At the Piano, by James McNeill Whistler
Oil on canvas, 1859
You may know Whistler better for this painting:
Or something similar to it. But Whistler was a prolific artist, and At the Piano was his first real masterpiece. Whistler advocated ars gratis artis, and sometimes you just have to look at a thing and accept it for what it is, rather than looking for some moral reasoning behind the work. Sometimes, it just is, and that's all there is. The isness of the object.
Send me your outfits inspired by this painting by the evening of Monday, December 15th. Enjoy this one!
Shirt: Target | Camisole: Gap Outlet | Pants: Old Navy via Dani at DIYFATSHION | Boots: Off Broadway
When I was waking up after surgery, I was moaning. Apparently this is a thing that happens--the guy next to me in the post-op area was moaning too--so I guess it isn't that weird. I was so dry; my whole body was dry head to toe because I had to wash with antiseptic soap twice in the 12 hours before the surgery, and I wasn't allowed to put anything on my body after washing in the morning. No lotion, no moisturizer for my face, no Chapstick, no makeup, no nail polish. Nothing. And on top of that, I had had a breathing tube put in and an oxygen line in my nose, which dried my out further. I was like a raisin at that point. So it was no surprise when the nurse told me that while I was in the early stages of waking up, I wasn't just groaning, but I was asking for Chapstick.
I was desperate.
Lady Folding a Letter, by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
1784, oil on canvas
That is one hell of a hat.
Send your interpretation of this week's Style Imitating Art inspiration to Salazar by Monday, November 17th to be included in the next roundup! There is some excellent texture in this piece of art, so enjoy it!
HELLO, everyone! Thank you to all of you who have reached out to ask me how I'm doing or to offer support or just let me know that you're around. I'm going to post more in my individual outfit post, but suffice to say--I'm feeling really good for only being six days post-op! But anyway, way more important than that is this week's Style Imitating Art roundup! Just as a reminder, this week's piece is Canyon by Helen Frankenthaler. Let's get to it!
First is Stephanie, whose outfit is a perfect match for this week's inspiration. I absolutely love the heels and the pleating on the skirt! Adorable.
Next is Erin at Loop Looks, and she has a great classy casual look going. I especially love the scarf--it carries the idea of the canyon and nature even further!
The last time Jen of Librarian for Life and Style included this umbrella in an SIA roundup, I FORGOT to include her picture! Not this time though. I love that she added some pattern to her outfit--and it works with the painting, too! Yesssss.
Kezzie of KezzieAG looks adorable in her orange dress! And her boots match her cardigan perfectly. I love it.
I kind of feel like rust is Salazar's colour. It looks amazing on her! For more photos of her outfit, check out 14 Shades of Grey.
Isabella of Adventures in HEL has apparently only just started wearing orange and green together. WHAT? After all the famous duos that are orange and green, like green apples and oranges or clown fish and...uhhhh never mind. Either way, she looks awesome!
And then there's me--upright and wearing a skirt!
Thank you all for participating this week! It's always fascinating to see how differently we all interpret one piece of artwork. Well done, y'all!
I'm home!
My trip to the hospital lasted from 6:00 in the morning on Tuesday to noon on Wednesday and involved a lot of awkward semi-sleeping, visits from sweet coworkers, watching bad TV with my boyfriend, many takings of my pulse, oxygen level & blood pressure, tons of drugs, and many very sweet nurses who loved having someone under the age of 60 on the floor. I apparently woke up from surgery moaning for Chapstick and putting on lotion for the first time after the surgery became one of the single most blissful feelings I've ever encountered. I painted my nails and started reading Serena by Ron Rash (my boss has challenged me to read 12 books while I'm out). I wore puffy leg wraps, which is a big upgrade from the puffy boots I had to wear last time. And now I can officially check "have a catheter placed" off my bucket list.
But most important, far more important than any of that: my surgery was a success, and my doctor is very pleased with how it went. Full recovery is highly likely, and after I have my one stitch (just one stitch!) out on November 10th, I'll start physical therapy. I was bedridden yesterday and nervous about getting up this morning, but once the physical therapist had me on my feet, I was so happy--I can sit and stand, walk and very carefully take steps if need be. I've been standing around a lot, just because it feels good. I mean...why not, right? The physical therapist thinks my biggest struggle will be remembering to take it easy; I'm moving pretty gingerly right now, but as my incision heals, I'm going to need to remind myself to take everything slow. I can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk right now, and I can't bend over much further than to lift the toilet lid. (At least I can make that happen.) I'm really looking forward to being able to bend over and pet my dog again.
Thank you all for your well wishes and support here and on Instagram! It was actually a lot of fun to keep up with everything via IG and show off my sweet boots and sharing the whole process was actually rather cathartic. I'll keep sharing too, I'm sure--nothing like some photos of bandages and PT to pass the time, and I can't wait to start taking outfit photos again!
And in case you were wondering, I was the best dressed patient when I was discharged--I wore this dress out of the hospital. Who says comfort has to come before style?
I'm having surgery right now, y'all! I'll post on Wednesday to let you know that I'm back home. Thank you everyone for your kind comments! You're all the best.
