S'trooth, Chartreuse

Well, yes I am copyediting a Shakespeare play, as if the antiquated term in the post title didn't give it away already.

But more than a means of showing off, it captures my current feelings for the colour chartreuse.  The other day I was browsing through the massive book The Editor's Eye and found a black-and-white photo of a voluminous dress (from the back) that I loved because of how the photo highlighted the drape of the fabric.

One of my long-term goals is to make dresses--not to wear, but to hang on my walls--and the dress in this photo would be a good candidate.  It reminded me of a dress from a Vogue magazine published in what I believe to be the early 90s--the photo was an intense close-up of some beautifully draped chartreuse fabric that was, if I recall, a Grecian-inspired dress.  As I didn't keep a clippings folder back in the day, the photo remains in my memory, and I mean to locate it, with a good long library visit one week.

Chartreuse is one of those colours that's difficult to wear: the shade has to be Just Right for one's skin else we look frightfully sallow.  But when it's on, it's on.  This dress by John Galliano worn by Nicole Kidman is not my favourite, but it's received lots of critical acclaim.

However, this dress by Jason Wu, worn with these ultra violet shoes, is my cup of tea.  And the dress in the 1961 Bert Stern photo, far above, just calls out for a cocktail.  A martini, perhaps?  S'trooth, not shaken?