Thursday, February 1, 2018

Modish Matrons #20: Simply Red


Hello, my dear friends and readers, and welcome to the month of February with MODISH MATRONS! This time, Beate of the Little Railroad Keeper's House offered a theme, and we played with the title for a while, until we came up with Simply Red, remembering the music band (back in the early 1990s, I was a huge fan of MTV, exotic to post-Soviet Russia, and Simply Red was one of the most memorable groups then). Anyway, the idea behind the theme was wearing lots of red at once, and if Beate wouldn't have emphasized it from the beginning, I'd probably settle on one, maximum two red items. But since her thought was to play with red in abundance, I took all the red things out of my closet to see what combinations could work, and came up with this one. I must say I love the result and once again I'm thankful to my style buddies for ideas that help me grow!




Please visit my dear blogging friends BEATE und TINA to see their imagination at work - I'm sure you'll draw lots of inspiration from these skillful ladies, just as I do!


To create a monochromatic outfit, I played with different shades of red, different fabrics and textures, adding just a bit of pattern and other colors in my accessories to create the sense of depth - and the rest is proportions and layers.

D*E*T*A*I*L*S

My glass chandelier earrings are the heaviest in my collection, and the most striking ones too 
(ha, they better be!). I would suffer for a couple of hours, otherwise I'd just skip them or add simple loops or something like it.

This is a new-to-me vintage clutch (the same vintage brand as my brown purse HERE - Harry Levine, USA). I love the texture it adds, and I really can stuff surprisingly many things in this little number!

Lacy tights add so much charm! Bought on sale for just under $6. I wear them with my trusty waterproof genuine suede booties by Aquatalia, perfect for our rainy winter - but of course, would be even prettier with fancy heels or, on the contrary, with chunky boots...just some ideas for the future.


The sheer blouse is probably the prettiest in my entire wardrobe (previously shown in NOVEMBER 2017). The pleated skirt successfully pretended to be a dress in my APRIL 2017 post.



You probably remember my new fake leather moto jacket from the recent post HERE. Goodwill happens to be a good source for brollies (this is a brand new one for $10), which are my favorite way to add another interest to an outfit, and 100% useful in our climate!


In my younger years I used to think red was too much for me. I wore red, but very infrequently, as it seemed "too loud" (I wrote about my life-long relationship with the color red in my DECEMBER 2013 post, including some old pictures of me). I don't feel this way any longer, but with this outfit I definitely stepped up my game wearing red practically head to toe. What could be a better occasion than a dreary month of February when the sun doesn't spoil us with its appearance too often? Besides, how gorgeous is red for a romantic date with your sweetie on a Valentine's Day? He'll never forget...



All items are remixed from my closet
Faux leather coat - Eloquii (still available on their site)
Blouse - ASOS Curve
Skirt - Glamour X Lane Bryant (old)
Lacy tights - Lane Bryant (sale)
Boots - Aquatalia (old)
Umbrella - via Goodwill
Purse - vintage
Earrings - Chico's (old)

Linked up with Visible Monday at Patti's!

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32 comments:

  1. thank you for the music!!
    red suits you very well! warm red makes your complexion glow and your eyes sparkle! love all the dainty textures you put together - and the moto jacket emphasizes this even more. i imagine this ensemble in move - must be awesome!
    how i could know that i will VERY MUCH NEED red clothes at the moment? miracle....
    ;-D
    warmest hugs to you my friend! xxxxxx

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    1. You are magic, my dear! :) Thank you for the awesome theme! I wear red more or less frequently these days, but for the first time I did a bit of "red overload", and I loved it - so much fun, so much energy and joy - all thanks to you! <3

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  2. woww, such a fabulous theme!, and you look (particularly) gorgeous in red!
    I'm loving your beautiful blouse and it looks fab with the pleated skirt and cool jacket!, such a brilliant ensemble, so many different textures to add interest!.
    I have a weakness for Red Color (as many spanish people do!) so I've never considered it loud, it's classic and elegant, cheerful and lively, and a great Winter color!
    And I enjoyed the music, mwhaha, such memories!.
    besos

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    1. Thank you, my dear! I definitely overcame my early my impressions about red and wear it comfortably these days. The word "red" has so many very different connotations in the Russian language! In Old Russian. "red" (красный) also meant "beautiful" - people wore it on special occasions, it is well represented in folk costumes, and in such expressions as "красна девица" which means "pretty girl" and not "red girl". :) In Soviet times, the word "red" got another meaning all together, and of course it was used in Soviet symbolism - red flag, for one... It is the most noticeable color, that's why it felt loud to me. But it grew on me, I now see the beauty of it - not its aggressiveness.

