purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

Style Imitating Art: Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly by Anonymous & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #227

purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

About Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Daenel of Living Outside the Stacks, Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, and Terri of Meadowtree Style. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as curator, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the curator by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the curator will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You do not have to be a blogger to join. You are invited to share your images on Instagram or other social media platforms or you can just play along and the host will share your photo. If you do share on social media, please spread the word by using #TeamLOTSStyle and #StyleImitatingArt and also tag the hosts SalazarTerri, and Daenel so they know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the SIA challenge next week!

The Inspiration Artwork

The inspiration artwork was curated by Daenel of Living Outside the Stacks. You can read why she has chosen this specific piece as her inspiration artwork here.

Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly by Anonymous (Watercolor and bodycolor on gray prepared ground, 19th Century)

Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly by Anonymous (Watercolor and bodycolor on gray prepared ground, 19th Century)
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

About the Artist: Anonymous

Well, I guess I cannot share very much about an anonymous artist, can I?

But I can share a bit about watercolor painting as an artistic medium.

About the Medium: Watercolor

Watercolor is a water-based medium that is applied with a brush generally to a white paper or parchment background. It is a popular and prized medium due to the luminosity of the transparent colors, its availability in a vast range of pigments, and the ease of application as well as the ability to make corrections during the artistic process.

Watercolors are composed of finely ground pigments combined with water and gum arabic which is a binder that helps disperse the pigment particles in order to create a uniform solution that adheres to its canvas. Modern watercolors need just a touch of water to form washes that are much easier to use than the original forms of watercolors. Before manmade organic colors were produced in labs in the late 19th century, watercolors were derived from natural sources such as minerals, resins, and vegetables. The more brilliant hues that you see in modern watercolor works are a result of lab production.

The underlying support (the canvas on which the watercolors are applied) plays a very important role in the appearance of the colors. The brightness of the paper, parchment, or ivory used as the canvas contributes to the level of transparency as well as the vibrance of the jewel like tones created by watercolor. For this reason, you will rarely see watercolor paintings on colored backgrounds. Sometimes artists will use paper treated with gelatin sizing which is a liquid compound designed to make the paper less absorbent. This treatment of the paper prevents the watercolors from penetrating the paper and also allows for more precision in brushwork. However, some artists may desire a more fluid appearance in their watercolors and so highly absorbent Japanese papers or paper dampened with water may be employed.

Watercolor works have a distinguishing characteristic due to the diversity of brush strokes as well as the many different ways the dry and wet paint can be manipulated for a variety of visual effects. Artists generally apply watercolor with a soft pointed brush or flat profile brush depending on the intended effect.

While both opaque and transparent watercolors were used in the 16th century for portrait miniatures, detailed depictions of the natural world, decorative drawings, and maps, it did not become a popular artistic medium until the end of the 18th century when it came into widespread use for landscape and genre paintings. By the 19th century, watercolor was being used for large scale exhibition drawings in an attempt to promote the diversity of watercolors in art while encouraging its use for both professional and amateur artists. It remains a popular medium in modern and contemporary art to this day.

purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

About the Art: Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly (19th Century)

This anonymous painting consists of graphite and watercolor on a gray prepared ground. The graphite inscription at the bottom of the painting simply says “heather” just beneath the image of the sweet peas, heather, and the bright yellow butterfly. The paper background measures 13 11/16 inches × 9 3/4 inches (34.7 cm × 24.8 cm) and is currently housed in the Met in New York City. The work has been dated as a 19th century British piece and was gifted to the Met by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1961. The Met currently has over 9,000 anonymous works from 19th century Britain which provides strong support in favor of signing your work!

There really is no more information about this watercolor to be found on the internet. But I do love the simplicity of the piece as well as the soft yet vibrant shades of green, purple, pink, and yellow. Plus a little taste of nostalgia from days long gone always puts me in a good mood. It really is quite a pleasing painting to look at, isn’t it?

Resources/References:

purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

This sweet little kitty lives in or around these gardens behind the Jefferson County Historical Society. Whenever we shoot photos here when the flowers are blooming, sweet kitty comes out to play. I tripped over the furry ball a few times because he really just wanted to hug our feet!

