A Historic Take on Your Valentine's Day outfit
What does one wear for Valentine’s Day in order to honor its long history and traditions, yet keep in line with this season’s trends? How can you provide impressive factoids and stimulating conversation on your Valentine’s Day date? Well, lucky for you I did a little bit of research on why certain traditions are hallmarks affiliated with Valentine’s Day: hearts, lovebirds, velvet, lace, and the colors of red, lavender and pink.
The history about St. Valentine is murky at best. Historians believe that he was a person that lived during the 3rd century AD. While you may have guessed Valentine was a romantic, did you know he was a jailbird? One legend recounts Valentine being imprisoned for marrying couples in secret, defying the law at the time. Young men weren’t allowed to marry because they were specifically groomed for battle. Sadly, this die hard romantic (sorry, I had to), was executed on February 14 for his defiance and his belief in coupling. This may be where we get the notions of love and hearts. What to wear: Both bold reds and lavender are colors for 2017-18 autumn and winter. With a touch of gold or greenery, wearing these colors are a must.
Valentine’s Day doesn’t just celebrate human coupling but also recognizes the middle of February as a time where birds pair up for mating season. It is because of birds coupling during this time of year, that birds or “lovebirds” is naturally associated with Valentine’s Day. What to wear: Donning skirts or blazers with embroidered bird or feather designs will be an elegant choice. Also, any accessory with printed designs that include birds or feathers will add relevance and interest to your outfit. Lastly, by all means, if you have feather anything in your closet, what better time to break it out!
The ancient pagan holiday associated with Valentine’s Day, called Lupercalia, was a festival that celebrated fertility for crops and people. Historians believe that during the 5th century Luperi priests (some say laymen too), would perform rituals, including sacrificing a goat, then run the Roman streets with blood soaked goat hides seeking eager women to slap with the hides. Women believed the sacrificial blood made them more fertile and were honored to take part in the ritual. What to wear: So wear something red…? Animal print? Fur! Yes, fur! Vintage fur coats are trending this winter and elevate any outfit. However, goats are not trending. If vintage fur is not your jam, consider a vegan leather jacket or blazer.
During the 1400’s Valentine’s Day became a more romantic holiday, less focused on well, ummm…rituals of fertility. However, it wasn’t until the early 1800s that Valentine’s Day cards were mass produced, versus the tradition of making a card for your sweetheart. Decorations of lace, velvet, and ribbon were standard materials used for these cards and are still affiliated with Valentine’s Day. What to wear: Velvet has made a huge comeback this season. Strappy velvet pumps (in red, or shades of purple) is a very current, and sexy Valentine’s Day choice. Lace is always a great way to offset the richness of velvet or elevate adornments like ribbon-but please, not ribbon chokers. Chokers are no longer trending. A lace pencil skirt or off the shoulder lace blouse adds a delicate and romantic look to your outfit.
I hope this was fun to read and ultimately gave you outfit ideas beyond wearing red or pink. Your date(s) will be so very impressed with your oh, so cursory recount about Valentine’s Day and how very clever you were to weave some notion of historical relevance into your outfit!
