I was the sort of child who grew up emotional, and dreamy,
the sort of little girl who was fond of taking large pieces of
silky fabric out to the w i d e field,
and running about for an hour with the wind and her dreams.
My struggles with falling asleep at night
were remedied with my ever present imagination,
and the fairytales that were birthed from it,
the young girls in their long hair and medieval gowns
racing through my dreams on color-coordinated horses.
Thus, when I watched for the first time, the film,
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood,
and met Olivia de Havilland's enchanting Maid Marian,
my girlish heart was thrilled beyond words.
My dreams of wedding gowns turned medieval...
My favorite artwork were soft portraits of chivalrous knights and fair ladies,
and Tennyson's Lady of Shalott took me by storm.
I wanted so to do something for it... and with my sisters,
almost managed to.
I discovered the perfect model...
Assembled the wardrobe...
And called the photographer.
Grace wore a crisp white cotton blouse
whose high neck and sleeves are trimmed with cluny lace,
found at Bealls.
Over it, she wore a floor length black dress,
With a length of black brushed lace for an elegant cloak.
For trim, we added a deep green ivory dotted scarf,
inherited from our grandmother,
and cluster of crystalline flowers in amethyst and silver.
Grace's hair required little.
Her burnished curls are like spun silk...
... And with a few quaint braids and sprigs of dried lavender...
...she is, suddenly, with her glowing brown eyes...
the dreamiest of Rapunzels.
But... time took its course and ran away on winged feet.
We could not catch it.
Thus, this cannot count as an entry in
AmandaBeth's Fashion Week,
But, with such a model, and such a photographer,
and such a history as mine, steeped in the romance of Marian...
Who can resist?
Photos by Johanna Ramsey.
Sketches by Emma Ramsey.
