That Marmoreal Moment

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE WORD "MEMORIAL", though both words seem to reference the tombstones and mausoleums made in that smooth, cold limestone. "Marmoreal" is an old-fashioned term describing something made of marble, or which bears the qualities of marble. The word may be used literally for marble objects or structures, such as the Florentine buildings in Virginia Woolf's Flush: A Biography. "...Florence in its marmoreal smoothness and in its gritty cobbled roughness." It may also be used figuratively for non-marble objects, such as Governor Stanton's face, "marmoreal and unperturbed and high, above black square beard and black frock coat..." in Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.

The adjective may have long fallen from colloquial speak but its use is still very much alive. What better way, after all, to describe the marbled stylings from Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Playtype? Indeed, marble is no new motif and there are countless other accessories out there actually made in the stone. But these ones fake it fabulously.

With my marmoreal objects of desire, perhaps it would be safe to proceed with caution, lest I transform my little corner into the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion.

FAUX Collection posters from store.playtype.com Balenciaga White Marble-effect Ankle Strap Pump from www.lyst.com Stella McCartney Lucia Plexi Clutch www.stellamccartney.com