The last time I wrote about Jo March, Style Icon, was January 2020, shortly after the release of Little Women. In so many ways, a simpler time. It marked the beginning of my love of vests and waistcoats, which endures. But as I was looking around for inspiration for my summer 2022 style adventures — and having a hard time visualizing my ideas — guess who popped back into mind?

Jo March.

Okay, so a lot of the outfits she wears in the most recent movie are more fall/winter than summer, but bear with me. My spring looks have been heavily leaning into the Historian avatar (inspired by my obsession with all things Ralph Lauren), but for summer, I feel like I need to pull more towards the Bohemian again. For the past 2 years, my Bohemian avatar has been centered around colour and pattern (key word: eclectic maximalism), both things I still enjoy, but I want to make a bit of shift now towards something softer and more romantic. Some of Ralph Lauren’s prairie/boho pieces fall in line with this aesthetic which I continue to struggle to articulate — I’ve seen the term “high country” used in a few places, but I’m not sure if it’s well defined enough. I’ve never been a fan of Wuthering Heights but when I say “romantic” in this context, that’s what I mean: gothic romance that’s all about wild, wind-swept places not dark forests and creepy castles. Think billowy nap dresses not sharply tailored black.

Now, you might say: what does Jo March have to do with it? And I’m sorry, but my brain works in mysterious ways. The heroine I see in my mind’s eye populating my prairie gothic romance would dress a lot like Jo March. Long skirts (or dresses), flowy robes, cropped jackets, waistcoats, Edwardian style blouses, roughhewn fabrics (heavy cotton, linen) mixed with soft ones (velvet, silk), patchwork, a little bit shabby chic, not too buttoned-up.

In general, I feel like I find my footing once I have a clear “character” in mind for my avatar. For the Historian, that character has been Diana Bishop in recent years. I have a very clear idea of what Diana would wear (in my opinion) and that’s helpful to me in visualizing and choosing my own outfits (when I want to tap into that avatar’s style). And, maybe, Jo March will become that character for my Bohemian avatar this summer.

There are definitely some common elements between my spring and summer style, but the latter takes those elements and loosens them up a bit – quite literally, I need looser/airier layers for summer. Less blazers, more robe-like duster coats. Less wool, more linen. You get the idea … hopefully.

Here are a few inspo photos I’ve been saving up:

As I mentioned, I think a lot of my current clothes will work nicely with this new direction, and I have a fairly short list of items I will be looking to add (secondhand, of course) to my closet to complement them. This includes: a white cotton prairie-style maxi skirt or possibly dress (airy but not see-through), a patterned silk waistcoat, a floaty robe-style long duster or two (could be dresses, as long as they’re the kind that button all the way down so they can be worn open), and some boho-style wide belts. I’ve starting keeping a written list of things I’m hoping to thrift — both for summer but also, looking ahead, for fall — in the hopes of manifesting my luck or, at least, keeping myself focused on these things (and ignoring other cute stuff that might distract me, always a danger with thrifting).

Details: Ace & Jig top (thrifted), Heritage House skirt (thrifted), Tabitha jacket (thrifted), Napoleoni shoes (thrifted), Stella & Max bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: The idea behind this outfit was simple: throw all the rainbow coloured things together and see what comes out. The result was a winner for me.

Details: Primavera dress (thrifted), Wilfred sweater (thrifted), Noul coat (thrifted), Tommy Hilfiger bag (thrifted), Napoleoni shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: This dress is such a 90s throwback in my eyes; it came with those little waist ties to tie around the back, which I promptly cut off. What I love most about it, apart from the silhouette, is the pattern — it reminds me of peonies. This was a simple outfit, but one which gave me strong “comfortable in my own skin” vibes. It’s probably utterly unmemorable for others, but a special one for me for that reason.

Details: Denim & Supply dress (Poshmark), Rafael Alfandary necklace (ebay), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail)

Thoughts: You can probably easily imagine the reasons why I got this dress. Mixed plaids, yes. Maxi length, yes. Bit of a prairie vibe, yes. And it does live up to my expectations except for one thing. The bust fits very very poorly. If I tighten the straps to make it fit, size-wise, then the cups sit way above my actual boobs. If I loosen the straps so that the cups sit roughly in line with my boobs, there is a lot of gaping. Sigh. So I will need to come up with innovative solutions to disguise this problem because I really do like the dress. First up: wearing a thin turtleneck underneath.

