When Ads Inspire You to Knit…
image credit (above left): Sezane
socks: Basic Sock with Integrated Heel
yarn: Studio Donegal
Okay, so it wasn't an ad exactly. I was voluntarily browsing the website of the French clothing company Sezane, when I came across this photo and nearly lost my mind.
I could not explain what made me have such a strong aesthetic reaction to this image. I have never been a fan of beige. Or of mock-neck sweaters. Or of wearing rings on one’s index finger, for that matter.
Perhaps it was the model’s Schiele-esque pose, tossled hair, and louche expression that drew me in. There was also, of course, the light, the photography, the Parisian mood…
But as I recovered from the initial wow reaction, I realised the true culprit of my insta-crush.
THE LILAC SOCKS.
Oh my god, the lilac socks. I had to have them! Considering that I love lilac, and that I know how to knit socks, it was scandalous to think that I did not already own a pair.
On the other hand, lilac yarn is not especially common. And lilac sock yarn even less so. Indeed as I rummaged through my stockpiles, I found only two options: Cygnet sock yarn and Donegal Tweed. Seeing as it is winter, I went for the warm boot sock scenario - which happily also meant that my socks would be finished quicker.
After a feverish bout of knitting, I held in my aching hands a pair of sumptuous tweed lilac socks. Immediately I wore them with a pair of loafers and cropped trousers, for all the world to see.
Talk about instant gratification! Funny enough, had I ordered the socks online (not that I would ever wear store-bought socks, but hypothetically speaking) it would have taken longer for them to arrive from France than it did for me to make them. There are benefits to being a knitter!
And yet?
And yet even in my cozy lilac-footed bliss, something was missing. I kept going back to the photo, feeling holistically dazzled each time.
Believe me, I resisted it. For weeks I resisted it. But finally I came to the inevitable conclusion:
To offset the lilac socks perfectly, I needed an all-beige outfit.
Never did I think such a thought would cross my mind. But as we age, we learn: Never say never. And so the quest began.
Despite my previous lack of affection for beige, I did already own a pair of trousers that could be described as that colour. They are not a classic beige, but more of a mottled tweedy taupe sort of beige. The textured fabric and the cooler tone suit me better than a traditional beige, which is probably why I own and occasionally wear this pair. I held up the trousers next to my husband’s beige sweaters (unlike me, he has always been a fan of them), and was satisfied that they looked well together. So that’s the trouser part of the equation sorted.
Now, to knit a beige sweater.
Alas, beige is conspicuously absent from the piles upon piles of yarn that clutters my workroom. So I will have to yarn-shop. And sourcing beige yarn is not easy, so that will be a topic for another time. I will also need to decide what style to knit. Most likely it will be some variant of the Saglan Pullover …unless I want to make it more literal to the photo, in which case I’ll knit a version of the Disco T with long sleeves, buttoned shoulder, and tall neck.
Will the beige and lilac outfit ever become reality? Who knows. With all that I have on my plate this winter the idea might fall by the wayside.
But honestly, feeling inspired is in of itself half the fun. Getting obsessed with that product photo has opened my eyes to new colour possibilities. And of course I have my lovely lilac socks.
Speaking of which… there is a punchline to this story. Examining the photo closer just before writing this post, I’ve realised the model is in fact not wearing lilac socks. She is wearing suede boots! You can clearly see the zipper on the ankle closest to the camera.
While imagery is powerful, ultimately we see what we want to see.
