Yesterday marked the launch of a gorgeous new photography shop featuring prints by Ashley Woodson Bailey. Not only is Ashley's work stunning in and of itself, it reflects a broader movement I've noticed lately towards all things moody and dark. From florals and food to fabulous, fanciful fashions, I can't get enough of deeply saturated reds, magentas, and indigos on bottomless black backgrounds.
Silky petals float across inky backdrops as though drifting lazily across the surface of a lake at dusk. Blood oranges ooze their tart-sweet juices over oven hot crumb cakes. Flocked velvets and embroidered silks drape with an insouciance that Miss Haversham herself would envy. The sensibility is part Dutch still life, part 1970's Victorian revival, and completely out of place and time.
With the approaching spring, it feels counterintuitive that we'd lean towards somber, shadowy palettes rather than a lighter, breezier aesthetic. Yet these visuals do herald the coming season. Their high contrast makes brights seem brighter, whites even whiter. They seem to blossom before our eyes, the way a forest teems with life after a storm. The result? An homage to nature in all her glorious drama.
Images: 1, 3, 5. Ashley Woodson Bailey 2. 4. 6.
Have you seen justina blakeney’s??
They’re stunning. I follow her @ http://instagram.com/justinablakeney.
You’ll love her dark florals.
Promise.