About My Outfit Inspired by Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly

When I saw the artwork for this style prompt, I was super focused on the shades of pink and purple. But after I looked at it for about a week, the greens really started jumping out at me, too. So I chose a dark green midi dress for the base layer of my outfit.

My magenta kimono with the embroidered sweet peas was the perfect and obvious thing to reflect both the colors and the flowers in the painting. I am not actually certain if the embroidery is sweet peas, but it sure does look like sweet peas. Then I added my vintage yellow and gold butterfly pin, a recent gift from my mother-in-law, to pay tribute to the sole yellow butterfly in the painting. I was nervous about pinning a brooch to the delicate fabric of this kimono, so I made sure to affix it to one of the embroidered flowers for more stability and it worked perfectly without damaging the pin or the fabric.

A woven belt, a wicker bag, black caged sandals, and rose gold jewelry finished off this whimsical garden outfit that gave me all the best feelings of springtime nostalgia. Interestingly, I never would have thought to pair magenta with olive green which is why I love this Style Imitating Art series so much. It really does push me to try outfit combinations that I otherwise would not have even considered. And now I know that this color combination works and I really love it.

I knew that a garden was the background I wanted for these photos and I was so happy to find the Historic Society gardens in full beautiful bloom. Imagine my excitement when we entered the gardens and the first thing I spotted was heather lining the walkway! You can see the purple clusters of heather in the first set of photos.

purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge

To see more outfits inspired by Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterfly, please visit Daenel’s post for the complete roundup of submissions. You can also read the details of Daenel’s own inspired outfit here, Terri’s here, and Salazar’s here. Have you joined the Style Imitating Art challenges yet? Be sure to check for the next prompt on Monday, June 21, 2021.

Featured Favorites

Reader Favorite (Most Viewed)

Moumous of LaMoumous shared her post, 3 Fashion Trends to Leave Behind in 2021, which discusses some helpful ways to inject more color, focus on flattering proportions, and invest in practical pieces for your wardrobe. Plus her unique stunningly outfit is style inspiration all by itself.

LaMoumous
Moumous of LaMoumous

Fashion Favorite

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style shared her post, Tantilly Dress & Fancy Friday Linkup. I absolutely love everything about this dress, the style, the color palette, and the print. And it looks perfectly gorgeous on my beautiful friend!

Non-Fashion Favorite

Renee of A Sexual Libra shared her post, A Survey On Openness: An Opportunity to Participate. Because I am super interested in the research that Renee is currently doing, I wanted to invite you all to check out the survey questions and participate if you are also interested in this project. Renee is aiming to discover if there is a correlation between a couple’s sexual satisfaction, their ability to effectively communicate with one another, and whether nonmonogamy has ever been discussed within the relationship. It is a completely anonymous survey that really could result in some fascinating information if she can get enough responses. So regardless of your position on monogamy and nonmonogamy, Renee really does want your feedback!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

*Imogen of Inside Out Style has featured me today in her Stylish Thoughts series. I would love for you to head over and check it out! I really enjoy answering these types of interview questions as well as reading these types of posts about other bloggers. A huge thanks to Imogen for featuring me!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

Outfit Details: Kimono, Dress, and Belt-Torrid / Shoes-Crown Vintage (DSW) / Bag-TJ Maxx / Earrings and Necklace-Happiness Boutique

I am a 40 something Army wife and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats named Dave and Frankie. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

76 Comments

  • Suzy

    Shelbee, you look absolutely GORGEOUS! I adore everything about your outfit – the colours are very much my colours lol!! And the backdrop is utterly divine. How lucky were you to find that cute little garden bench too. And the kitty is just an added bonus! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
    Big hugs
    Suzy xxx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Suzy! I was so happy with how this outfit came together! I actually ended up wearing it two days in a row. Haha. Mostly because we didn’t get around to photographing it on the first day, so I wore it again the second day to take pictures. You know how much I love these art challenges, too. They really let me get super creative with my wardrobe. I am excited to see the round post for this one!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Joanne