      <3

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  3. Simply gorgeous Natalia!!!!
    XO
    Joi
    www.inmyjoi.blogspot.com

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  4. Natalia! You are a walking valentine on suede boots! I'm going straight to my closet to find red for today too! February 1 and still raining! XO

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  5. WOWOWOW! This outfit is breathtaking, dearest Natalia!
    And of course I remember your new fake leather jacket - it's so stylish and it looks great without any addition - but red-in-red it is unbeatable!
    Hugs my dear,
    Traude
    http://rostrose.blogspot.co.at/2018/02/uber-schweinereien-wilde-ekstase-und.html

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    1. Thank you, my dear Traude, and lots of warm hugses! Will be visiting soon!
      <3

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  6. You're looking absolutely gorgeous in red, Natalia! It's really making you glow. I love how you combined the gossamer blouse and floaty skirt with the sturdy biker jacket. That's just brilliant. I'm also loving your stripy brolly and that sweet little bag! Huge hug xxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Ann! And I am learning a new word from you - "gossamer" goes right into the writer's closet! nuts for winter, you know! :)

      <3

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  7. You look fabulous, Natalia! Such a striking combination, and I love that jacket!

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  8. Natalia xou look gorgeous in red. I love the complete style and your details are stunning. These earrings, tights, boots and vintage bag. ❤️
    I send you much love and a huge hug, tina

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    1. Thank you, my dear! We did it again, didn't we? So much fun, our parties!
      And I am heading right to your place this minute! <3

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  9. All the little details. Textures really add a lot.
    Umbrellas are fast becoming your signature!
    Fascinating how warming and exciting or overwhelming red can be. xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. Red is definitely a complicated color, with lots of very different sides to it!
      So happy to see you here, my dear! Will visit soon - life got a bit overwhelming here in the last month or so.
      <3

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  10. wow!! looks really great! red ist your colour!!
    :-) mano

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  11. So pretty! And as everyone says, red really suits you. Maybe a colour that looks amazing on us can be a big scary and lead us to think it is not a good colour. I have had that experience with yellow. It turns out yellow is great for me and I thought it was my worst colour. It also helps to understand that there are different types of what we think is one colour. Change the warmth or coolness, the intensity and saturation and we change how well the colour may suit us. It's difficult to imagine you thinking of any colour as too bright or too much since bright seems to be a very good thing on you. Richly saturated is amazing on you and suits your colouring so well. It's like there is no such thing as too much! xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Shawna, it's so kind of you! I understand about different shades, and I also think that there is a right shade of red (or any other color for that matter) for everyone. I mostly was talking about "red red" or "true red", the bright vivid red which is represented in this outfit - these shades were not to my liking when I was younger. I think I found them aggressive, red definitely can be many things, including danger and aggressiveness... I did have a bright red tiger stripes skirt that I made myself from a piece of fabric gifted to me, when I was 17 or so. In my 20s, I had a bright red jumpsuit in bold tribal pattern, and a burgundy red dress that I also made myself (I have photos of those two items in the old post that I mentioned above). And I was surprised that I loved wearing them, they weren't my typical choice, I was much more muted/neutral back then. I think I became more open-minded with years, and it reflects in my style. <3

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  12. W czerwonym wygladasz pięknie:))spódnica i bluzka bardzo mi się podobają:))świetne dodatki:))Pozdrawiam serdecznie:)))

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  13. Of course you shine like the crimson flower that you, are in the fabulous outfit!
    Love the mix; pleats, prints, strips, statement earrings and the Moto jacket!
    Always original and beautiful! I seldom wore red in my first three decades, only appreciating the color recently.

    I also posted recently in red! Great minds!
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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    1. Thank you, my dear! I think similarly to you and many others, I am gradually coming to myself - I am more relaxed with who I am as I get older. And a part of me has always been bold and playful. Red seemed way too much when I was young, but now it doesn't scare me at all. I think it's a good sign. :)

      Lots of love <3

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  14. Beautiful lady in red Natalia. All your red marries together wonderfully, it is such a warming colour for the cooler months. Red suits you , I can see more all red in the future. xx Jill

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    1. You are not wrong, dear Jill - there is more red coming! :)
      <3

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  15. You look stunning in head to toe red, Natalia! Love the layering, and the pleated skirt, and your new/vintage bag. You're Visible and gorgeous, thanks for linking up, xo

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. What's a more visible way to be Visible than wearing head-to-toe red? :) Thank you for your kind words, Patti! <3

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  16. I absolutely love this all red styling. You look amazing!!!! so perfect!!!
    Wonderful layering, and that red jacket just seals the deal. Red suits you!


    Chinese New Year is just around the corner, so you girls choose a very appropriate time for this link up! If I end up wearing something red in the next few days, I'll link up my outfit as well. Supposedly it is good luck to wear an all red outfit for Chinese New Year.

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    1. I would love to see your red outfit, Ivana! Come join us any time. Thank you for your kind comment! <3

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