My Blue Heaven
A cool tone makes for April's hottest color.
April is the coolest month — for color, with a distinctive shade grabbing headlines in two notable areas. With all due respect to Masters winner Rory McIlroy, it’s not the Kelly green of Augusta’s fairways and its iconic champion’s jacket. No, the most notable hue du jour is blue. A clear, strong ultramarine shade – one close, at least to this non-expert eye, to Hex code #002FA7, or Yves Klein Blue (International Klein Blue, for all the sticklers out there). And while this blue doesn’t register with the wackiness of a neon orange, or the outré insouciance of a chartreuse, it’s eye-catching enough that seeing it splashed across The New York Times, not once, but twice, this past week made for an aha moment.
Blue has a rich symbolic history. In his 1810 Theory of Colors, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe noted, “We love to contemplate blue not because it advances to us, but because it draws us after it.” It can represent many things – calm, sadness, serenity, strength, and nature’s majesty. Pointing out the obvious, its two closest associations are the vast waters of the ocean and the sweeping umbrella of the sky. Or, as Robert Frost wrote, “Why make so much of fragmentary blue…When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?”
And so, to the heavens we go, with an intrepid all-female crew. This morning, a high-octane girl-power gang is scheduled to launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard for an eleven-minute trip above the Kármán line, courtesy of Jeff Bezos. The ship’s passengers: the Future First Lady of Amazon (Lauren Sánchez), a TV journalist (Gayle King), a pop star (Katy Perry), a film producer (Kerianne Flynn), an activist (Amanda Nguyen), and the world’s most gorgeous rocket scientist (Aisha Bowe, to whom God clearly gave with both hands). This no-boys-allowed mission will be the first of its kind since Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo trip in 1963 (poor Val didn’t get to bring her BFFs). Some of the ladies have gone on record with their plans to go into the wild blue yonder camera-ready. “We’re going to have lash extensions flying in the capsule,” Sánchez crowed to Elle earlier this month. Perry added, “Space is finally going to be glam.” Finally!
On Thursday, Vanessa Friedman, of The New York Times, revealed a splashy sartorial twist – custom-designed flight suits in the aforementioned flashy blue. These duds are the result of a five-month-long collaboration between designers Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, founders of Monse and creative directors of Oscar de la Renta. (The project is under the Monse brand.) And what, exactly, does the well-heeled space tourist wear for her fifteen minutes of Zero-G? Friedman wittily characterizes the look as “a cross between ‘Star Trek’ (on top) and the outfits Elvis wore in his Vegas years (on the bottom).” They are, of course, rendered in a high-tech, flame-retardant fabric befitting their lofty application. But these are no frump-a-dump onesies. Instead, they cut a body-con silhouette with form-fitting pant legs that unzip into bellbottoms for a 70s vibe.
No stranger to statement dressing, Sánchez was hands-on throughout the design process. The idea of a corset was discussed, but dismissed because “we have to be able to move.” (Sánchez will, however, be sporting Skims.) Usually, astronaut gear is made for men, then tailored for the fairer sex. That these are the first space garments specifically designed for women is significant in terms of fit and availability. But, truth told, another goal was in play: achieving a sultry aesthetic. “You’re going up in space looking hot,” Garcia told Sánchez.
The suits are a hit with the New Shepard crew – Gayle loves the bellbottoms! – though notably, Bowe did not comment for the article (presumably because she is a rocket scientist). Perry was particularly enamored, proclaiming the outfits “all about the four Fs: function, fashion, flare and the future.” Everybody is always talking about the four Fs.
The ladies’ collective excitement at the opportunity to do space-but-make-it-sexy might seem silly. It also lends an air of dated 2010s-era girlboss pop feminism to the proceedings. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with reinforcing the idea that one can have one’s cake and eat it, too, vis-a-vis intellectual pursuits and looking va-voom (again, the glamazon rocket scientist Bowe also helps get that message across). Frivolous, perhaps, but such is the nature of private, luxury space travel. Indeed, there’s something empowering about boldly going where no flared-leg pant has gone before. Or as Perry more poetically put it, “We’re putting the ‘ass’ in ‘astronaut.’” At last, Neil Armstrong can rest easy, knowing his one giant leap was not for naught.
And so, one side of the nascent blue trend is a bold one. But even the brightest blue has a dark side; blue, word and hue, represents melancholy and sadness. In Milan Kundera’s 1984 novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, it appears at a pivotal moment. While wrestling with anxiety over her sexual insecurities, protagonist Tereza has a disturbing dream involving her husband and an executioner of suicidal people who employs an unusual blindfold – “a dark-blue ribbon.” Here, blue symbolizes a terrifying void: death.
Last week, this shade-of-the-moment featured heavily in a potential death. Not a real shuffling off of the mortal coil, but what could be the demise of a political career. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer became the star of a museum-worthy photo op, when, while attending what she believed would be a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump, she found herself centerstage at an Oval Office press conference. Whitmer’s first reaction to this oopsie moment? Attempting to hide her face, toddler peek-a-boo style, behind the file folder she was holding. The gambit did not work, due to two complicating factors: object permanence and Madame Governor’s distinctive bright blue jacket, replete with majorette-style silver buttons. While the jacket and folder matched perfectly, this was a case of wearing an outfit that stands out when one desperately, desperately wants to blend in.
That Whitmer went to meet with Trump should not be controversial. There is nothing wrong with a governor wanting to work with the White House to serve her constituents. And she may, in fact, have been blindsided by the presence of photographers, which is unfortunate, but not disqualifying to her obvious future ambitions. (Then again, when is Trump ever without a fleet of photographers?) But upon finding herself in a sticky situation, she opted for a stupid, literally babyish course of action – while wearing a say-something jacket, no less. And while Whitmer’s “you can’t see me behind my magic folder” trick was the worst reaction imaginable, the photos in which she is not obscuring her face are not much better, pinpointing the moment it registers with her that her 2028 Democratic primary hopes may have just gone up in smoke.
Perhaps Big Gretch should have taken a cue from a fellow celebrant of cerulean – an intrepid, curious immigrant who hails from Peru. I refer to Paddington Bear, who has sported his own signature blue coat with demonstrative closure on countless adventures. Paddington’s trusting nature occasionally gets him into trouble. But when faced with a challenging situation, this brave little fellow does not reach for the safety of a file folder. No! He looks his problems right in the eye and gives them a “hard stare.” He learned this steely expression from his aunt, a tactic to use, “when people had forgotten their manners.” For instance, when ambushing someone with the White House Press Corps. Democrats – take note! Be a Paddington, not a Gretchen.
So whether you’re blasting off into the final frontier with Katy Perry or watching your political future crumble with Reuters, lean into a daring color statement. Pack up your winter blacks, leave the summer whites on ice for a moment or two. And take a page from Lauren Sánchez’s book: Don’t be afraid to work a little blue.
You absolutely unhinged genius you. Hang this entire post in the Louvre