    What a beautiful outift and those gardens are quite pretty too. I just love working with watercolors.. I find them so soothing.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you so much, Joanne! I love when these gardens bloom. It is such a pretty spot for photos and it is only about 1/2 mile down the road from my house! I haven’t painted with watercolors in years, but now I think I may want to try it again just for the soothing fun of it!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Jennifer! To be fair, I have a crazy amount of things in my closet room to work with! And I know that you are much more minimalist than I am. But that is the fun of these challenges…to see what we can create from the things in our wardrobes. I always love the variety of outfits that are inspired by these works of art. You should give it a try some time!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Ellie

    This is such a beautiful art piece and loving your outfit inspired by the art. The kimono is so perfect for this with the beautiful floral embroidery! Fun lace up sandals too!
    And how cute to have a little furry visitor joining you!! Love it! But what is it with cats always trying to trip people LOL. Mine do it all the time.
    Ellie
    Ellibelle’s Corner

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Ellie! I had a lot of fun styling this outfit to reflect the artwork! This is one of my favorite kimonos! Actually, who am I kidding? All of my kimonos are favorites! I totally hear you about the cats always being under foot. Mine try to trip me on a daily basis, too!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • jess

    Wow, it looks like your kimono was made to be worn with this Art Inspo! Love that it has the yellow butterfly and that it is purple with the long flowers. Is that lavendar? Purple is a great color on you and it is always interesting to see the variety of art work that bloggers present. My coneflowers in the garden are really attracting the butterflies!
    jess xx
    Have a great week!
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Jess! I loved this painting so much for the butterfly and the flowers and the gorgeous watercolors. And I do love to wear shades of purple. I thought that the purple flowers were heather when I looked it up. But maybe it is lavender. I’m not sure! I am not very well versed in botanical things! But how lovely that your garden blooms are attracting butterflies!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Renee Open

    First, the art is beautiful! I’ve never seen that before and it’s just lovely.
    Second, you perfectly captured it’s essense in your outfit! Bravo!! And, I LOVE the shall – beautiful!
    Third. I so value how thorough you are in your research and communication <3

    Lastly, thank you – so much – for featuring the survey! It really is a kindness given that you've featured me before. I thank you for helping me to get the word out and generate responses which lead to data. I'm really excited to see what the results are <3

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you so much, my friend! These art prompts are so much fun and help me to view my wardrobe in an entirely different way. I often feel like I am creating magic in my closet room and I really enjoy the whole process from brainstorming the outfit to finding the perfect photo location to researching the artwork.

      It is my pleasure to assist you with this research since it is super fascinating to me as well! And I totally forgot to share the survey out on my social media channels! I will do that today! I hope you are having a wonderful week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Lizzie

    Beautiful art and beautiful photos! And the kitty is so cute! Absolutely love that kimono! Purple is fantastic on you – this is probably one of my all-time favorite outfits on you!! You look radiant <3

    Lizzie
    http://www.lizzieinlace.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Alison, thank you so very much! I really enjoyed this watercolor, too. It has been my wallpaper on my phone and laptop all week and it is so soothing to me every time I look at it. I hope you are having a wonderful week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Jill! I wasn’t sure of the belt at first, but it was keeping the kimono closed over my very visible bra straps. Actually the top of my bra kept sticking out of the dress as well and the belted kimono covered it all, thankfully!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you so very much, Ashley! These art challenges are my favorite thing going on in blogland right now! I really do look forward to them every other week. I hope you are having a fabulous week, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • ratnamurti

    This kimono is so gorgeous. To me, it is one of the most You things you’ve worn, so flattering. And I love the whole art thing with it. (I’ve put on a post which is way Out There, if it’s not suitable, could you please reply on my blog?) xxxxx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Ratnamurti! I definitely feel most like myself when I am wearing a floaty kimono. I am certain that the post you linked is perfectly suitable! I don’t really have any restrictions for my link parties on the type of content linked. As long as it is not spreading hatred (which I know you would never write a post like that) then you are welcome to link anything here! I look forward to reading it.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Nancy

    What a surprise to be featured! And you didn’t even tell! Forgot to make a photo! Damn. What a perfect outfit you choose for this art work. The colors together are gorgeous ave I love that kimono! I love sweet Peas, so delicate and of beautiful colors!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Aw, thanks so much, Nancy! I was really happy with the end result of this outfit! And I am so glad that I could surprise you with that feature. I used to tell when I would feature people, but I have gotten very lazy lately. Plus I think the surprise is more fun anyway! It was so great catching up with you yesterday!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Mica

    I love that kimono and it’s so unexpected with the green but works so well, especially with the cute embroidery detail as well! That’s a lovely watercolour and your outfit really captures the theme!

