Outfits for Garden-ish Adventures
All the flowery things I'd be wearing this spring if money were no object
Outfit for: Real, actual gardening
Last week we had a freak 80 degree day, and after this cold winter/spring combo we’ve had it was so odd to see people out and about without coats on. So many women wore sun dresses, and romantic ones, too: midi in length, linen and cotton fabrics, prints mostly in florals and ginghams. I don’t remember dresses being so long last summer—aren’t longer hemlines a recession indicator? Anyhow I’m not looking forward to the recession, but I do like a longer dress, so I went home and did some fantasy online shopping. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I did my last imaginary outfits post. I don’t think I bought anything that was in last year’s post, and I probably won’t in this one, either. But once again it’s fun to dream, and the great thing about imaginary purchases is that they’re tarriff-free.
I had to include at least one proper gardening outfit in here, even if it’s not the most practical one in the world. But it is for me, and when I saw the overall dress at Terrain I was charmed. I’m notorious for wearing my dresses when I garden; I’m just not a pants kind of person, so I do love the idea of an overall dress. Also I lied when I said I probably won’t buy anything from this post, because that hat has been tempting me for a few weeks now.
Outfit for: Going to Spring pop-up sales to get plants I don’t need
Specifically the Gowanus Nursery sales, which are always the very best ones, and not too far from where I live here in Brooklyn. They usually hold sales around Easter and it’s so hard not to walk away without pots of pastel tulips and primroses; I really have to hold myself back. This year I think that they’re selling dahlia tubers, and even though I already have six huge seedlings under lights in our apartment I might have to get just one more dahlia to add to the terrace this summer.
P.S.—if you see me at the sale I can promise you I won’t be wearing this; I’ll probably be that weirdo in grubby running clothes. But I’d definitely wear this outfit when I’m not running. Remember how I threatened to start wearing headscarves this spring? Well, I bought some vintage silk scarves off Ebay, and I do wear them in the old-fashioned way, over my head and tied at the neck, and sometimes I get weird looks. But occasionally I do see those cute Gen Z girls wearing them, and did you know that Beyoncé herself wore one in nearby Carroll Gardens?
Outfit for: Spontaneous morning garden sessions
When I’m not gardening in dresses I’m usually gardening in my pajamas. Surely I’m not the only one who gets up in the morning to check on the garden, only to get sidetracked and lured into an emergency watering or weeding session? It’s so tempting, but I always get nervous that my neighbors might see me. Would I be less nervous if I was wearing this? Maybe. My mom got me some Piglet in Bed pajama pants for my birthday last year, and they’re definitely presentable enough, very very pretty. I think I’d feel very garden TikTok in this one.
Outfit for: Going to the Frick to see the Gainsboroughs
I’m so excited to finally go to The Frick Collection. It’s been closed for a while as it’s been undergoing renovations, but it finally reopens this month, and I’ll be going as soon as the crowds die down a bit (I hate a crowd). I have a feeling it might be my favorite museum here in town, with all of its paintings from the 18th century. I mean, not all of the paintings there are from the 18th century, but a lot of them are, and it’s definitely my favorite time period for art. I especially love the very elegant portraits by Gainsborough; I’m excited to see The Hon. Frances Duncombe, which I’m pretty sure was on the cover of a Fanny Burney paperback I used to have. And the Fragonards look the most romantic of all, very flowery, of course. Lately the late 18th century has been my biggest style influence, and my favorite way to interpret it is to wear a plain dress with romantic, kind of over-the-top accessories, like the earrings above. I have a beautiful pair of vintage-looking cameo earrings from my late grandma Dorothy (a very stylish woman if there ever was one), and I’ve also been obsessed with finding ‘90s earrings on Ebay from the jewelry company 1928 (which apparently is still around?). A little gaudy, to be honest, especially when paired with a funny, slightly Fragonard-inspired needlepoint bag, but that’s what the plain-looking dress is for.
I probably won't buy any of these either, but will definitely imagine that I'm wearing some of these outfits while actually doing my gardening in grubby pajamas. Cold coffee, no shoes, just "checking" on the progress out there in the beds.
Finally ordered the Gardenheir Italian garden clogs and I am much too excited.