Yves Klein Blue

 

Hoot Bootie, ALDO, $110 

Jason Wu and Thakoon Fall 2011 - photos via style.com             

 

Blue Venus by Yves Klein 

1969 Mid-Weight Legging Jeans, Gap, $79.95 

 

Yves Klein Monochrome 

 Portrait of Yves Klein

 

Tulip Dress, Zara, $119

Images "© Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris", via yveskleinarchives.org

Everyone's going mad for Yves Klein these days.  In his very short career, The French artist (1928-1962) made invaluable contributions to the art world;  he was the leading member of 'Nouveau Réalisme' and, most notably, for his International Klein Blue. IKB is a saturated cobalt blue that Klein specially formulated for his own artwork, reminiscent of the lapis lazuli used to paint the Madonna's robes in medieval paintings.

Though Klein had  worked with blue throughout his career, it wasn't until 1958 that he used it exclusively.  For one of his gallery openings in Paris, 1001 blue balloons were released and blue postcards were sent out using IKB stamps that Klein bribed the postal service to accept as legit.  His penchant for performance art even had him using women as paintbrushes;  Klein painted models' naked bodies with IKB paint and had them walk, roll and sprawl upon blank canvases.  I've seen the videos - a little odd, but it was the sixties, so I guess that explains it?

Yves Klein was an all-or-nothing kind of guy and after all that blue, he decided to abandon colour altogether (see The Void) but designers this season have brought back YKB in a big way, with jackets, pants and skirts saturated in the deep, vivid hue.  I think it's the perfect way to inject some colour into your fall wardrobe.  Magnifique!

The days are getting shorter, summer's coming to an end, and I desperately need a little vacay.  So, unless they announce a Marc Jacobs for Zellers line or Rachel Zoe decides to give me her wardrobe, I'll be taking the week off to drink rosé, read my September issues and play, play, play.  Fashion can wait (for a week, anyway...)

Oh, but before I go, thanks to EVERYONE for entering my J.Crew contest.  The response was insane, esp. by the Twitter-verse.  I had no clue that people had such a voracious appetite for contests.  These women are full-out intense, in an Yves Klein-y kinda way.  Bravo!  Just drew the name and the winner is....SANDY AVVARI! Will put your treats in the mail this weekend.

Happy last weekend of August to you all!

xo