whether thrifted or retail. The Soak site lays out the three easy steps for using the product here.
My all-DIY daily bracelet stack is based on a paper bead bracelet set I made a couple years ago to match this blouse, but the specifics of the stack are a little different. I've included a brand new bracelet (fourth from the top) I made using the light burgundy splotchy glass beads from a recent Curated Bead Box. I thought the colors of these beads would be a perfect fit with this bracelet set, and I am not disappointed. I finished off the stack with bracelets made from purple glass and gold spacer beads (second) and deep burgundy garnet stone beads (last). While my handmade jewelry in paper, glass, metal, and stone is not quite up to the Fabergé level of the gold, platinum, silver, nephrite (jade), pearl, and diamond of today's inspiration artwork, I am very happy with it. {stretch bracelet tutorial} {bicone paper bead tutorial}
My earrings are another DIY stack creation made primarily from my bead soup. I found a trio of glass beads in colors drawn directly from the blouse/paper bead bracelets: mint, burgundy, and black. Because I had these sweet little bird beads in antique copper, I used that metal color for the spacers and findings to complete my earrings.
Now for the best part of the post: revealing our choice for the Rabbit Imitating Art! My main consideration here was that I wanted a white colored rabbit (to contrast with the dark background of the artwork image) who evinced curiosity when facing a jewel-encrusted creation. This wonderful English Spot rabbit volunteered quite quickly for the role of Art Inspector at the House of Fabergé.
Marsha shared a great deal of interesting information about the history of the House of Fabergé, but the revealed history is only part of the story. Marsha pointed out that because Carl Fabergé was appointed "master of the Second Guild" in 1881, he would not have to submit his pieces for official testing when he used his own hallmark. But that doesn't mean that there was no internal need for quality control! It's not just that even the producers of the highest quality work recognize the importance of inspection, especially the best do...and the House of Fabergé was no slacker in this regard.
Marsha tells us that in 1885, Tsar Alexander III of Russia awarded the firm the title of "Supplier to the Imperial Court," commissioning a new Easter Egg every year. Who do you trust to ensure that your Easter eggs are absolutely perfect before delivering them to the Tsar (who held absolute power over the state and its people, holding your life in his hands)? A rabbit, obviously! Bunnies have been the premier guardians and purveyors of Easter eggs, high-end and low-end, for centuries (since at least the 1600s).
Since the House of Fabergé created a variety of different elaborate jewel-encrusted artworks, not just eggs, the role of Egg Inspector was generalized to Art Inspector. While some employees were uncertain how rabbits would fare in this more challenging, all-encompassing position, the bunnies of the House were eager to inspect all manner of creations and bring upon them the rabbit's Seal of Disapproval as warranted.
In this never-before-seen behind-the-scenes image from the House of Fabergé archives, an English Spot rabbit (common in England since the 1850s and apparently imported to Russia in secret by the late 1800s) conducts a thorough inspection of the Imperial Lilies-of-the-Valley Basket. He sniffs, he bites...and indeed, this supposed "plant" is not even Not Food, just like the Fabergé eggs! It is absolutely inedible to anyone. He declares it an extreme example of human nonsense, and, job complete, he takes a well-earned nap.
Thanks for joining me today for this Style Imitating Art + Rabbit Imitating (and Improving) Art post!
To see other outfit interpretations of this artwork, check out the review on 14 Shades of Grey.
Do you like lily-of-the-valley? How would you have interpreted this artwork? Do you like to layer your fall outfits? When do you start wearing boots (if at all) where you live? Would you like to be an Art Inspector for the House of Fabergé?
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You did a fabulous job with your outfit!
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You did a good job matching the curved shapes of the flower stems. #MMBC
Fabulous fall colours! And I love that sculpture, how amazing is that!