I believe horses are from outer space
vintage and secondhand equestrian finds for your inner horse girl
I’m playing catch up this week, so please excuse this ~special~ (but very thorough!) Friday edition of Trash Panic - it will be business as usual next week!
When I first started at my previous job as a luxury stylist, my boss at the time, we’ll call her C, decided she wanted to do a team building, team bonding activity.
If there is one thing that I hated most in the world of corporate life, it was a team building, team bonding activity. Just words “team bonding” makes me want to melt into a ooey gooey puddle and disappear.
I don’t like being perceived.
I don’t like doing physical activities in public.
And I especially don’t like doing them in a professional work environment with a group of women dripping in Dries and Dior.
Knowing this day was already going to be something I would eventually be dissecting with a therapist, I made a pact with myself to disassociate from the crippling awkward I knew was ahead.
Oh, how naive I was.
C, in a move I can only assume was to make it seem like she was relatable and of this earth, decided that horseback riding was the perfect thing to bring her team into harmony. To say I was dreading it, was an understatement.
For as long as I’ve loved fantasy books and movies, I’ve loved the idea of horses. Not in a typical “horse girl” kind of way, but in an elven fairy princess powerfully prancing across an open field kind of way. More Arwen, less rich white girl.
(The soundtrack to my fantasy. In case you wanted to know.)
But my horseback riding reality has never made that fantasy come true.
When we arrived at the ranch, I quickly realized what an outsider I felt to the rest of my team. I didn’t have a look, an outfit, a horseback riding look. No equestrian pants tucked perfectly into Chanel riding boots, or Hermès scarves to wrap around my shoulders.
Awkward sweat began to tickle my armpits.
I felt frumpy and inferior, already struggling with the fact I didn’t fit in with the typical “fashion girlies.” I wanted, so badly, to go home.
The host of the ranch told us to put on our helmets and line up so we could be assigned our horses. I assumed my usual position — the last, and shortest in the line up. As everyone got paired up with a youthful, elegant horse, I watched as the staff hmm’ed and hah’ed in my general direction. Despite only being a couple inches shorter than a coworker, they seemed to believe me unbelievably small for an adult. (Let the record show! I am! in fact! over 5’ tall!)
At this point everyone else was strapped into their saddles, ready to go, and deep in whispery chittery chit chat that my anxiety assumed could only be pointed in my general direction.
An eternity later, a rancher finally emerged from the barn….dragging along the oldest, saddest, tiredest, tiny pony I had ever seen.
It was giving elderly Lil’ Sebastian at best! This creature wanted a snack and a long nap and I couldn’t blame him.
I was the butt of every joke as this poor old pony suffered through every hilly climb, stopped to munch on every berry bush and drudged across the sandy beach for two long, grueling, anxiety inducing hours. Colleagues did laps around me, galloping back and forth to check in and see “how the weather was all the way back here.”
I tried, with every fiber of my being, to pretend I was the cool, chill girl who loves being the butt of the joke, but inside my smol fragile ego was crumbling.
The good news is, I survived and lived to tell the tale, despite arriving at our final destination a solid 20 minutes after everyone else and having had to sit through a lunch where everyone recalled their favorite part of the ride - looking back and seeing me on a tiny, old pony.
I haven’t been horseback riding since.
I have, however, become weirdly obsessed with horse related clothing and accessories. There’s something about not being a horse girl that suddenly makes you feel like it’s okay to embrace the irony of being a horse girl? But also, why are we still judging the horse girl? One day, I will get my actual (full size) horseback riding fantasy!
Anecdotal traumatizing horse story aside, I think developing personal style comes from taking time to explore your interests and finding ways to incorporate that knowledge into something physical that represents you. Dressing, for me, feels almost like a billboard, advertising what makes you who you are, expressed physically in things like a brooch, unique bag, or funky shoes.
When I think of people who take the time to master their art, whether it be chefs or fine artists, the one thing most will agree on, is that you have to step outside your own perspective and take the time to explore the vastness of the world in order to hone your craft. Knowledge is power yada yaaa. Mastering the technique of dressing for yourself is no different. Personal style is the accumulation of the things and interests that make you who you are and how you want to represent that outwardly. It involves trial and error, wearing “bad outfits,” and trying things you’ve never thought you’d like.
