"All children, except one, grow up."
"All the world is made of faith, trust & pixie dust."
"You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I will always love you. That's where I'll be waiting."
Peter Pan to Wendy Darling
"On these magic shores children at play are forever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more."
"So come with me where dreams are born, & time is never planned. Just think of happy things & your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land."
"Dreams do come true if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it."
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it. For to have faith is to have wings."
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Dress: Perri Cutten silk
Opera Coat: Vintage, Trent Nathan Gallery lace & taffeta
Booties: Corelli @ Williams suede & neoprene
Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier
Bag: Vera May satin (from Navie's Jewellers, Ipswich)
Chain: Prouds silver
Heart Pendant: Gift, silver
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A few weeks ago, I couldn't resist the opportunity to accompany a dear friend to a stunning ballet performance of J.M Barrie's classic children's novel, Peter Pan - the tale of the boy who never grew up & Wendy, the "darling" girl he taught how to fly. When I read novels, I tend to remember them in terms of phrases & themes. The characters & plot points are always secondary, as far as I'm concerned - it's the words I love; the pictures painted by every line. Peter Pan is so full of luminous, poetic text that I was concerned would be lost in the silent, music-driven medium of ballet. I needn't have worried; the choreographed masterpiece was just as profound as the book.
To see this reimagining of one of my favourite literary paragons, a special outfit was needed & this floral silk dress from Perri Cutten (a birthday gift from my best friend) & vintage 1990s Trent Nathan Gallery opera coat was just perfect!
What could have been a rather simple silhouette - plunging neckline, tapered waist, tulip hem - was transformed by the abstract "piecing together" of the rose print to give the garment a sense of uniqueness. Here it is in all its glory, sans jacket, below:
The black floral lace opera coat, with its taffeta collar & leg-o-mutton sleeves, as well as faceted onyx buttons & gathered "bustle" detail has Olde Worlde charm & is a style akin to what society ladies would have been wearing when the book was first published in 1911 - yet is thoroughly modern with a shorter dress worn beneath to allow the lace hemline to show.
A dip in temperature meant that my heeled suede & neoprene booties from Corelli were required, as well as a pair of matte 40 denier tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs toasty. A vintage-style black satin "pouch" evening bag from Vera May was then chosen to add a touch of whimsy to the otherwise sophisticated look.
Jewellery was kept to a minimum - a chunky silver heart pendant on a fob chain from Prouds all that was required. Scroll down for a few close-ups:
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