Details: J. Crew shirt (thrifted), Vince top (thrifted), Isabel Marant belt (thrifted), H&M pants (thrifted), Mackage jacket (thrifted), Ash sneakers (thrifted).

Thoughts: I am very pleased with how this outfit turned out; it’s low key, but feels very me. I have a stroke of inspiration to use the Vince knit tank top as a vest, and it worked out very well. The very baggy paperbag waist pants can accommodate a couple of layers tucked in, which is nice. The studded belt complements the studded sneakers, and it’s a nice touch of matchiness that I appreciate.

Details: J. Crew shirt (thrifted), vintage velvet vest (thrifted), On the Verge skirt (thrifted), Zara shoes (consignment), Obakki jacket (swap)

Thoughts: Just an experiment in making a short skirt work for me. I like how the outfit looked, though it didn’t feel very “me”.

Details: Rebel Sugar turtleneck (gift), Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted), Saint Laurent skirt (thrifted), St. John top (thrifted).

Thoughts: I kinda missed the season for wearing this wool skirt (one of my all time faves) but I managed to get in at least one outfit. And it was a good one — I liked the way the trompe l’oeil chains pair up with the plaid, it’s giving me McQueen vibes which is always a bonus.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt (thrifted), Made by PJ coat (thrifted), Ines de la Fressange pants (thrifted), Emanuel belt (thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This outfit was the result of a random pairing — I thought the colours of the shirt and jacket would work well together, so I tried them, and they did. I built the rest of the outfit around it. The pants have some burgundy in them, so I thought they would be a good match. The result has a certain Jo March-on-the-prairie feel to it, which I am very much into (more on that next week).

Note: I changed the title of this series to hopefully clarify the intent. I have a lot on my mind, but this is a snapshot of the things that are inspiring my creative expression, be it in art, fashion, home decor, or other adventures.

One. Pastel rainbow nails

I love rainbows, that is a given. But pastel rainbows seem extra happy and uplifting, somehow. Adding them to my fingertips is like a daily reminder to smile. I recently did a gel manicure very similar to the photo, albeit sticking mostly to the cool side of the colour spectrum. Loving it.

Two. French country shabby chic

I don’t know if I am using an industry-approved term, but I have been very into what I call a “French country shabby chic” aesthetic for home decor, particularly fabrics. It’s basically all old fashioned florals (toile fabrics, especially) mixed with textured fabrics, against white furniture (perhaps slightly distressed, and not even intentionally because, well, kids). Fresh flowers (especially irises, roses, hydrangeas, and other equally lush blooms). White, billowing curtains. Lightness and airiness, mixed with some vintage charm. I’ve been thinking a lot about a quote from Nancy Mitford, who said something to the effect that “all lovely rooms are a little bit shabby”.

Three. Libraries

With the basement renovations well under way, I’ve had libraries on my mind a lot. We are adding 2 more walls of shelves in the basement, which will drastically increase the overall library capacity; and it means that our collection will need reorganization. This is one of my favourite things to do; I think it’s a throwback to my undergrad days when I worked as a page at one of my university’s libraries — still, to this day, one of my favourite jobs. I spent my working hours there re-shelving books and moving collections around to accommodate new additions. Being around books, and handling them (often picking out new reads along the way) is close to the perfect way to spend time, as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, for the reorganization project before me, the added benefit is that it will also involve some shelf styling — I am a big fan of using random decor items as book ends — so I have a lot of planning to do.

Four. Magnolia skies

We don’t have a lot of magnolia trees around here, which makes me sad. But I love seeing pictures posted by friends on social media. There is something so soothing about the delicate pink against a blue sky.

Five. 90s style

I recently acquired a large lot of vintage magazines (mostly from the late 80s and early 90s) and have spent many blissful hours engrossed in their pages. I am really enjoying rediscovering 90s style from my 40-something lens; I am able to buy all the things I coveted as a teen, and enjoy the fashion without the body hang-ups I used to have as a teen. The image above is of a Romeo Gigli outfit, which is such a throwback name to me; it’s also something that looks incredibly fresh and inspiring to me now, in 2022.