The Coral Femme Fatale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outfit details

Metal bar barrette: unknown (had since I was a teenager)

Vintage Aurora Borealis glass bead necklace: from etsy seller Little Women Vintage

Ruched coral chiffon blouse: eBay

Black knit shrug: Fairweather

Vintage black bow adorned gloves: eBay

Black plastic bangles: Clares

Vintage beaded peach clutch: thrifted

Black pencil skirt: either thrifted or etsy

Seamed stockings: eBay

Black faux suede and patent leather heels: Payless

Lipstick colour (which looks so much lighter in these photos than in person): Clinique Tenderheart

 

Photography by Antonio Cangiano, vignette effect added by me in Picasa 3

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Sometimes when those days strike where I'm not really feeling pulled in one sartorial direction or another and am open to wearing just about anything in my closet (weather and appropriateness for the day at hand factored in, of course), I'll ask Tony what he thinks I should don. I'm usually greeted with one of three responses: "whatever you like", a noun (such as "a dress"), or an adjective.

In the case of the recent day on which the pictures above were captured, his adjective of choice was "sexy". What can I say, he is a red blooded male after all! I've never been comfortable with overtly sexy or revealing clothing (I like to maintain a degree of modesty no matter what I'm wearing), but that doesn't mean I shy away from looking alluring either.

The key, I've found, is to pick garments that are figure flattering, but not skin tight, and/or which show off a bit of skin (say arms, neck, or calves), but leave a good portion of your body covered, so as to create a sense of mystery. It's the thought of what cannot be seen at first glance that is, to my mind, usually much more fetching that what's front and center for all the world to ogle.

On the shoe front, heels are an obvious choice, though they don't have to propel you into skyscraper territory to be enchanting. A low vamp, captivating ankle straps, tacitly pleasing materials (leather, suede, velvet, etc), or playful cut-outs are all able to turn your feet into instant objects of desire as quickly as a stiletto heel can (with the added benefit, too, of potentially being easy to wear longer periods of time than a mile high heel).

Colour can also play a large roll in creating an air of mystery. Shades that are either passionate (such as deep red), feminine (pink, peach, purple, etc), or associated with mystery (black, grey, intensely dark navy blue, and the like) can instantly lend an outfit a vibe that ranges from that of a croquet flirt to a world calibre seductress.

Knowing how much Tony adores all the hues that fall in the orange, peach, and salmon category, I went with a ruched coral chiffon top for my main pop of colour against the otherwise inky black garments in this outfit.

Generally speaking, if I'm taking my outfit in an alluring direction, I like to fall somewhere in between those two. A happy middle ground that puts a smile on my husband's face, but which I'm also still very comfortable with sporting out in public (such as to the lovely local park down at Okanagan Lake where these images were captured).

After all, if I'm feeling self-conscious the whole time, I'm not going to be relaxed or in the best possible mood, and that will only work against me in attempt to create that beguiling enchantress spirit I'm aiming for.

Should you be wondering, I'm happy to report that Tony said this outfit more than lived up to his request. Looks like the Coral Femme Fatale will have to make an appearance more often...