your guide to a very 'practical magic' spring
from garden fairy florals to crisp victorian-ish shirting, a secondhand breakdown of what all four owens women would wear this season.
Today’s newsletter is inspired by a reader message I received two days ago:
It was in reference to this piece I wrote last October—one of the most beloved Molehill letters to date!—about the cozy, witchy charm of the fictional Owens sisters' outfits.
I had always thought of the movie as THE sartorial blueprint for Halloween/fall vibe dressing, but the timing of this reader’s message made me realize…Practical Magic is actually a movie about spring fashion, too!
From Sally and Gillian’s cardigan-over-slip dress outfit formula to Aunts Frances and Bridget’s proclivity for lush patterned layers, dressing like a 90s witch is perennially in style.
This newsletter will focus on the clothes, but Practical Magic is a mindset more than anything. It’s a lifestyle rooted in plants, sisterhood, and the magic in the everyday.
This can look like brewing a morning cup of mint tea with local honey, or trying to grow a wee dill plant on your city apartment windowsill. Or dancing in your room to Mazzy Star songs in organic cotton underwear after a shower. Or having a girl’s night over homemade pesto pasta, followed by laptop time on the couch for parallel play AKA eBay browsing together. Oh and midnight margaritas, OBVIOUSLY!!!
Below, an updated (and improved!) guide to Practical Magic dressing—spring edition. It’s a looong one today.
Botanical Print
This lilly of the valley print set Sally wears is the epitome of spring earth witch. It’s from 1998 Blumarine, and it’s like Narnia where a vintage grail will only appear online if you are NOT looking for it…
Here are some secondhand pieces to brew herbal tonics in.
BODE Lily of the Valley Shirt — XS, $200. I’ve never owned a BODE piece, but the brand is all about craftsmanship. This shirt is what I imagine an off-duty Chez Panisse cook would wear with those brown oiled leather Dansko clogs.
Josephine Chaus Silk Green Leaf Skirt —Size 12, $20. Excellent price for vintage silk, would look adorable with a simple white tank top and straw hat.
Y2K 100% Silk Botanical Fern Halter Slip Dress — Size 2, $48. I love a bias cut. Wear this to a spring wedding. It would look so rom-com heroine styled with a cream colored thong mule similar to the Sandy ones, or these Blumarine green butterfly ones that are sadly not my size.
Ann Taylor 90s vintage sheer silk blouse — 6P, $34. The silhouette gets the little details right: the fluttery-ness, the V-neck, the keyhole on the back. A sheer moment is so pretty and the purple adds a witchy feeling. Wear this with low (ish) rise relaxed jeans.
Botanical Leaf Crochet Trim Cardigan—2X, $35. Love the mix of olive green and the brighter, almost silverly flecks in the leaves. I’d style it with these green sneakers I have that are a close color match.
Diane von Furstenberg 100% Silk Leaf Print Skirt —Size 2/4, $43. Picturing this with a green cardigan for something work appropriate. Maybe in this chartreuse shade or a bright melon green.
Garden Fairy Florals
Botanical vs. floral gives a very different energy, which is exemplified by the difference between Sally’s herb witch fit and this Victorian garden fairy look Gillian is serving here (it’s 50% the white sheer gloves). The former is more earthy and tangible, the latter is more floaty and ethereal.
Here are pieces that nail the fairy-like aura you’re looking for in the sea of secondhand floral prints.
Vintage silk floral skirt with three ruffles—size 4, $32. The placement of the ruffles!
Calvin Klein bias cut floral midi skirt—size 8, $22. Somewhere out there is a person who looks gorgeous in dusty mauve, and that person is not me. I love the ~mystique~ of this print.
Vintage 100% Silk Floral Whimsigoth Skirt—2XL, $34. Feels more 2000s than 90s, but the ditsy daisy print still gives garden fairy.
Moschino Cheap & Chic floral silk midi skirt - Size 8, $163. The colorway is a little too saturated for the Practical Magic universe, but I’m biased because I have this print in the cami version! This is like, if the witches time traveled to 2002.
Vintage Embroidered Sheer Silk Side Zip Pencil Skirt — 4P, $20. The colors in this skirt are so 90s it reminds me of the curtains in the house I grew up in. If you told me this was a vintage Prada design, I would believe you. The combination of the silk and sheer texture is perfect. With pencil cut skirts like this, I think you could do a sexier cami shape with some lace to offset the primness.
Floral Embroidered Cardigan
