The Colors of Spring 2011
Happening soon will be the New York Show, Atelier, which I participate in. For the Cici Bianca Spring 2011 line, my color inspiration came from the paintings of French artist, Pierre Bonnard. Bonnard, known as a superb colorist, was a member of Les Nabis a group of Post Impressionist painters. Drawing from his landscape and still life palettes, I used shades of blue, green, peach and yellow. Working with those colors and their juxtapositions, resulted in a dozen or so combinations I was able to build the line around.
121 HT Cote d'Azure
His blues really inspired me – soft blues, vibrant blues, green blues, sky blues - some paired with maize, leaf, melon and bits of black – all make for interesting color combinations and add life to a wardrobe filled with neutrals.
121 HT Lt Blue/Blk Tweed
117 HD Vista
I particularly love his use of muted orange, coral and peach. These are soft and flattering colors that given the right shade, many can wear .
117 HD Peachy
121 HT Pale Nude
Bonnard’s use of sharply contrasted colors as seen here in the painting “Woman with Dog” inspired the jacket colors of “Maizy” and “Sapphire/Black” both of which can be worn casually with jeans or over that LBD.
121 LL Maizy
117 F Sapphire Black
Universally loved, but often a hard sell in fashion, blue really is my pick for next Spring. We’ll see if any of the buyers agree with me!
”Color does not add a pleasant quality to design – it reinforces it.” Pierre Bonnard
Ms. Bianca…This is Neill Varner, Judy’s husband, writing…when we first saw your ribbon sweaters at Nancy Breighner’s shop ( HILDA’s at Harbor Springs Mich) we had as hard time selecting just ONE but did make our selection reserving a Rosette from your collection for Christmas….I thought perhaps you might be related to the Pizzaria Bianca owner in Phoenix but then realized your name is an assumed one…..Your blog about living in Paris parallels my own long time desire, having myself begun medical school in Paris ( 6th arr. ) University de Paris Faculte de Medicine in 1962…Annual and sometimes more often trips to Paris over the years has only cemented in both of us a Francophile attitude…Firends of ours who own a hotel on Ile St Louis ( Hotel du Jeu de Paume)…Madame Elyane Prache and her daughter Nathalie Heckel have a small art shop adjoining the hotel where your ribbon sweaters would showcase nicely…I am not sure what sort of taxe douaniere might be imposed on fashion items coming from abroad…the French are so jealous of anything food or garment made elsewhere…but yours would certainly hold up against any competition, even from Hermes and Chanel…..good luck on your goal of living 6 months a year there…….if Ina Garten can do it , why not the rest of us……………neill d varner hibelingent @ aol.com