The Meaning of Pink

Nearly all of the pink coloured things in my wardrobe are vintage or second-hand, discarded by their original owners.

Does any other colour in the rainbow have such controversy surrounding it? People who like it are often on the defensive. Yet pink is considered a peaceful, calming hue; the universal colour of love; happy, hopeful, nurturing, sweet, feminine… are these curse words? I have heard women dismiss it for its girlishness in scathing tones – but is that rather a reflection of their own sentiments than a valid denunciation of an innocent distribution of light energy versus wavelength?

How could you not? (Photo by Kareem Black)It is always a source of amusement to me that pink – a colour associated with femininity – used to be considered a suitable colour for boys. It only serves to emphasise that our perception of colour is also influenced by cultural conventions*, not only by the emotional responses they evoke.

pink is considered a peaceful, calming hue; the universal colour of love…

About.com has a fascinating collection of reader responses to pink, from Nathan, who feels powerful; to Calinda who feels disappointed and rejected; and Linda who says, “Pink is pretty, girly, loud, bold, fun, and sometimes sexy.”

Kitten-Kay is obsessed with it. (Photo by Barcroft/Fame Pictures)Who could deny the beauty of Japanese cherry blossom? (Photo by Sakura Saki.) A hue divine enough for prayers in Vietnam. (Photo by So Not A Princess)As for the vertiginous hot pink satin heels, and the wool felt cowboy hat in a shade of scorching pink, both are found from the same charity shop. One day I will attempt to totter around in those dangerous shoes, but the hat will adorn the head of my niece Rosiecheeks. I am sure she would echo Linda’s words: “I LOVE PINK. I love being a girl, so I love pink, and I always will…”

*Click here for a complete psychological profile on pink.
Click on images for sources. Thanks to Sapphire for helping me take the main photo. 

Tickle Me Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.

Pantone's Honeysuckle swatch. It's a very close match for my hat.Tan-tan-tara!* Behold, the Mighty Oracle Pantone speaks! Honeysuckle (18-2120 TCX) is 2011’s Colour of the Year!

‘Energizing Honeysuckle Lifts Spirits and Imparts Confidence to Meet Life’s Ongoing Challenges’ Pantone announces grandiosely on its press release.

Crikey, that’s a lot for the humble watermelon pink to live up to.

I’ve talked about pink before. Some people are afraid of it; some revile it; and yet others love it. I used to dislike it, deeming it too girly, until I discovered that it suits me. (Did you know between the 1920s and 30s, pink was used for baby boys, and pale blue for girls?) Pantone tells us that Honeysuckle is guaranteed to deliver a healthy glow to anyone who wears it. I’d like to qualify that bold statement by adding: only if it actually complements your complexion.

Whenever any authority makes uncompromising statements like this my natural contrariness makes me long to buck the trend. However, I must confess that presciently, I purchased this mad hat not three weeks ago, and long before I had any inkling of Pantone’s forecast. 

Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.

After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.

And isn’t it divine, with its tulip-bud tassels? It stands up just like that, all on its own. That type of stitching is called ‘trapunto’. The parallel rows give strength to sculpted fabric; Jeanne Lanvin used it extensively in her designs. I’m guessing this hat is a Sixties model, and it complements the pleated sleeves of the Veronika Maine top beautifully.

I guess this all means that stores will obediently flood the market with honeysuckle-coloured items. But what about us Australians? This is not a flower that is native to our shores, and it does not inspire ‘waves of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer’. Watermelon does that though, so I am quite happy with that designation. After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.

* Well, that’s how Enid Blyton announced the blare of trumpets!

Into the Blue

So pretty, yet poisonous!Did you know that cobalt is made from salt? Specifically, the compound is made by sintering the stoichiometric mixture of finely ground CoO and Al₂O₃ at 1200°C. … Yep, I knew that you wanted to know that. And I also knew that you would know exactly what it means, so I’m not going to bother explaining it.

Actually, of more interest is that the first recorded use of the word cobalt to describe a shade of blue was in 1777.  Despite its distastefully scientific origins, I think it is a pretty word.

Long before that, around 800AD, the Chinese began using cobalt pigment in the manufacture of their famous and widely imitated blue and white porcelain (which in fact owes its origins to the Middle East). Much of the decoration in today’s production is not applied by hand however, but by transfer-printing. Potters still use cobalt to this day, and as the pigment is toxic, precautions must be used to prevent cobalt poisoning. (A form of delirious intoxication, so I gather from my source, Wikipedia.)

Nothing poisonous about the cobalt hued items above although the colour is so delicious it’s intoxicating. I have collected them over the years: bejewelled silk heels from Hussy (a gift from a boyfriend); an embossed patent leather belt (on sale at David Jones); a striped, silk scarf found on one of my op-shopping forays; and a necklace of blue onyx, handmade by myself from faceted beads bought in Sharjah (UAE). The pendant was bought from a different seller, an Afghan merchant, for the princely sum of $4.

I have always loved the blue and white porcelain, and was a few years ago inspired to create a collection of jewellery made from it: 

Click image to read about these little trifles.

Turquoise Joy

Considering turquoise is my favourite colour, I really don’t have enough of it in my wardrobe.

Here are two relatively new items to redress the balance:
1. Little genuine snakeskin bag, perfect to carry at lunchtime when I have taken a large tote to work. Found at the Salvos store in Abbotsford for $8.

2. Giant resin rose cabochon ring, on adjustable band. Found on Etsy at Hip Mama’s Jewellery for $12. Here is another!

Straying From the Path of Drabness

I don’t believe in safe fashion. It doesn’t delight me. Safe is boring. Many people wear all black because they feel safe in it; it’s slimming; it’s an easy uniform. They don’t have to think in the morning: if everything is black then everything matches. (Not true: there are different shades of black just as there are in other hues.)

Another reason I wear all black extremely rarely is because I dislike the stereotype that all Melburnians wear only black, especially in winter. I particularly love to wear a brightly coloured coat (red! pink! white!) in the cooler seasons. All the other commuters stare at this assault on their senses as though I have committed some social solecism by straying from the path of drabness.

…stark black and white in graphic shapes is simply brilliant any time,
any season.

And beaded slippers too!All white I love always. And stark black and white in graphic shapes is simply brilliant any time, any season.

So when I stumbled across this wild Seventies wrap-around skirt in a vintage boutique I was thrilled. It is Drama personified. (It also has some rust stains on the waistband, but a belt fixes that.)

Constructed from panels of black and white, it is made from heavy cotton, with black grosgrain ribbon sewn in diagonal bands from waist to hem. A row of Catherine wheels intricately beaded down the front is what places the skirt firmly in the category of luxe 70s boho hippy chic. (As much as I hate that word ‘boho’ for being synonymous with Sienna Miller in the past decade or so, it does apply here.)

The skirt looks equally good paired with a black poloneck jumper (although more predictable). But worn with a black bob it is elevated to iconic heights; I am moved to prance.

All the world’s a stage.

More black and white drama here.