Oh, Valentine's Day. The holiday when everything is coming up roses, lovers are passionately embracing and romance is in the air.
Or, the day when you wear all black, celebrate your single fabulosity with multiple cosmopolitans and find yourself crashing a celebrity party to outrageously flirt with an actor who's clearly the right vintage for you (a fashionista never tells).
What does this day even mean? Why are we so intent on validating our inner emotional life with outward tokens of affection from others? Why not instead personally celebrate the precious vulnerability inherent in the courage to take those emotional risks in the first place?
Because that's really what love is all about — embracing the vulnerability inherent to gambling with your heart. Embracing fashion is a stop on the road to the acceptance of vulnerability.
Every time you pick out an ensemble or a new accessory, whether you try an adventurous trend or not, you are embracing your own vulnerabilities and taking the risk to prove beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder. It resides within yourself. You are the true token of affection. You are the real Valentine.
The card variety is lovely, but nothing compares to you. You've taken the risks, you've fought the passionate battles and you know the hidden secrets of your heart that can't be boiled down to a nice turn of a phrase.
Now, the only task left is to find an outfit that visually communicates this strength in vulnerability to your audience, so that they too never underestimate the power of you. Ladies, let's do it — in red.
Red has for centuries been the color of passion, seduction and love. However, did you know that it originally came into fashion in the 17th century thanks to King Louis the XIV and his pride in his gorgeous legs?
Apparently the man thought he was quite a dish, so he dyed his high heels scarlet (and they say only women are fashion obsessed).
The color was even more prized due to the rarity of the Mexican bug that produced it, the cochineal. As the centuries progressed, red became associated with the provocative and the dangerous (no surprise Mary Magdalene is always depicted in scarlet).
However, anyone who has watched Bette Davis defy the power of debutante white in "Jezebel" knows that no matter what perception red is associated with in any culture, it always gives its wearer power. It proclaims a fearless commitment to stand out in the face of any vulnerability.
To work red, make the occasion your starting point. For a formal event, go floor length with a red gown and add black accessories.
A concert requires a more otherworldly feel, so invest in a full skirt with peek-a-boo lace. Dancing on the town? Nothing says flirty and fabulous like a red and black mesh dress. The color wheel of red can be quite specific.
The best color for you resides within conventional wisdoms for red lipstick. For pale skin tones, try blue-based reds.
Orange-based reds make the more tan among us radiant, while deep skin tones are absolutely delectable in berry reds.
In the words of Cary Grant to Katharine Hepburn in "The Philadelphia Story," "You're fascinated, Red. You're far and away your favorite person in the world."
Yes, Cary, in red, we are.
Contact Felicia Caponigri at fcapognig@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
