The Unicorn Defends Himself

Selkie's Autumn collection for 2022 aptly title Highland Fling and Rose & Crown, features a number of lovely prints, but one that stole my heart even while watching the livestreamed preview was the "The Unicorn Defends Himself." This print is from a series of tapestries created in the Netherlands circa 1495-1505. The series depicts the hunt, capture, and death of a unicorn. While many scholars have hypothesized that the panels are symbolic representations of both Christ's passion for mankind and/or Man's passion for Woman, I think both are bunk.

To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a tapestry is just a tapestry. My interpretation is that we should take this drapery drama at face value; it's just the story of a unicorn being captured and killed. The End. They're beautiful works of art by supremely skilled craftsmen telling the tragic tale of a mythical creature destroyed by human greed, but filled with symbolism? No, probably not.

Unicorn mythology has existed in some form for over 4,000 years. In medieval lore, the unicorn was the epitome of the unspoiled being--wild, free, graceful, majestic--which can only be captured by a being equally revered, the young virgin woman. And why exactly would a vestal youth be interested in capturing a unicorn?

For profit or prosperity of course. The unicorn horn was thought to have healing properties for the sick as well as disinfectant abilities, so that if a unicorn horn was placed in poisoned water it would become clean and drinkable. I'd like to think that such a person would only use that horn for the good of many instead of lining her own pockets, but alas people (even virgin people) are still just people.

Dresses on the other hand, are more akin to unicorns in that they are so lovely and innocent and wholly without motive, they just exist in a state of beauty not just for their own sake but also to elevate their wearer. That must be why I feel more drawn to them than I do most people.

This particular unicorn dress does not disappoint. I was worried that the fabric would be coarse, upholstery-like in order to get the print and coloring just right, but oh no, this dress is soft flowy cotton and the colors and print are too beautiful for words. It's too beautiful for photos even, this dress has to be seen to be believed.

I know I spend a lot of money on clothes and dresses in particular, but believe me when I say that over the past two years I have reigned in my spending tremendously. For some time now, most of my time is just saving up; I only spend on the things that are really worth it and this dress is worth it.

Coming in at $400, purchasing this dress was no small matter. In fact, I'd already spent almost all the money I'd saved up by working tons of overtime so I could be ready for whatever the Autumn drop had to offer. I also figured if I didn't find anything with Selkie I'd try to hit Samantha Pleet's Black Friday sale for a couple of their Illuminated dresses. The Illuminated dresses by the way are also very reminiscent of medieval artwork. Guess I have a preference.

Since I was nearly fund-depleted it took a little maneuvering to get this beauty. Namely I asked my mom to make up the difference as an early Christmas gift and she agreed. Thankfully so, because if she didn't I was prepared to sell plasma in order to afford it. When I showed her the dress, she oooooohed for a moment and then handed over her credit card. It's good to have that kind of kindred spirit in your life at moments like that, and even better when they have a higher credit limit than you do.

Going into this, I also knew I'd be doing some alterations to the dress since Free People only carried sizes XS-XL and I wear XXS. For the two previous cotton Ritz dresses I've purchased, I have taken about 9-10"/23-25cm off the bottom of the ruffle so it isn't dragging the ground. But for this dress I decided to only take off 5"/13cm so instead of dragging it now is just above the ground.

I also took in the bodice about 1"/2.5cm on both sides of the zipper so that it was perfectly fitted to my waist and bust. The alterations took me about three or four hours and an entire bobbin of green thread to complete because there is so, so, so much ruffle to measure, cut, and hem. I stayed up late and then finished the following morning before work to get it done.

I used to follow a certain blogger/influencer and I loved how everything looked on her. Her height was posted on the blog and I would use how things looked on her as a gauge for what they would look like on me, except they never did look as amazing on me. One day, I saw a post where she wore dress that at four inches shorter than me was right at her knees and on me was well past them. I realized that she was tailoring her clothes and not mentioning it in her posts and was thoroughly disappointed because it's the little things like that that can make or break an article of clothing and if you'll have to do a little work on something, you should let people know.

To that end, these photos were taken before any alterations so that you can see how the dress looks and fits. Even with all this length and it being a smidge too big, I love the look, which is why I decided to leave most of the length on this one. If you love this print but it's already sold out in your size at Free People and Ivory Sheep, keep checking places like QuinnHop and Revolve. If you're still not having any luck, don't despair, the second Selkie drop is expected in mid-November. Join the groups, sign up for Selkie's notifications, and start saving because this unicorn is worth every penny.

With the next Selkie Fall drop likely on the way in the next week or two, there are sure to be a few more unicorn lovelies in that collection. There will be sweats and a Sugarfrill for certain and maybe even a few surprises. Since I have exhausted my Selkie Savings, I can only hope that I now have all my favorites and nothing else catches my eye. Fingers crossed! And if you haven't captured your unicorn, keep wishing, keep watching, and you're sure to get one soon.