Hello dearies! Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to create classic book-inspired outfits; of course, with my own vintage twist applied. You may be familiar with the concept of “Disneybounding” which would fit most “Alice in Wonderland” outfits of today.
However, If you are more drawn to the stories than cartoons, you can still enjoy this concept by going back to their origin in the classic book form. The ideas can be endless, as you will see in this Lewis Carroll inspired “Alice In Wonderland” post.
The inspiration behind book inspired outfits!
The inspiration for the book inspired outfits began when I was planning to attend a Mad Tea Party at The Storyteller’s Cottage in Simsbury, Connecticut as they had recently installed a Wonderland Tea Room. It’s a magical place where literature comes to life and they host all sorts of literary events and adventures. Jonas & I had the honor of being on their literary magazine one year ago and since then we’ve even more inspired to combine our love of books, tea, and vintage.
We brought our antique book copies of “Alice in Wonderland” because it is a Mad Tea party after all!
This tea party was extra special since my dear kindred spirit Veronique was able to come and I’m so blessed to have a friend like her who also loves to put together book inspired outfits. We both had our own antique copies of “Alice in Wonderland” with the same illustrations by Sir John Tenniel which are in black and white because they were originally printed by the wooden block method in 1865. Over the years, color was added and by looking at them you can get an sense of the characters’ color palettes; contrary to how the movies may portray them. For example, did you know Alice’s hair was meant to be more brunette than blonde and the Cheshire Cat was originally brown and not pink with purple stripes?
Words from a self-proclaimed vintage cat lady.
Veronique who is a self-proclaimed cat lady already had some thrifted/vintage feline accessories that she creatively mixed together in muted earthy tones. To quote her Instagram post: “Of course, I had to dress as my favorite character, the Cheshire cat! I love that he is the guiding spirit to Alice, yet is absolutely mad šø I wore my vintage tapestry cat vest with my matching boots, which I paired with a plaid blouse in the same colors, a brown skirt and to be tea party ready, a teapot brooch.”
My Alice inspired outfit is more of what you’d expect and similar to the Disney version. However, the first colored illustrations of Alice’s dress was yellow and later blue. I went with this baby blue Lindy Bop dress with embroidered tulips fit perfectly for the spring tea party.
“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”
It’s the details that make an outfit unique!
Veronique & I think that what makes an outfit truly unique is the details. A novelty brooch or handmade jewelry with a quote from a book can really pull the whole look together plus pay a nod to the original inspiration. Of course, a book itself is the best accessory of all!
During the tea party we had trivia and it became rather apparent that I haven’t re-read “Alice in Wonderland” since I was a child because I got hardly any of the answers correct! I look forward to when we’ll read it in our book club because I was already inspired to see celebrate each day as if it’s an “unbirthday” which became more true to life than I could have expected during quarantine (which happened just after this event).
Since The Storyteller’s Cottage had to close their doors for now, they’ve developed an Online Academy full of writing workshops, art classes, author coaching, and so much more! In a strange way, it’s wonderful that they would now offer so much virtual content so that anyone can visit the Storyteller’s Cottage wherever they are.
Perhaps, our world now isn’t so different than Wonderland where our new reality is a bit bonkers but that isn’t all together bad, just as the Cheshire Cat explains to Alice:
āBut I donāt want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you canāt help that,” said the Cat: “weāre all mad here. Iām mad. Youāre mad.”
“How do you know Iām mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldnāt have come here.ā
Do you have a favorite “Alice In Wonderland” quote? I hope you enjoyed this post and I look forward to bringing more bookish outfits your way! Bye For Now, -Lindsay Dianne
P.S. Consider supporting us on Patreon! For as little as a cup of tea you can get exclusive perks. Check it out. …”We’re all mad there!“
Comments
You both look enchantingly lovely.
I’m with you a trillion percent regarding the little details/subtle touches doing wonders to take an outfit from lovely to magnificent. That is so true and has long been a guiding principle in my wardrobe as well.
Autumn Zenith š§” Witchcrafted Life
I always love your attention to detail in your outfits, thanks so much dearie!
What’s up friends, how is the whole thing, and what you would like to
say regarding this piece of writing, in my view its really amazing
in favor of me.