Horsey Set

Despite having a general disdain for most pastoral pursuits, I still enjoy the idea of escaping to the countryside for some fresh air. Throughout history, nobility has always been intrigued with having a little jaunt en plein air, and it usually called for an entirely different wardrobe and a relaxed state of social etiquette. Even the Romans had countryside estates, suggesting that it's an integral part of the human condition to be drawn out of our urban dwellings and out into the untold wilds of a hunting lodge.

I love the special ceremony that surrounds all things equestrian. The boots! The coat! That hat! And the excuse to wear a French braid. As a child, I rode horses and I refused to settle for anything less than a velvety black riding hat, as opposed to the barn's glorified bike helmet. Ah yes, I was such a precocious little tyke. It reminds me of how I also insisted on wearing the sash style uniform in girl scouts instead of the vest, going against the will of my troop. And I'd do it again I say! Eh, I was never a joiner. But I digress.

Carolina Herrera's Autumn '08 collection was a bold example of modern "haute hunting", and I'm here to say: tally ho! I love a look that sells a lifestyle (I'm an advertiser's dream, I know) and this is one lifestyle I think I could get used to. The collection notes describe the whole affair as "a riding jacket you grab from the mudroom over a crinkle chiffon gown for an elegant dinner on the farm." Just the sort of inherent irony of "roughing it" in the lap of luxury that delights me. Herrera says it reflects "the ease and sophistication of the outdoors," and her design director describes it as a "hunting party at Versailles." Fact of the day: Marie Antoinette was reported to have ridden astride the horse instead of sidesaddle, as her status and the social mores of her time would have proscribed.



Just when you thought Herrera was the only one jumping on this one way trip to trendy town, this month's Domino Magazine featured "Equestrian Chic."

A mere coincidence? Kismet? Or how about just freakin' stylish. Let's not forget last Fall's must-have footwear: the knee-high riding boot. The chicest houses have always had horse sense-- where would Gucci be without it's ubiquitous bit motif? Longchamp without its running horse? You know you coveted that Ralph Lauren polo shirt at one point. And what high-end house of couture started out as a saddle company? Hermes, that's who. While I can't quiet ever agree with painted plate sets (save for Piero Fornasetti's iconic Tema e Variazione plates), I agree that equestrian inspired wares have a classic style that can't be ignored.

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" -Richard III, Shakespeare