February 28, 2024
Spring Boot Camp
The happy co-existence of the pretty with the practical, each jogging along in easy harmony beside one another, has been a rich seam of inspiration ever since Cabbages & Roses took shape around our kitchen table. An abiding refrain, it is there through everything, a constant nodded to in our name, breathed into our bones and stitched into our fabric: the marriage of the honest and hardworking cabbage with the decorative rose has always been at the crux of who we are.
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In that spirit, we have never been able to resist a delicate dress, dancing with florals or in gently billowing fresh white, worn with a good, sturdy boot. There is something about the combination that brings unbridled joy, all the more pronounced because it evokes the springtime days of childhood, back when gardens were explored and flowers inspected in a reliable ensemble of smocked frocks and Wellington boots. The scene was, of course, always bathed in early sunshine and thronged with sweet-smelling narcissi.
The springtime dress and boot combination, with its heady cocktail of nostalgia and innocence, is one we vow never grow to out of. We refuse to ever be too old to pull on woolly socks, trusty wellies and a flowing frock to stride across spring meadows and fields strewn with wildflowers. For, whilst the look draws us straight back to our scampering days, it also remains as pragmatic now as then; as the spring sunshine gathers strength, a sweetly floaty dress allows us to feel the grace of its rays while a good boot is perfect for navigating the ever-present risk of April showers. Why we were ever taught to deviate from so perfect an assembly, remains one of life’s eternal mysteries. Beauty need never preclude ease or the sublime comfort that once allowed us to run, skip, hop and jump for joy – four heart-bursting pursuits that the shift in seasons and our ever-dependable ensemble is stirring us to once more as we usher in the spring.
Violet Dent, our Creative Director, is long-time extoller of the classic dress and boot look. She says, ‘My favourite thing in spring is a Cabbages & Roses cotton dress with brown Chelsea boots and a knit tied around my shoulders. You can wear it anywhere: at home, into town, to a party, out to dinner. It’s comfortable, it’s easy, and I’m always excited for those warmer days when it becomes my everyday uniform.’
At the heart of this look sits a deep romance. Whilst boots and dresses deliver a dose of enchanting nostalgia, there is also something of the Austen heroine about the pairing: Lizzie Bennet fresh from striding to Netherfield in an empire line dress and proper ankle boots, or Marianne Dashwood pining for Willoughby in a shower-soaked field.
And so, in the name of channelling such wild hearts, we suggest never, but never, wearing this look apologetically: the lighter and more whimsical the dress and the more solid and serious the boot, the better.
A Few Of Our Favourite Boots To Wear With Our Spring Frocks
From top to bottom: