Trefoil, Thorn, and Thicket

Sun blaring enough to sting my eyes, but instead of warmth and the smell of flowers in the air there are only cold winds and dirty black piles of snow still melting slowly in every parking lot. The duller days of winter, after the charm of the snow has melted away and it becomes more inconvenience than ideal, and that's only when there is snow at all. Even snow is preferable to dead grass and a leafless world. Perhaps I can pretend my world of dead trees and tan grasses is actually the dry season of someplace much more exotic. Early spring always triggers my love of safari style somehow, it must be all the tall dry grass.

I am well overdue for making a new pair of jodhpurs, and since Butterick came out with a new pattern, I imagine I'll get around to making some proper ones soon. The pair I have on here have no stretch, and though perhaps they are more accurate for it, I feel like if ladies of the 1940's had the option of some slight stretch in their jodhpurs they would have taken it! So my next pair will be a twill with a bit of stretch, because it sounds much more comfortable. Still I do quite like the look of jodhpurs so I continue to wear these and this time I paired them with the jacket from my black 1940s suit. I still cant believe I own this suit sometimes, it's just my dream suit and I'm so lucky to have it! The little hat I have on here was featured in a thrift haul video of mine from ages ago and originally had very dusty bright blue netting that I removed and replaced with vintage clover flowers and a bit of black netting. The hat base is such a good little shape, I think it was possibly something semi-homemade originally; that the owner would have bought the base and trimmed it herself as there is no trace of a label inside. I know I'd love to have a few more colors of this little hat base to pile flowers and trimmings on!

Sure something about jodhpurs does feel a little costumey. There is this debate about being "in costume" when wearing vintage that I don't really buy. Everyone is wearing their costume, choosing one that happens to be anachronistic is just a little more fun.

A very rude costume supervisor (for a very small inconsequential opera house, just saying) once told me I had no place in applying to their summer internship as costuming and fashion design had nothing in common. She could have ignored my application, but instead she emailed me a rather odd response to my resume stating that there was no crossover between the two and she basically told me no self respecting costume department would ever even consider an apparel designer. Forgive me for continuing to disagree. Obvious transferable sewing skills aside, what is a fashion designer if not someone creating a costume for a character conjured out of pure imagination? Just because a costume designer gets to see the script doesn't mean the fashion designer (or stylist) doesn't have a character in mind as well. We all remain the costume designers of our own lives, choosing the right garments for each occasion and beat of our story. Some days are build for comfort sure, and other days an ensemble can suggest an entire narrative of its own. A rider without a horse perhaps, a safari in winter. The more stories the better I say.

Jacket, Gloves, Scarf, Brooch, and Hat: Vintage
Jodhpurs: Made by me
Boots: JCPenny