    Thanks for the link up!

    Hope that your week is a good one so far!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Aw, thanks so much, Lucy! That is such a lovely compliment! I try to keep things light and happy so that when I have to share the darker side of things, it keeps things properly balanced! Haha. I hope your week is going well!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Rena

    Shelbee,

    This is a great look on you. The mixing of purple with olive was a fabulous idea. It makes for an earth-mother type vibe, especially with the floral and butterfly accents. And then adding a black belt and sandals to give an edge was a brilliant touch. Super cute! (the kitty too)

    Rena
    http://www.finewhateverblog.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Patrick! These gardens are really pretty and the museum attached for the Jefferson County Historical Society has some really cool stuff inside of it, too. I should visit the museum and take some photos to share one of these days. I haven’t gone inside the building in years even though I visit the gardens often.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom

    I’ve always loved watercolors and used to do them in college (when I had more time on my hands). You really did well on this! That kimono is such a pretty shade of violet/purple and I love the flowers and how it is a little sheer!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Carrie! I was really happy with the end result of this style challenge! This is a really great kimono and I wear it often because of how colorful it is. I haven’t painted with watercolors in years, but I recently am loving my watercolor markers for my coloring books!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Cheryl! This is a really fun series. Daenel, Terri, and Salazar always choose really interesting art works and I am learning so much just by participating. You should join us some time. The next art prompt will be announced on Monday.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Christina Morley

    Lovely spring outfit! Learning about all that anonymous art was fascinating. I wonder if the artist of your particular piece was a female who didn’t feel like her work would amount to much, more because of her gender than her ability. Thanks for sharing it with us!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you so very much, Tina! That is a really great point that I had not even thought of. I often forget that women in the arts were frowned upon until very recently in human history. It is kind of astonishing when you think about it, really. Can you imagine having to keep your talents hidden because you were the “wrong” gender? Can you imagine being treated like the “wrong” gender?! So unsettling. Thankfully, we have made some progress as a species even if it sometimes doesn’t seem like enough. I hope you are having a wonderful week!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Sheila (of Ephemera)

    This is one of my favourite Style Imitating Art outfits of yours, Shelbee! The embroidery on the kimono is perfect, and I LOVE the wee butterfly brooch you added. What a lovely memory of your mother-in-law!

    Thank you so much for the link-party!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Sheila, my friend, thank you so very much! This outfit is definitely one of my girlier, less edgier creations but it speaks to a certain part of my personality, for sure! Give a girl a kimono and a painting and see what kind of magic happens! Haha.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thank you, Michelle! This is one of my favorite kimonos (even though I love all of my kimonos!). And the little kitty is so friendly every time we visit these gardens. I think he looks forward to visitors because he comes bounding out of the bushes all happy as soon as people walk through the garden!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Terri Gardner

    Oh Shelbee, this is one of the most gorgeous things that I think you have done IMO. That kimono is to die for! I love sheer kimonos and that particular shade of violet is spectacular. Excellent job for this SIA-I seem to tell you that a lot! LOL

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      Thanks so much, Terri! You know how I love these challenges! They are my favorite in all of blogland. I get so happy when the new art is announced! By the way, did you receive the package I sent to you? I am so excited to know your reaction (I’m quite like a child when it comes to that stuff! Haha.)

      xoxo
      Shelbee

      • Terri Gardner

        Shelbee, yes I did, and hope my thank you card has gotten to you by now. I haven’t been feeling the best this week and have been slow getting around to looking on my favorite blogs.

        • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

          Oh no, Terri, I am so sorry to hear that you have been feeling unwell. I just got your card when I returned home from our camping weekend. I hope that you are feeling better at this point! Have a wonderful week, my friend.

          xoxo
          Shelbee

  • Daenel T.

    Shelbee, everything about this outfit is giving me life. I love the colors and the shape. And that vintage butterfly pin is so swoon worthy. Love it all!

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