Seafoam

As I was writing the extraordinarily dull, lackluster title to this post (I tried for like 42 minutes to figure out a way to turn it into a “See Spot Run” pun, but it just wasn’t working…), I almost died laughing when I remembered that when I was little, my sisters and I named one of our Barbies “Foam.”  Yep, that’s right — most hideous, weird name ever.  (My apologies to any real-life “Foams” that may be reading this…)  In the context of our Barbiedom, however, “Foam” may have been a step up from some of the other gems we bestowed upon our dolls, including “Buzz” (an androgynous child Barbie, who we sometimes cast as a daughter and sometimes cast as a son, depending on whether we’d located the pink Barbie helmet that could cover Buzz’s head and thereby mask her short hair and make her — from our vantage points — passable as a girl), “One-legged Barbie” (I’ll let you guess what her handicap was), “Midge” (where did we even absorb that name?), and — my all time favorite — “Calvin of Recici” (some sort of hybrid between St. Francis of Assisi and Calvin & Hobbes).  Anyway, that’s all beside the point of this post, which is: seafoam, my new color obsession du jour de l’annee (of the year).   Ever since I saw this snap of Clemence Poesy in the February Marie Claire (see the entire phenomenal shoot here), I’ve been smitten with the hue —

That little Hermes bag is TDF!  I, of course, would not pair it with those clunky contraptions currently strapped to her feet, but hey — to each her own.  I like the idea of pairing that minty/seafoam color with milky/creamy whites, soft daffodils, and other ready-for-spring palette mainstays, as illustrated in the shots below: first, a lovely street style shot snapped during NY’s fashion week — in.love with that pleated skirt!; second, an image I found while cruising around on Tumblr (I believe it’s from a J. Crew catalog — it has Jenna Lyons written all over it), c) a snap from backstage at Fendi illustrating the power of color contrast; and d) a little unexpected POP of green (that clutch is amazeballs!) —

{image via Elle}

{image found on Tumblr}

I’m thinking of a happy little blouse in greens and pinks ($114, Antik Batik — and P.S., like the print?!  Get it in maxi dress form for $222 at Shopbop), paired with cheery white skinnies and a pair of happy little flats (Dolce Vita, $69, Heels):

I’d finish with a tassel necklace ($168, Wendy Mink — apparently tassels are a current micro-trend, so jump up on the bandwagon!) and a neutral bag in a rich leather fabrication (also with a tassel — $800, Anya Hindmarch):

Now — let’s all take a moment to die over this gorg.eous little number by Geren Ford ($265, Steven Alan) — I MEAN.  My top pick for dress of the season.  Wouldn’t it be lovely at a beachy wedding? Especially offset by a pair of fuschia-on-green studs ($74, Oliphant), which introduces just the right amount of color contrast into the mix, and makes the green of the dress truly pop?

I’d pair with some simple nude sandals (MiuMiu, $490, Net-A-Porter) and a woven raffia clutch ($185, J. McLaughlin) accented with pistachio-green beads:

Or how about starting with a breezy white voile tunic dress (Velvet, $130, Shopbop) for a warm spring-summer day —

And finishing with a statement necklace ($89, BaoBao) and some seafoam gladiators (more tassels! — Dolce Vita, $126, Helianthus NY):

I’d finish the above look with a textured, neutral/metallic tote, like this Ghibli straw find ($560, Forzieri):

Incidentally, the above pair are rather similar to a Jeffrey Campbell pair that Amy Stone of Coffee Talk owns and has styled and photographed to great effect (love it with the red):

{images from Coffee Talk}

Working in a similar palette, imagine how cute you’d look in a minty-fresh blouse (DVF, $325, Matches) paired with a red-and-green stone necklace ($298, Couture Candy) and some crisp white shorts ($115, Seaton Surf)?

Perfect with some gold Jack Rogers ($98, Jack Rogers) and a bold red tote ($300, Ssense):

UGH. Now I’m seriously dying for some sunny, warm weather.  Imagine how retro-chic you’d look in this pistachio green polka dot bikini (Shimmi, $240, Net-A-Porter):

Perfect beneath a pom-pommed white tunic ($156, Seaton Surf), paired with a nautical-themed canvas tote (Anya Hindmarch, $135, Net-A-Porter):

Just throw a simple pair of flip-flops (Tkees, $46, Singer22), pack your beach essentials (my Karen Walker shades — $180, Shopbop; some easy-application sunscreen wipes ($34, SuperGoop), and you’re set.

If you’re into one-pieces (I think they can look super-glam, but they scare me for some reason, because I think it’s easy to look like a dowdy spinster if not done properly), consider this fetching swimsuit from Anthro ($138, Anthropologie) — look how excellently they’ve styled it for us!  Die.

For more beachy/vacation readiness (at this point, I’m ready to skip spring entirely and launch straight into summer…), how darling would you look with a breezy scarf ($32, TopShop), an airy mint sleeveless blouse (Bodkin, $196, Steven Alan), white jeans, and some neutral wedges (Pour La Victoire, $270, Shopbop):

I’d finish with that Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch I’ve featured a bajillion times already ($298, Barney’s) and — to roundout that vacation hipsta cool vibe — a Panama hat ($58, J. Crew):

For a dressier occasion (this would have been perfect for one of my bridal showers), I’m dying over the idea of this lovely lace dress by Calypso (on sale for $99, Calypso):

I’d finish with ladylike enorma-studs ($70, Max and Chloe) and some mint green heels ($298, Kate Spade):

I’d finish with a ladylike Kelly-style bag in blush ($110, Joseph M):

And for a serious knock-your-socks-off look at a big black tie event, how ah-mazing is this Temperley goddess dress ($1,495, Net-A-Porter), especially with these show-stopping enorma-studs ($320, Bounkit):

I’d wear my hair up, and then add only gold strappy heels (love that these are dubbed “The Covets” — $325, Kate Spade) and a statement clutch (still can’t get over the perfect compactness of this Amanda Pearl roll clutch — $1,495, AmandaPearl):

In the spirit of full disclosure, the above was totally inspired by one of my ultra-icons: Grace Kelly:

Lovely.  Makes me want to try a bold red lip and some Veronica Lake waves.  For those of you only interested in test-driving the color (small doses first), consider testing Essie’s matte nail lacquer (“Turqoise and Caicos,” $8, EssieShop), or slipping into these suede accented sandals ($75, TopShop), or a teal-accented raffia bag ($248, Henri Bendel):

Fresh!