Inspired by Rossetti

I've always loved the Pre-Raphaelites, but this is the closest I've come to feeling as if I could step into one of their paintings. You can often see my love for that era in my photographs, but my fashion choices have always placed me in slightly more modern settings as I usually like a structured sort of dress. However, when Agrimony showed me their simple, yet chic Elinor dress I immediately fell in love. It's very reminiscent if historical shifts and can be styled in so many ways; it's perfect as a peasant blouse underneath pinafores and skirts, is great for setting off stays and corsets, and will even look cute with a large fisherman jumper thrown over it. For this look though I wanted to wear it simply--no jewelry, no busy layers, just a simple crown of twigs and seed pods, and a cape for warmth. I was inspired by Dante Gabriel Rossetti painting Lady Lilith. In that painting the subject wears a very similar gown and a red ribbon bound around her wrist, as it is November I traded the ribbon for cape to stay a bit warmer! Personally I don't think we need to be entirely literal when taking inspiration from historic movements or even certain paintings; it's nice to see them as a spark for creativity but to find ways to make them suitable for us and interpret that inspiration in our own way. I may not have a dressing room to sit and brush my hair while surrounded by roses, but I do have several empty fields to walk through with my dog and admire the autumnal colors...