Lake District Dress

As a child, I adored being read to from my thick anthology of Beatrix Potter's stories. Now, as an adult, I love reading about her life. When Beatrix was young, her parents discouraged education, but during visits to England's Lake District, Beatrix pursued her passions, observing and painting the countryside's flora and fauna. When she was older, her parents expected her to marry into her social class, but she instead sought out publication for a children's story she had written and illustrated. Beatrix became an astoundingly successful, financially independent author, and fell in love with and became engaged to her publisher, a man her parents did not deem worthy. In subsequent years, Beatrix published 22 more books and used much of the money she made in royalties for conservationist efforts, buying 4,000 acres of land that is now the Lake District National Park. This dress by Yumi, a designer based out of the UK, immediately recalls one of my favorite Potter stories, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor's Garden," in which a curious young Peter rabbit defies his mother's warnings to foray into Mr. McGregor's garden. Composed of a sleeveless, diaphanous, cream colored bodice with a double ruffle bib and three iridescent buttons engraved with flowers,and a sage green skirt printed with polka dots and tiny bunnies with burgundy bundles packed onto their backs, this fully lined frock boasts a lovely belt whose buckle is adorned with two, cream colored cabbage roses. When winter turns the corner to spring and the world turns from grey to green, I will celebrate spring by slipping into this dress, adding a pair of cream colored pumps, ladylike gloves, and a vintage-inspired clutch! -Jennifer, Fashion Writer