dark florals
In our grand tradition of being behind the curve, le Monsieur and I have been watching “The Borgias” for the first time, thanks to Netflix. There’s intrigue, murder, lust, power grabbing, some World Class Scenery Chewing (especially from Jeremy Irons), lust, but best of all there are beautiful interiors and sumptuous costumes. (And beautiful people…I’ve developed a little crush on François Arnaud, but sshhhh….)
Lately I’ve also been crushing on dark floral prints; they channel that same kind of early Renaissance opulence. While I love floral prints of all kinds from afar, they either tend to skew twee on me, or else make me feel like a piece of upholstered furniture. But just a touch of dark floral, in this case a scarf that I’ve been wearing almost nonstop…
is just the right mix of pretty and twisted.
I’m waiting to see if Lucrezia Borgia learns the art of poisoning. Heaven knows there’s enough of it going on in this series. If you want to feel like a Borgia, Wendy Brandes’ Borgia Poison Ring is just the thing.
Have you watched The Borgias? We’re still in Season 2, so no spoilers, please. 🙂 Do floral prints have a place in your wardrobe?
MORE DARK FLORALS…
Affiliate links in this post may generate commissions for unefemme.net. See complete disclosure policy here.
Stay in touch
Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.
Thanks for the viewing tip, Une Femme. We’ve just finished Mi5 on Netflix and we’re ready for a lush period drama. And here’s hoping Outlanders will return soon! xo
This cold and rainy weekend is great for Netflix marathons, thanks for the tip. Actually the only florals I love are dark ones, with the kind of Dutch Masters looks that include dark burgundies, greens and lots of black shadows. Add a fabric like velvet and you’ve got me stepping outside my black and white box.
Accidental Icon
http://www.accidentalicon.com
I loved The Borgia’s and like you only watched it recently. The Tudors is great too, when you’re done. About florals, I can’t describe what I like, I just know a floral I like when I see it.
What a gracefully pretty scarf! I like florals blurred or non-repeating, otherwise I feel as if I’m wearing wallpaper.
Yes! Last winter I fell in love with a gorgeous Ted Baker dark floral scarf that reminded me of a Dutch painting. I wear it constantly, and always receive comments on it. It goes with almost everything, winter or summer. Ironically, when I saw the same scarf in a pastel pink version last April, I scooped it up, thinking I would get a similar amount of wear. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Somehow the pastel background gave the floral a more old-fashioned “twee” spin, that just isn’t my style at all. Everytime I went to wear it, I ended up changing. Last week,the pastel version went to consignment, while the dark one is still front & center in my closet!
I love that scarf. I want that scarf. Where can I find it? You always tempt me with so much style. I tried on that Eileen Fisher jacket and dang it did not fit. Keep on tempting us. Love it.
I’ve watched the both of The Borgia’s…there are two on Netflix and the other goes through many more years than the one you’re watching. Actually, Lucrezia always got a bad rep. I’ve always liked her; she was much smarter and more politically/ socially savvy than history leads us to believe. She was used and manipulated by her brothers & father for the benefit of the family’s power, prestige, & money. There is no proof, historically speaking, that she did any poisoning herself. Despite poison being a “woman’s weapon”, it was used frequently and regularly by Renaissance men.
That McQ scarf is stunning and exactly what I look for in florals: dark, moody, lush.
Aha, I clicked the link which I did not see before my tea this morning. Beautiful scarf and you have beautiful taste!
I like floral prints and I wear them. I will only wear one item at a time – one scarf or one flower necklace or one flower shirt. The rest of the outfit is classic neutrals.
I just finished Firefly so I’m way behind on the Borgias.
A little of floral on me goes a long way. Your “twee” comment strikes such a chord– I do have a horror of coming across as “tea time with Miss Marple”…
I have a shirt with a small stylized barely floral print that people seem to notice and like, to my surprise. To work on me, with my mid to low level “contrast” coloring — light skin, light hair, medium eyes– the floral can’t be big, should be subtle, and “blurred” in some way. A stark white background looks “wrong”, but then so would a combination of darks. Deep, painterly Renaissance shades of dark burgundy, deepest bottle green etc. are too “much” for me. Too bad, because I find them stunning on other people.
I’m always on the hunt for a scarf that would combine watercolory, “abstracty” florals in medium to light blues and greens together. My sweet spot!
We just watched The Borgias a few months ago, thanks to our local library. It’s sort of addictive, although after Season 3 we had had enough – it’s all just blood and sex and posturing. The sets and casting are superb though! Francois is indeed gentle on the eyes, but I am rather fond of David Oakes (Juan). He looks like he was painted by Botticelli.
Where were we? Oh, yes, dark florals. I bought a dark floral scarf last year on sale that I’ve been getting a lot of use out of. It’s a beautiful way to tone down flowery madness and give it an edge.
Whenever I get to watching something with lavish interiors like that I always think I need to own a velvet jacket with full sleeves.
Now, over the years I have owned several velvet items of clothing and without fail they have all gathered dust in my closet. So I have learned to resist the temptation, but I still feel that way when I get to watching shows with that kind of interiors and costumes.
Love that dark floral scarf! I haven’t seen the Borgias, but I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones. Do you watch that? I would love it if you linked up today for FUN FASHION FRIDAY!
OXOX
Dawn Lucy
http://fashionshouldbefun.blogspot.com
Haven’t watched the Borgias yet, but it’s on the list. . . Used to love wearing florals but have edited them into smaller and smaller corners of my wardrobe — that scarf would definitely do the trick!
I have moved away from florals favouring neutrals now. It took quite a lot of editing. I would like that scarf with a navy trench. I’ve seen one season of The Borgias.
I bought a dark floral scarf last winter and wore it constantly!
We have just started the series “Wolf Hall” about Cromwell and Henry V111. Even Valentine has taken inspiration from the costumes.
I’m loving dark florals right now. I think it’s the opposition to the typical bright florals (which I love as well) that attracts me.
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
I just started binge watching The Honorable Woman with Maggie Gyllenhaal – love it!
Just found your blog because I was tracking down information on a wonderful French Kande necklace I found on eBay for $42 and that led me to photos of you wearing them! Love your blog, your writing, your wit, and your style. My own look is scarily similar to yours despite my being almost a physical opposite (uncurvy and olive/brown). I love dark florals and the dark watery patterns (got a scarf like that at allSaints), love oxford shoes, Eileen Fisher, moto jackets (I think I own five or six of them), and haven’t read far enough into your archive to see if there’s more. You have a devoted new fan!
Michelle