Style Imitating Art outfit- Melody

It's been a few weeks since I remembered to join in with Style Imitating Art. 

This week, Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey has chosen a real corker for our inspiration piece this time.

“Melody (Musica)” by  Kate Bunce, 

This is "Melody (Musica)" by Kate Bunce (1856-1927).  She was an English painter who was apparently someone who was linked to the Arts and Crafts movement and also influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites.  Ahrgh, isn't it beautiful!

Obviously, it appeals to me as a musician.  It also appeals to me on an aesthetic level.  The flowers in the background, the colours, the detail.  I would absolutely love to wear this dress too.

So... here is my outfit inspired by it.

I have made a modern spin on the outfit.  Let me talk you through my garments and accessories and reasons for choosing them:

I began with these black velvet embroidered trousers which make a nod to the beautiful floral embroidery of the lady's bodice and a little on the sleeves.  And of course, the velvet fabric of the sleeves.. I first saw these very trousers on lovely blogger Anna at Anna's Island Style- she had them and I thought they were a beautiful pair of jogging trousers- they are very much casual lux!  The originals cost about £40 but I found someone selling the same pair second-hand on Depop for £8 a few months ago.  They are very short on me but I quite like the cropped look.

I wore my rose-gold Toms shoes as a nod to the gold embroidery and to the delicate gold necklace our model is wearing.

Next, I added this Sainsbury's green vest top as a nod to the colour of the bodice of the dress.  My coral cardigan from Esprit was the perfect accompaniment to nod to the colour of her sleeves.

 My hair was quite bushy today but sadly I brushed it and it settled down.

The penultimate accessory was my Mandolin!
I suspect the model is holding a lute of some sort but I figured my Mandolin would do instead.  I inherited this (and a matching one!) from my Grandad. He and my Nan took it up as a hobby when I was around 10.   I always used to like trying to play them when I was young. The mandolin has the same strings as the violin- E, A, D, and G but there are doubles of each string.    The mandolin was a popular instrument during the Baroque era of music- there were concertos for it.  Unusually, the late Romantic composer, Gustav Mahler, included a part for the Mandolin (and guitar) in his Seventh Symphony- a vast work.  I had the wonderful experience of playing the mandolin part in a performance of this- handily, the 4th flute is mostly tacet (i.e. not playing) in the movement that the mandolin plays in so I was able to play both in that performance!   I also call that piece the Star Trek symphony as there is one moment in it where the trumpet plays a motif that is exactly the same as the theme where the Captain says, "Captain's Log, star date..."

 My final accessory was this Aztez Eagle necklace- I was struggling to find a gold necklace with a stone- sure I have one but I wasn't sure where it was!

 What do you think?  Do you think it works as a response to the art work?

Hope you are well. I had a lovely concert last night in Kent, performing J.S Bach and his son, CPE Bach's Magnificats.  I went to my Dad's afterwards to stay.  All good until this morning where I was helping with some clearing up and leant down to unplug the hoover and because I can't see out of my left eye, I didn't see that I leaned over and a wooden cane supporting an orchid plant on the shelf went straight into my eye!!!! I swore loudly and clutched at it.  Thank GOD it was not my good eye.  It's now feeling quite sore and bloodshot but luckily it wasn't the iris or pupil but the bit in the corner of the eye-socket but super, super scary!  I was fine at first but it was only as I got on the train after my Dad left me that the shock set in and I felt incredibly queasy and cried!   Anyway, I think it is fine but it may be sore for a while!  SUCH a stupid accident!

If you fancy taking part in this challenge, feel free to read Salazar's blog and send her an email with your outfit at 14shadesofgreyblog@gmail.com by Tuesday and check out her blog on Wednesday to see how everyone else responded to the inspiration.

Kezzie xx