St. Ninian

St. Ninian was the first missionary to the Picts who lived in southern Scotland. He died in about 432, and his life and miracles are recounted both in Bede's Ecclesiastical History and a more detailed but less reliable work by Aelred of Rielvaux.

The Picts have come down to us in popular culture as the warriors who painted themselves blue as seen in movies like Braveheart and the most recent King Arthur movie.

Their stone carvings are scattered throughout Scotland. This one is in Abermenlo, Scotland, and serves as a fairly typical example:

Lots of geometric patterns and swirly designs. Circles, circles, circles.

So, I've loosely based today's outfits on the geometric pattern of the stone with a splash of blue. This dress is a hand-me-down from Erin again. I've never been a huge fan of dresses like these, but I liked the pattern on this one, so I decided to give it a try. The belt makes a huge improvement. Remember when I said I was giving up belts? Well, I guess I lied. Because sometimes belts are the most flattering thing in the world. I just had to figure out how I want to wear them.