An alternative title to today's post might be "my favorite color is oatmeal now." I'm not completely serious as I do still like rich, vibrant colors (yellow especially), but lately I do find my wardrobe slowly fading into neutrals. One of the things that appeals to me about neutral tones, like a simple linen apron dress, is how well it seems to belong in a natural setting. It's like an updated take on a classic lady's work gown or protective apron from another era; something you'd wear with a large sunhat and gardening gloves, over another dress. With deep pockets and an intentionally wrinkled look it seems to belong to the kitchen or the garden, or here in the woods, gathering a bit of wild garlic. Wild garlic, also known as wood garlic, is a fairly easy and safe plant to forage for in the spring. The leaves and flowers are edible, although most people recommend getting the youngest leaves before the plant starts to flower as the flavor is usually less intense. You can use the leaves in a variety of recipes and it's one of my favorite things to forage for in the spring; it makes you feel closer to nature to be able to go have a wander in the woods and come back with something to cook for dinner! If you go deeper off this path you can find younger plants where the leaves are newer, but for pictures I love the way this path is transformed in spring with the bright wild garlic buds decorating the landscape. Voriagh was kind enough to send me this dress, which is ethically made in Paris with French linen. The original dress is cut a bit longer, more midi length, but as I'm a bit tired of having midi length dresses cut my already short legs off, I did a quick bit of tailoring to make this knee length. For spring it's perfect layered over a white blouse and paired with espadrilles, but I can see it being styled in summer more simply as a backless dress with lace-up sandals...
CONVERSATION