In my adventures to wear more color, I’ve discovered some colors are easier to wear than others. I’ve mastered neutrals, like olive green and burgundy, and moved on to jewel tones, like cobalt and purple. But there is one color group that still strikes fear in my heart like a vampire at sunrise – pastels. 

I think, for me, it’s a style disconnect – I associate pastels with Easter dresses, tennis outfits, and charm bracelets – not the edgy, witchy, boho style I aspire to have. Yet, as a fashion enthusiast, I know fashion and style are both versatile enough that any color can be incorporated into any girl’s wardrobe. 

So, in this Fashion Inspired by Art post, I pushed myself to create edgy outfits using pastel colors inspired by an edgy painting which uses pastels, brights, and neutrals beautifully and cohesively. I couldn’t think of a better painting for this than Frederic Edwin Church’s “Cotopaxi.” 

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About “Cotopaxi”

“Cotopaxi” is not only the most recognizable painting by painter Frederic Edwin Church, but it is also considered to be one of the most skillfully executed paintings in the American Sublime school. It is often referred to as a masterpiece. 

Unlike many other American Sublime paintings, this painting does not depict a landscape in the United States, but the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador. (Cotopaxi means “shining peak” in Quechuan, and is located in the Andes mountains.) Cotopaxi is one of the most unpredictable volcanoes on the planet, but the surrounding natural beauty of area drew Church to paint the volcano several times. 

Due to the time it was unveiled to the public, many art historians believe that the juxtaposition of the natural beauty with impending disaster suggests a societal awareness of the growing tensions between the North and the South in the United States at the time, but it is unclear if this was intentional on Church’s part.