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Wednesday 18 August 2010

Boring, blinging or black?


A wave of ‘ennui’ is said to be afflicting the population of our great metropolis. Quite mystifying, considering the number of things to do in and around London - let alone a whole world of wonders available online.

Could this be why black is back in fashion (was it ever out?) Are we bored with colour?

Anyway, a growing trend, originating from custom car workshops in the USA, is the dull black paint job.




Personally, I find the morbid matt look more sinister than stylish. I asked a few people they thought of curious car colours and opinion seemed to be divided: hairdressers loved the stealthy black finish, whilst cabbies found the look not quite to their taste. One mentioned he’d seen a matt black Bentley with fluorescent orange stripes down the sides, which he found particularly unattractive – though perhaps these were 'be seen at night' rather than 'go faster' stripes?



In any case, earlier this week, an article in the Evening Standard described the lusterless look as “the hottest trend in Hollywood”, mentioning Ferraris, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, along with the likes of David Beckham and Lindsay Lohan. It all sounds suspiciously faddish to me – and surely another example of unnecessarily disposable style? I also think it looks totally ugly, and probably gets dirty and marks really easily. No?



To me, matt black falls into the same category as those curious chameleon colour-changing cars – usually Minis or TVRs (like the one above) that I’ve seen on the streets of London. If way-out wheels are your thing, why not get a uniquely painted vehicle for free by working for one of your local estate agents? Or, if you’ve really got money to burn, go the whole hog and opt for a brazenly blinging liquid silver, chrome, gold, or rhinestone studded finish - intriguingly rare, and certainly more eye catching..







Talking of bling, I just wanted to mention that the amazingly arty, handcrafted City Rings by talented young jewellery designer, Alina Jessipovich, at ShopCurious are now available at a whopping 70% off in our Summer sale – down from £875 to £262.50.

And, for what it’s worth (hem hem), the car I lust after is a seriously stylish retro1950s 300SL Mercedes – in boring old metallic silver, or classic red.

However, cool cars don’t have to cost the earth...










I spotted a curiously characterful old hippy bus rattling down the road the other day. On the back in large, hand painted letters were daubed the words ‘Warning: may contain nuts’. Now, I find that far from boring…

Do you?

8 comments:

Belle de Ville said...

I hate those matte black paintjobs on cars. I'd rather see a gold mercedes.

Paint it Black said...

I saw a dull painted Bently the other day and I literally stood there with my mouth open as I had never seen pait work like that before it look like an affix model. xoxo

Annie Wright said...

Matte black looks like a half-hearted apology for having some ridiculously expensive car when the rest of the human race can hardly afford a bus ticket!

Sabina said...

Hahaha, I guess I'm strange but I love those matte cars :)) makes them seem like little toys :))
I'm glad you liked the Obama song I posted on my blog - I think it's so hilarious :D "You know, I gotta tell you... EXPERT!" :D I was laughing the whole time when my boyfriend showed it to me :)))

worm said...

The matte black thing is purely for men, as it makes the vehilcle take on the appearance of military hardware. Cue phallocentric freudian analogies.

Best thing for me about that matte black paintwork is that it looks like it would make an excellent surface on which to write in chalk. Must try it sometime.

ilikestuff said...

The gold mercedes is quite fantastic. Might be the most ostentatious display of wealth I've ever seen (and that's saying something) but there's also something awesome about it.

Not a fan of the matte black either. And I bet it does get dirty! Probably gets fingerprints all over it! Gross!

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

matte black is quite unique I have to say...
Lovely weekend Susan darling!
xo

Jill said...

I'll take the red one, please!!