Style Imitating Art | “Wild & Free” by Sila Gur

About Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Marsha of Marsha in the Middle. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as presenter, selects an inspiration image that we will each post on our blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfit photos to the presenter by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the presenter will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join either! In fact, you don’t even have to join but you can still use the art to inspire an outfit just for the sake of trying something different. If you want to share your inspired outfit, we invite you do so on Instagram or any other social media platform that you prefer. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Shelbee, or Marsha or use #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the next SIA challenge!

This Week’s Presenter

It was my turn to choose our art inspiration. I found this artist on Facebook and I was so intrigued by the detailed shading she creates with her embroidery that I wanted to feature one of her works. Her work is deeply influenced by the boldness of fashion and street style so all of her pieces have a sartorial aspect, making her a fun choice for a Style Imitating Art challenge. I also am learning about an unfamiliar to me art form…thread painting. 

The Artwork

“Wild & Free” Boho Series no.3 by Sila Gur (aka Jolly Hoops)

About the Artist: Sila Gur

Sila Gur is a Turkish-born self-taught embroidery artist. After moving her young family to Scotland in 2018 for her husband’s work, Sila found herself a stay at home mom of her one year old daughter. Living in a new country with no friends or relatives nearby and lacking interest in domestic chores, she needed a creative outlet. Sila found some interesting embroidery projects featured on Pinterest and her interest was piqued. She ordered some of the necessities for beginning embroiderers on Amazon and began teaching herself the art of embroidery and thread painting.

Although she is primarily self taught in thread painting, Sila did receive an education in Fine Arts, Fashion & Textile Design, and Fashion Styling. She realized thread painting was her calling because it allowed her to merge her diverse skills into one comprehensive form of artistic expression.

“My work is deeply influenced by the textures, colours, and boldness found in fashion and street style. I’m inspired by the details, the little things that often go unnoticed, and I bring them to life in my embroidered pieces. Each creation tells its own unique story, and every stitch is infused with love and passion. I want my art to be an immersive experience, inviting you to get lost in the layers of texture and detail, and transport you to a different world.”

-Sila Gur

You can view her portfolio on her website or you can visit jolly_hoops on Instagram for more details about Sila’s thread painting.

About the Artwork: “Wild & Free”

“Wild & Free” is a 2024 thread painting from Sila Gur’s Boho Series no.3. She used cotton thread on linen fabric in a 6.5 inch (17 cm) wooden embroidery hoop to create a beautiful summery image of a straw hat with yellow wildflowers being held by an unidentifiable female form. According to Instagram, this thread painting sold as soon as it was available for sale!

Rather than my paraphrasing how thread painting works, I encourage you to check out some of the links below. It’s a really fascinating art form. I’m extra impressed because the older I get the more difficult detailed needlework becomes for me. I can’t see properly, my fingers don’t always do what my brain directs them to do, and my patience for the slow paced tedium of hand stitching has nearly run out. But still my creativity pushes me to do some unenjoyable tasks to get to happy results!

Helpful Links:

• Sila Gur: Contemporary Embroidery Art
• Jolly Hoops on IG
• Textile Artist: Sila Gur: Who’s that girl?
• Sila Gur’s Fashion-Inspired Embroidery
• Puma Embroidery: Amazing fashion embroidery scenes – Jolly Hoops Interview

About My Outfit

I chose this artwork in part because I was feeling in a neutral mood. As you likely know, I generally opt for bright colors and vibrant prints in my clothing choices, but there is something soothing and a bit refreshing about a solid monochromatic outfit in a light neutral tone.

In the weeks leading to our east coast road trip, I did a little shopping for vacation clothing. Okay. I did a lot of shopping. We all needed semi formal clothing for a Florida wedding and that began a cycle of trips to Kohl’s that didn’t end until they stopped giving me cash rewards on every purchase. But my husband and both boys needed summer suits and we desperately needed a new set of luggage (with a major sale and Kohl’s cash, I ended up getting a $350 luggage set for $100). I certainly didn’t need any new clothes, but I wanted to be part of the action so I picked up some new things for myself along the way. But not all of my new things made it into my new suitcase…like this ecru midi dress.

It’s a color that used to wash me out and gave me the appearance of a bad case of jaundice. But as I’ve aged, my skin tone has slightly changed, allowing me to wear this light shade of tan without looking like a yellow zombie. More than the color, however, I really like the fit of this dress. The snugly fitted bodice, longer waistline, and full skirt is very effective at camouflaging my menopause belly and creating a more flattering silhouette on my midlife body.

I started my outfit interpretation with this dress because the color is so close to the linen background of the thread painting. Next I added a thrifted crochet doily cardigan for the texture and the circular design reflects the circular hoop shape in a repeated pattern. To highlight the embroidery, I wore my light brown floral embroidered cowgirl boots. Of course, a light tan straw hat was the obvious choice (this is a new hat purchased for vacation) but I also added a darker brown wicker bag. The circular shape of the bag mimics both the shape of the hat in the artwork and the embroidery hoop. Finally, for the yellow wildflowers, I wore my crocheted sunflower earrings and a very old necklace with green and yellow crystals.

While this muted color palette is not my normal style aesthetic, I absolutely loved this outfit. I bought this doily cardigan last spring for a Thrifty Six challenge and never wore it. I’ve been struggling to style it and this new dress solved that problem instantly. Some garments just need a little time to marinate in the closet room before the magic reveals itself!

I hope you have enjoyed this round of Style Imitating Art. If you want to play along and create your own outfit inspired by this lovely embroidery work, I will feature you in my gallery post on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Just be sure to submit your photos to me at shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com by 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. In the meantime, be sure to check out Salazar’s interpretation as well as Marsha’s take on it. 

Until then, happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee