the village frock

Most of the fairy tales seem to take place deep in some dark, foreboding woods. There is usually some trauma, a main character gets lost, a wolf seeks to eat them, or some other unearthly danger befalls the threatened character--"babes in the wood" being one of the darkest and saddest stories, in my opinion. Beyond the forest, there is usually a village. It is not always mentioned, but alluded to. And somewhere beyond the village, most likely a city. Lynne and I have wracked our brains to think of a city setting for any of the fairy tales. We could not think of one. (If you have any brilliant ideas, pass them along, s.v.p.)

It may seem a bit anachronistic to have a villagey dress in an urban setting. But in my opinion, it's not. Since the days of the fairy tales, our social patterns have changed: we don't seem to have villages in America. Officially, there might be some, but they are more likely called a town, or a township, or a suburb. I grew up in a suburb of nowhere; the nearest city was four hours away. Now I live in a suburb of somewhere, somewhere big and exciting and full of foreboding skyscrapers and threatening characters, and much action and adventure. Some might call NYC a utopia, some might call it a hell. Others, the perfect setting for a modern-day fairy tale. Certainly the perfect backdrop for a turquoise linen frock: handmade in a village and worn in the city.