Give Me Liberty.....of London!

Here is what I love: Jane Austen, tea parties, Jane Austen themed tea parties, Anthropologie window displays, traveling, Cavelier King Charles Spaniels, and.......Liberty of London. Pardon the title's anti-patriotic play on words -- Patrick Henry is rolling in his grave right now.  My first encounter with Liberty came during my first real trip abroad to England when I was a wee precocious ten year old, and it is to this family vacation that I blame my obsessive adoration for all things British. During our tour of London ("tour" being used in a loose sense, if you consider my dad shuffling us around with his Rick Steve's guide, fanny pack, and zip-off pants a proper "tour"), in between the Tower of London and afternoon tea at Brown's, my mother and I hit up all the classic department stores, including Harrod's and Liberty. It was at Liberty that I truly fell in love: from it's spectacular Tudor facade to the miles and miles of beautiful prints inside. 

To me, Liberty embodies British chic. Established by Arthur Liberty during the Victorian Era in 1875, the iconic British department store introduced Eastern textiles and other goods to the West and soon became synonymous with bold floral prints and decorative patterns. In this video, Liberty's creative director, Tamara Salman, talks about the history of Liberty, as well as the company's design process.

Fortunately, thanks to the lovely people at the Gap, MAC Cosmetics,  Nike, and most recently Target, you don't have to travel to London to see Liberty's beautiful prints; over the years, Liberty has created adorable (and economical) product and fashion lines for a variety of stores. Give me Liberty!

 For this Drop Cap, I recreated one of Liberty's classic floral prints into the shape of an H.