Carly Simon has always had a flair for fashion. But her visual artistry extends beyond her Bohemian-chic clothing and funky style. For years, Simon has incorporated her love of nature and interest in gardening into her daily life. Last year, she began planting different varieties of peonies, then photographing them.
Drawn to their many intricate layers and diverse colors, peonies are the focal point of a new artistic endeavor that includes a line of silk scarves, some of which are backed with a lightweight cashmere, she says. “Each one of them will have a line from one of my songs on them, like ‘clouds in my coffee’ and ‘the stuff that dreams are made of,’” Simon says. “I picked out lyrics that conjure up images that go with the image of what the particular peony represents to me.”
Simon is hoping her prints and scarves—a sampling of which was unveiled in September at the Kara Taylor Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard— are just the beginning of a line that will include everything from greeting cards to wallpaper. “This is something I really enjoy doing and I want to share it with others,” she says.
Artist Kara Taylor (no relation) says she is honored to feature Simon’s scarves and photographs in her gallery, calling them “a perfect complement to each other…subtle yet bold.” Taylor has known Simon since she was a child. “Her children and I shared some fond years together,” Taylor says. “I remember hearing her singing at home and witnessing her other artistic interests back then. I think this has always been a dual thread for her —the musical with the visual, [as] I think one must enhance and carry through to the other.”
“She is gifted in many areas of creativity [and] her house is a testament to this—a feast for the eyes, nourishing for any romantic soul like Carly’s,” she adds. “Everything is thought about and cared for… even the animals are happy.”
Simon says she is not sure what direction her new design venture will take, but is excited about the prospects. “It’s not that music is out of my life— not at all. It’s just that this is in it.”
