Lucas Cranach the Elder - Saints Genevieve and Apollonia Archives

June 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

June 8, 2026

So what is our glamorous Gothic researcher up to?

Let's enjoy her favorite painting for a moment; it's easy to just skip right past the paintings to get to the wardrobes, and that's a pity. I take AGES to choose these paintings, and they all have something to offer us each time we look again...

At the end of May, our heroine had a 24-piece capsule wardrobe that definitely leans toward the dressy! But she also has a pair of jeans, so she's not entirely a princess... If I had the joy of a trip for weeks and weeks, to all kinds of different weather conditions, I would try to pack something along these lines:

Her accessories at the end of May are pretty nice...

Although this particular heroine marches to ... View the Post

May 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Starting With Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

May 13, 2026

A favorite of so many of us, and such a rich and striking painting:

And a bright, cheerful palette:

Our heroine came into the month of May with this 20-piece wardrobe; I could live with this for months...

This is a DRESSY heroine! And she started her May shopping with the idea that she would find a pretty floral dress...

Only to realize that she can grab the skirt that matches her printed blouse, and have her dress and separates, too! The rest of her purchases are relatively simple and classic - although green shoes and a green handbag aren't on just everybody's shopping list:

Of course, she didn't add a second layer to her wardrobe this month - that might be something she needs to address next ... View the Post

April 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

April 8, 2026

It's a very good thing that our heroine loves all things medieval... Her favorite painting is this beauty:

Her color palette is thus:

At the end of March, our heroine has this 16-piece wardrobe. Versatile, elegant and a touch on the dressy side of life. Maybe still a touch dark...

Early in April, our heroine sat through some VERY long meetings with a group of people dedicated to the renovation of a very famous historic church near Paris. Included in the amusingly eclectic group of attendees was one woman dressed as a medieval nun, and another woman wearing a wimple...

As soon as she got out of there, she was determined to do some very 21st century shopping!

yes, there are people who dress in ... View the Post

March 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

March 11, 2026

Let's take a minute away from reality, and think about this exceptional heroine, and her favorite painting:

Someone once mentioned to me that they felt that her wardrobe colors felt too "Christmassy". I suppose if she wore green and red together that might be an issue, but I've never thought of it - what do you think?

At the end of February, our heroine's 12-piece wardrobe was almost perfectly versatile, albeit a little bit more casual than we've come to expect from her. She's trying to not be TOO anachronistic; her work is sufficient to keep her in touch with history. She's worked with women who dressed in full Middle-Ages regalia - not for her!

One thing our heroine definitely wanted for ... View the Post

February 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

February 13, 2026

Happy Valentine's Day! I don't necessarily "buy into" the holidays like this, which seem like one more reason to buy something. Let's just all take a LONG break tomorrow to contact those that we love - not just romantically. Send an unexpected email. Call someone. Write a note. Make sure that your loved ones KNOW that you love them...

But right now, let's admire the attention to detail, the glorious fabrics and trims worn by our two favorite fashion saints:

Such an easy color palette, but one with so much potential impact:

At the end of January, our heroine had this delightfully compact but (to many of you) rather casual wardrobe:

We have to remember that - in her "down time" - when ... View the Post

January 2026 – Building a Wardrobe Based on Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

January 2, 2026

Happy Happy Happy New Year to all of us! We deserve it, I'd say!

Let's wallow in the beauty of our first painting, and get to know our first heroine:

This heroine worked on the restoration of Notre Dame, in Paris. She specializes in the symbolism of the small decorative carvings found at the tops of pillars, in the wee niches in arches - all sorts of places in Gothic architecture were ornamented, because it was considered a form of worship.

And while she was well-known in her specialty area, working on such a high-profile project made her "small famous." Enough so that she travels a lot now, giving lectures at colleges and universities EVERYWHERE.

These are her colors:

Her favorite personal ... View the Post

Merry Christmas Eve! Six Paintings for 2026!!!

