La Belle Dame sans Merci

The promise of the new has its cost. Spring may be a time of fresh starts but birthing something new is no easy matter. The very newness of the season has its price. This spring it is pain and rawness that gives us the inspiration for the light and mesmerizing clothing of the season. Light textiles, cool colors, and metallic sheens that span spring and fall from Harlan Bel, Alice Ritter and Trovata sit beautifully on a layer of struggle that has us savoring the joy even as we contemplate the cost of the new. Elite Fresh Faces, Margaret Pridgen, Kyla Jamieson, and Marie Lunde Fossdal's ability to hold the space between joy and sadness brings the editorial alive. Their pale beauty reminds us of John Keat's La Belle Dame sans Merci evoking a hint of the flip side of birth. But even in death there is still the new waiting to arise. And lest we have a silent spring in which "no birds sing" we should take the time to remember, fresh from the womb, the pain of entering the world is the price we pay for spring. And that makes the light even stronger.