Prairie Girl

Laura Ingalls Wilder has been on the mood board of every fashion girl from New York to Tokyo as of late. I’m convinced the ample girls who call the fly over states their home and Hearst or Conde Nast their employer have finally executed their collective agenda: Make Prairie Great…Finally. This year it worked. Many lay the rise of this style on the feet of New York Fashion week but, if you live in New York, breezy bishop sleeves could be observed at Sunday brunches all summer. Brands like Gucci and Batsheva simply spoon-fed the billowing sleeves to the masses.

As a fan of maxi dresses, I admit that I became captivated when shops like Frankie Shop and Reformation began displaying dresses with extra adornments. I simply couldn’t resist. I scoured the thrift shops looking to execute this style in my own way. That’s when I stumbled upon this $10 beauty, abandoned on a shopping rack. I immediately snatched it up and gave it try. Could I pull this “trend” off without looking desperately enslaved to fashion? -I had to know.

I loved the dress from the moment it slipped over my curvy frame. The dress has a midwestern twang but is nevertheless a cosmopolitan girl. Think The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s first three seasons. She goes out for drinks and will dance til’ dawn but still hesitates to “kiss and tell”.

To emphasize midwestern Mary (and not cosmopolitan Carrie) I donned a cowhide bag and tall boots. The mixed prints play together in unison and compliment each other in a way that is complicated yet simplistic. The outfit reads as a stylish character I choose to play and not a caricatured faux pas. That said, I think it’s safe to say that I’m ready for a do-si-do or a trip to the Honeywell. Either will do in this getup!

Dress + Cowhide Bag: Vintage / Boots: Miista