THE ALLURE OF THE RED DRESS

Want to feel sexy?  Wear a red dress!

 Braxton would say that a woman looks best in a dress, period.  I love dresses and wear them often.  My favorite one in my current rotation is a red shift with large buttons down the front, and I have just about worn it to death.  My favorite dress in my closet is one I almost never wear, except on New Years Eve.  It's red satin...and very very mid century, and  makes me feel feminine and sexy...every time.
Wearing a red dress will always draw attention, so you better be ready.  Now is not the time to experiment with makeup, hairstyles or accessories.  I would definitely wear red lipstick and nail polish and keep everything else natural. As for hair, choose a natural style that doesn't require you to fuss with it all night, you really don't want to appear uncomfortable in a red dress.  When it comes to shoes and stocking....well, there are two opposing opinions on this one...some say black shoes are an abomination with a red dress, I say black shoes and sheer stockings almost always look elegant and classy.  If you don't want to go with black shoes I would chose silver or nude, and again, keep it simple.  When wearing a red dress it's a short trip from sexy to slutty...accessorize accordingly.

 "A blond in a red dress can do without an introduction but not without a body guard"  Rona Jaffe

 "The lady in red is dancing with me"  Chris Debugh

 "Were you listening to me, Neo, or were you looking at the woman in the red dress?"   Matrix

 From the king of the red dress....Valentino.  Which one would you choose?

If any of you has a strong opinion about how to accessorize a red dress, I would love to hear it.  Someone once told me that blonds should never wear red,  I definitely disagree, what about you?  What's your opinion on red heads and red dresses?  Would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a  beautiful day.
yancey

DECORATING WITH RED...OR, A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY!

Decorating with red

Of all the colors, red is the most high energy, making it perfect for decorating with in rooms where you want to promote creativity, activity, passion or eating...ever wonder why so many restaurants decorate with red?  Red actually does stimulate the appetite.

All that energy, however, comes with consequences.  Unless you want your children bouncing off the walls...use it sparingly in kids rooms.  We, of course, associate red with passion and sex, however, it can actually be too stimulating for a bedroom, unless you have no intentions of getting any sleep.  Red can be great in a living room or family room, especially if you wish to engage in stimulating conversation,  or a bathroom where it may help you feel more awake in the morning.

As much as I love color, and the brighter the better, even I would be cautious with red.  I love red, but a little goes a long way.

 Red is the color of the base or root chakra.

 The use of red light can be an effective treatment of migraine headaches...(how counter-intuitive is that?)

Red speeds up the pulse, increases respiration and raises blood pressure, making it a very risky choice for a doctors office or hospital, in fact I don't believe I've ever seen red used in a hospital, have you?

 In Chinese culture red symbolises good luck and fortune.

 Standard British mail boxes have been painted red since 1874.

Red is the first color you lose sight of at twilight.

Bees can't see red.

 The picture below shows one of the most brilliant uses of red I've ever seen.  Decorated by a favorite of mine, Miles Redd, the walls are lacquered a Yves Klein blue and then that door....that gorgeous red door with all that nail head trim...oh my.

 "Red, for me, is a great clarifier, it makes light colors look sharper.  The perfect example is a lady wearing red lipstick.  She can have no other make-up on, and suddenly her features pop"  Miles Redd

Obviously Braxton and I are back from our mini-break.  We went to Williamsburg Virginia, and let me tell ya, there is a reason why W'burg is such a popular honeymoon destination...it's just so romantic.  Every time time we go there we try to spend one evening (or two) sitting in the bar at the Williamsburg Inn.  We have a favorite love seat in the corner, upholstered in leather so soft it feels like butter, where we sit and sip our mint juleps (they make the best julep....ever) and people watch.  Then we find our way to the lobby where we like to sit in front of the roaring fire until we are completely mesmerized.  It's absolute heaven.

Have a beautiful day everyone!
yancey

RED!

The mother of all colors:  bright sexy unforgettable....RED.

 It's been a while since I've done a color muse.  For the week leading up to Valentines day...I thought what could be more perfect than a week of ravishing red?

Let's explore the use of red in fashion, makeup, decoration, food and film.  Let's talk about the symbolism of red and the emotions associated with this most fiery of colors.  Why do we love red?  Why do the majority of men say it's their favorite color?  What does a red door symbolize?  Why do women get more attention when wearing red?  Why does Christian Louboutin use red on the sole of his shoes?  Let's find out this week.

 Hot - Passion - Sex - Violence - cupid - devil - anger - power - danger - stop - Christmas - emergency - and of course Love.

 Red is inherently exciting.  Red draws attention, increases enthusiasm, stimulates energy and encourages action.  Red gives us confidence.

 "When in doubt wear red"  Bill Blass

 "I love red so much that I almost want to paint everything red"   Alexander Calder

 "Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.  That, or a kick-ass red lipstick"  Gwyneth Paltrow

Braxton and I are traveling today.  We're on our way back home from a much needed long weekend, hopefully rested, excited, and ready to move forward with all of our plans.
You may notice I haven't yet changed the heading to muse of the week:  red! - I'll have to take care of that tomorrow.  Please join us this week as we explore the mother of all colors...red.
Have a beautiful day.
yancey