Katrina Van Tassel

Following my Tim Burton post, I just had to post an outfit inspired by a Sleepy Hollow character, right? Originally I had planned to create this look with a black and white corset I was going to make myself, but GET THIS: literally no fabric store around me had black and white striped fabric. Luckily I fished some faux leather from my stack of fabric and crafted this fun little belt/corset. This outfit was of DIY importance for me. I feel like a lot of blogs have not been taking advantage of the DIY direction that fashion is moving in. I love how so many pieces these days are deconstructed and edgy, but it seems like people aren't brave enough to take that on themselves. We seem to be in an "anything goes" period of fashion, and I really wanted to take advantage of that. I turned an old striped blouse backwards and sewed some fancy sleeves onto the end of it. I tied a ribbon around my neck and cut my own damn jeans. I don't think we should be afraid of taking fashion into our own hands--that's the whole point of blogging right? This is a very silly and fanciful look, but for October and one of my favorite movies, I thought it was the right time to get creative. 

On Katrina Van Tassel: my oh my, she is the woman I want to be. I mean, she has seen some shit and lost a lot of people, but still she's so cool. For those not familiar, Katrina is the daughter of the richest man in Sleepy Hollow. Katrina exists in most (and I assume all) retellings of the Sleepy Hollow legend, but she rarely is given any more agency than her position as a Van Tassel and a beautiful woman. In Tim Burton's 1999 film though, she is a witch (really a healing woman) who falls in love with Ichabod (played by Johnny Depp and I would fall much quicker if I were her, let me tell you). Young Masbeth says of her: "[She is] a strange sort of witch, with a kind and loving heart." It's refreshing to see witches in this film shown as "children of nature" as Ichabod says it, especially when 100 years earlier New England was running wild with accusations of witchcraft--a term that then meant dealings with the devil. I always love the recognition of witches in film for what they really were: people (mostly women) who understood nature and its ways of healing. Katrina in Sleepy Hollow casts spells to protect her loved ones, follows men into the woods to help them solve mysteries, and wears some amazing dresses. I just had to honor her with my own reimagining of her iconic black and white gown. 

Outfit details: 

Shirt -- TJ Maxx many moons ago // Corset & Sleeves -- DIY // Shoes -- Target // Jeans -- H&M // Nail Decals -- NailPop

Thank you to Maddy for photos in the graveyard by her house!