December 24, 2025

Happy Christmas Eve! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, if you're alive today, you can have a happy day, right? Every holiday doesn't have to be your own PERSONAL holiday - we can be happy and full of delight for others... That's one of my goals for 2026.

Okay, I've made the decisions. I hate to do this, because I know that almost everybody but me is going to be disappointed that their favorite didn't make the cut. Feel free to leave a comment asking me to take another look at your favorite work of art. Just because something wasn't included in this series doesn't mean that we can't revisit a work. Or two. Or three!

My first choice is a wild-card; this heroine isn't going to be held to a normal budget, nor ... View the Post

Festive? Start with Art – The Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

December 11, 2024

I'm leaving for Paris this afternoon - and so is today's heroine!

Remember this most elegant woman - of the upswept and braided white hair, the immaculate red manicure, the lush jewel-toned accents in her black and white wardrobe?

We first met her when she was a university guest lecturer;...

In January 2018, she took a group of students to the Cloisters;

In August 2019, she was in Paris to help with reconstructing Notre Dame;

In December 2019, she was off to Venice;

She assembled a "work from home" wardrobe in May 2020;

which she accessorized in May 2020;

and we visited her in November of 2021, when she went to Dublin;

Oh my! I knew I loved this woman, but I never ... View the Post

Dressy Weekend? Start with a Scarf – The Raven Garden of Happiness by June Hunter

March 22, 2024

It's a dressy weekend - the weather will probably be warm... but there is always a chance of a cool snap!

But how to be dressy without bringing everything you own? Well, a tight color palette and planning ahead is always the way to go.

And how about starting with black and pretty accents?

Before you go down this path, you want to be ABSOLUTELY certain that wearing black isn't a problem. This wardrobe is actually designed for someone who's a prominent figure in a wedding, at which the bridesmaids will be wearing black dresses; I think she's okay with this!

She's wearing a very "normal" travel outfit - closed-toe shoes, and a cardigan for the inevitable freezing air conditioning... but she's rocking ... View the Post

Start with Art: Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

November 19, 2021

Remember our old friend, the expert in Gothic Architecture iconography?

She's worked from home;

with a wardrobe to which we added lots of accessories!

She also visited a college campus to lecture;

and she took students to The Cloisters in New York;

and she's been working with Paris officials on Notre Dame.

You can tell that she's a favorite heroine of mine!

This is her inspiration:

She Could Work from the Photographs that the church in Dublin sent to her, but she decided to go actually see the carvings in their location within the building. The church members had taken advantage of the pandemic to build scaffolding and climb up to clean decades of candle smoke and incense ... View the Post

Adding Accessories: Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

May 21, 2020

Let's look back for just a second at our saints, and appreciate the choice and balance of colors. There's a reason that I like to start with paintings - the artists put a LOT of thought into every choice, and we can learn from this...

And let's take a look at her wardrobe:

Our heroine is a BIG fan of accessories, so she assembles a dozen outfits and accessorizes them! She limits herself to 6 pairs of shoes, but otherwise the sky's the limit:

She realizes that she might not need a handbag all the time, but it wouldn't do to be unprepared if she finds that she has to step out!

Note that when she chooses shoes to wear with her onyx jewelry, she finds some mules with teeny round perforations, and wee ... View the Post

Start with Art: Revisiting Saints Genevieve and Apollonia by Lucas Cranach the Elder

May 20, 2020

Oh, we haven't heard from this heroine for a while... Remember her when she first visited a college campus for some lectures (and brought the house down!), then she took some students to The Cloisters, outside of New York.

She's been working off and on in Paris, since the fire at Notre Dame. Now, of course, she's working from home. But her intricately braided white hair remains flawless (how DOES she get it cut?) and her nail polish and lipstick are still works of art that defy normal wear and tear...

This is her inspiration:

Her color palette is firmly in mind any time she shops - this is not a woman often given to wardrobe impulse! Someone once remarked that red and green seemed "Christmassy" to them - ... View the Post