PRAIRIE X PREPPY @ GAB Fest ATX
This page contains affiliate links. Meaning, I get commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here. This blog post is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
Fair use disclosure
Hey y'all! I hope this message finds you well.
The Greater Austin Book Fest took place this past weekend at the historic Downtown Austin Public Library and it was quite the experience! For the opening rooftop author event, I found myself leaning into Prairie aesthetics — soft fabrics and romantic silhouettes; the kind of literary femininity that felt rooted in authentic storytelling.
Prairie style has always carried traces of nostalgia, handmade beauty, softness, and perseverance. Often connected to old journals, pressed flowers within books, long conversations under warm lights, and women creating despite limitation.
It felt appropriate to start the weekend events in that energy.
Because before the main event, there was still a buzzing anticipation within me. Nerves. Curiosity. That strange feeling of standing near the version of yourself you’ve been trying to grow into for years. Which made the rooftop party feel less like a networking event and more like a threshold.
Writers everywhere. Conversations floating between tables and cocktails. Creative energy vibrating within the space. And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was trying or cosplaying to enter the literary world. I was inside of it. A part of it. That was a very pivotal moment for me.
Then came GAB Fest. And my style choice naturally shifted.I leaned more Preppy — structured, polished, and intentional.
The Preppy aesthetic historically carries associations with academia, literature, discipline, presentation, and social belonging. There’s a refinement to it that felt aligned with the reality of sitting behind my very own table as an author.
It became one of those moments where your inner world catches up to your ambitious, external reality.
I spent the day speaking with readers, meeting other authors, hearing people compliment my table display, my branding, the softness of the lavender details, even the physical appearance of Lavender Heart Tea cover art. One woman even told me she came to find my table simply because she saw someone else carrying LHT around and thought it looked beautiful.
All of that stayed with me as I decompressed that evening. The fact that something I vulnerably created resonated visually before people even opened it. That realization connected deeply to this entire Prairie × Preppy contrast.
The Prairie look reflected the imagination of becoming: the romanticism of artistry and the softness required to create deeply vulnerable work.
While the Preppy aesthetic reflected embodiment: The presentation and structure.
The reality of taking myself seriously as a writer and creative professional.
One aesthetic held the dream. The other held the discipline.
And maybe that’s what made the weekend that much more emotionally significant. For years, I’ve been building quietly: writing, blogging, selling vintage, developing my visual identity, trying to create a cohesive ecosystem that authentically reflects me. And sometimes that kind of long-term creative work can feel invisible while you’re inside of it. But sitting at GAB Fest, seeing people interact with my work in real time, I realized something important: None of it was disconnected.
The writing. The visuals. The branding. The softness. The fashion. The storytelling.
Even the lavender.
It all spoke the same language.
Fashion has always communicated before words are spoken. But lately, I’ve been thinking more about clothing as emotional architecture — the visual language we use while moving through different versions of ourselves. That's why this particular Style Notes feels so important. Because this wasn’t trend forecasting. It was me witnessing my visual transition between aspiration and arrival.
The Keesh Edit: Prairie and preppy style remind us that becoming is both an act of curiosity and remembrance. We move forward by learning, but we stay grounded by honoring where we began.
SHOP MY LTK
Until next time.
BEFORE YOU GO: If you’re drawn to pieces like this, I share more on how I source, style, and build a resale shop around them in my ebook, How to Sell Your Closet and Everything In-between.
