Garden Fashion

I have a close friend who is a shopping guru and under her tutelage I bought my first designer outfit last week. I am now a huge fan of Susana Monaco. I know nothing about other designers, but I fell in love with a Susana Monaco top. I went home without buying it at first, but I couldn't get it out of my head. I went on-line and found all the Susana Monaco I could possibly find. I realized that the shirt I saw in the store was actually a Susan Monaco bargain. I went back to buy it a few days later and it was on sale! The top looks really good on me and I feel brilliant in it. What a coup! You see, I usually settle for the ten dollar t-shirts at Target and sometimes splurge on a chic, yet practical, dress and solid pumps. Why shouldn't I give myself a treat once in awhile. Shouldn't our attire make us feel good?

I have noticed that I feel differently dependent on how I dress, even when I'm in the garden. When I grab the ripped t-shirt; when I don't bother to do my hair; when I wear my muddiest, stiffest, most disgusting gardening shoes, I don't feel quite as...well, quite as pretty. I am at my gardening best in my comfortable exercise shorts that make my butt look good, a well fitting colorful (non-ripped) t-shirt, and a pretty baseball cap to tuck in my generally unruly hair. My best shoes are a pair of old sneakers that are not too old and stiff. (I just can't get into the "crocs "fad. not my style.) I wear my red polka dotted rain boots for bringing items out to compost on wet days or dewy mornings. I splurge on a new pair of colorful gardening gloves whenever I can. This attire is not expensive or fancy, but I take the time to care for myself and can feel pretty in my bones -- even after I get the whole darn outfit covered in mud from head to toe, for I am truly a messy gardener.

I have noticed that some women even like to wear pretty dresses in the garden. I find this practical for harvesting time. I like to pick berries in a dress. However, this ensemble is impractical for digging and general yard work. I am happiest in a long flowing, colorful skirt. Color is key! I can feel like I am one with the garden when I match the most vibrant flowers. On occasion, I'll even do my hair and envision myself in a garden fairy story. I favor the ones set in Victorian England among acres of romantic landscape. When I dress this way, I also sometimes grab a camera to take self-portraits in the garden. Vain? Perhaps. But portraits of myself in the garden in fancy clothes remind me how special the place is to me. I will remember feeling special in my garden forever just by looking at my pictures.

How do you like to dress in the garden? Do you have favorite items to wear? Do you dress for the garden with care or just throw on whatever happens to be on the floor? How does dressing up in the garden make you feel? How do you dress outside of the garden?