For me, this is something I’m really trying to exercise in my 30s. I never got to go through the years of being an angsty teen who tried on the different hats of weird piercings, questionable shirts from Hot Topic, or strange hair colors. I panic about how much time I spend now scrolling past other people’s lives and not living my own. I’ve tried to make a bigger effort to watch more movies, read more books, and explore more museums, parks, restaurants and book stores. Personal style comes from learning and growing and finding all the nooks and crannies where you snugly fit right in.
I first started down a horse related vintage search spiral earlier this year when I was planning to have a birthday meal at the (now very scandalized) LA restaurant, Horses. (The scandal broke literally 12 hours after we ate there.) The food was okay, the butter was a highlight, but the horse decor stole the show and tickled my senses into thinking I needed more horse motifs in my life.
I decided that incorporating more horse related things into my life made sense based off of various TV shows and movies that have helped shape my likes and interests and general being. With that in mind, I went down an internet rabbit hole.
These are the findings from my research and looks/outfits/vibes/etc that I will be incorporating into my “stop wearing pajamas all day” fall moodboard.
Let’s get into it.
I’ve been deep in Peaky Blinders rewatch (is it a rewatch when you’ve seen it 100 times?) and every time I see May Carleton, the rich, widowed horse trainer, wearing this incredible long, shawl collared coat, I immediately go on a vintage hunt. It’s hard to find one that’s true to the early 1920s era, but this fabulous 70s tapestry one would definitely fill the void. I will forever love the look of riding boots tucked under a longer skirt or dress and think it’s a classic way to wear a flat boot that doesn’t scream 2004 in the worst way possible. This fall I will be channeling these vibes while also making Mike cosplay Tommy Shelby (minus the newsboy cap, because no thank you) because who doesn’t want to live in that fantasy? Also, May is most definitely my height and I’m sure she rides a full sized horse, ahem.
(Moving clockwise from top left: tapestry coat, bakelite brooch, Dôen cardigan, Isabel Marant blouse, Ferragamo riding boots, cigarette case, Dôen dress, horse pocket watch)
Despite the last two seasons of Yellowstone being nothing but weird cowboy propaganda, I live for the Montana fantasy the first two seasons created (minus the cringe gentrification.) It fuels the "prancing across an open field” fantasy while also making you wish the had the rancher lifestyle that validated your decision to wear a worn in Carhartt jacket.
(Moving clockwise from top left: Carhartt jacket, cowboy hat necklace, Stetson hat, gold earrings, Gabriela Hearst riding boots, belt buckle, Gucci suede clutch, Pendleton scarf, horse cardigan)
Mike has never seen Mad Men, and I’m convinced it’s one of the greatest television shows to ever air, so we’re doing a full (re)watch of the series. Betty is what I think of when I imagine the traditional “horse girl.” She’s preppy, old school, and takes the fashion very seriously. I love the idea of incorporating some of these general vibes into my every day wardrobe because it feels so disruptive to the genre when paired with tattoos, bleached hair, and piercings. Punk rock Betty, here I come. Those vintage Hermès riding pants have so much cool girl potential!
(Moving clockwise from top left: Hermès scarf, horse bracelet, Gucci wallet, Ralph Lauren vest, tote bag, Hermès riding pants, Valentino boots, Timmy Woods purse, Hermès gloves)
And lastly, (for today) my forever favorite elf fantasy. It’s hard to channel my Rivendell feels without a hard turn right into Renaissance Fair territory, so I’m thinking true vintage equestrian mixed with velvet art deco mixed with hyper feminine is the way to go here. This is definitely a style I used to wear in my early 20s and I think I need to bring it back.
(Moving clockwise from top left: velvet opera coat, The Row gown, unicorn brooch, equestrian coat, Khaite boots, beaded bag)
Whew! You made it to the end!
I know this seems like a random topic to dive into, but in exercising developing my personal style, I’ve found that focusing on themes helps me narrow in on outfits and looks I want to try. Some of them will be winners, and some I’ll leave the house and wonder why I ever put it on — it’s a process!
I hope this left you itching to discover something vintage/secondhand/preloved you never thought about or makes you want to rewatch a favorite movie and consider what you can take away from it that makes you want to integrate something new into your personal style.
As always, my inbox is open. Tell me your thoughts!
Until next week,
xo,
G
I’m sorry, MIKE HAS NEVER SEEN MAD MEN??? Also please tell me you’ve seen the movie Horse Girl with Allison Brie (suuuuch a weird movie)!