ISSA flutter sleeve jumpsuit, www.shopbop.com

I’ve been considering ways to warm up the black I’ve reverted to since the economy has taken us south. I know, I know, it’s more about color these days, or so says Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, InStyle, Allure, W — I read them all, I do. However…or, whatever, I’m back to black. Paired with copper, the look is warm, inviting, and doesn’t have quite the same bite as gold, a subtle difference, and still another way to embrace color. Love the earrings above by Bing Bang (see www.Bluefly.com), the elongated oval is flattering to most and the reddish gleam feels softly illuminating, like candlelight. Copper is one of the few metals to occur naturally as an un-compounded mineral. It was known to some of the oldest civilizations in history, and its use is at least ten thousand years old. Bronze, a deep, rich, golden brown alloy used for jewelry, and more famously for sculpture, is made primarily from copper.

Copper blends beautifully when placed alongside other metals, as illustrated by an intricately, hand-plaited silver, brass, and copper wire choker I’ve been giving a lot of play with my Norma Kamali pieces. Yes, nearly all of them, black.