Do As The Roman(tic)s Do
Behind February’s Mood Board
Welcome back to Notes Of, my monthly-ish mood board column where I do a little exercise in thematic thinking. This month’s mood board is, quite appropriately, inspired by all things *romantic*.
Thanks to a fashion journalism class I took for a few weeks in college (for which I had to come up with endless punny headlines, à la “Skirting the Issue”), I’ve developed a tic where I am constantly brainstorming play-on-word-filled phrases. It’s a weird habit—whenever I have to title something, I can’t help but run through a series of sometimes clever, more often dad-joke-y puns that should never see the light of day.
Which is how I landed on this month’s theme: the word “romantic”. Valentine’s Day is here—a holiday I love—and I’ve been in the mood to make a mood board of all my favorite things, flowers, ribbon, and handwritten notes included. But as I was sourcing images, a parade of phrases, lyrics, and rhymes kept popping into my head. “When in Rome-ance”, for instance, unfortunately.
I found myself wondering whether the word romantic has anything to do with Rome, and what do you know—of course it does. I don’t have time to go too far down the etymology rabbit hole this week, but a quick Google search told me that romantic comes from the Latin Romanus, which means—you guessed it—“Roman.” Merriam-Webster says that in Old French, the Latin Romanice was adapted as romans or romanz, nouns referring to works from the Middle Ages that tell stories of “the affections and adventures of knights.” “Romans takes on a meaning referring specifically to metrical treatments of the love and times of the chivalrous,” M-W explains, “and the fate of the Modern English word romance is sealed: its close association with tales of love joins it forever to love stories.”
That’s about all the background I needed to charge onward in a more focused direction. So this mood board is a little exploration of the word’s many meanings, from the Roman Holiday variety to the “romanticize your life” kind.
Sources: Always & Forever, Jordan Schiffer; Roman Holiday, William Wyler, 1953; 1930s antique drawnwork textile, The Textile Trunk on Etsy; Rocco Ristorante, Rome, Italy; Rosa cardigan, Cawley Studio; Pink Shirt on Table, Maggie Siner, 2025; antique jewelry box, Lucia Zolea; Medea, William Hamo Thornycroft, 1889; The Gingerbread Palace, Adolph Sutros, San Francisco, California; photo by me in Rome, 2019; Clairo Charm Tour 2024 poster, Caleb Vanden Boom; Festons und Decorative Gruppen aus Pflanzen und Thieren, Martin Gerlach, 1893; Madonna Osteria, Paris, France; Rescue, Florence Reekie, 2024; interior detail at the Simone Rocha SS26 show; aluminum embossing, Daniela Doe
Looking to add a little romanz to your life? Consider this my Valentine to you—a syllabus of ten of my favorite practices that make the day-to-day just a little more romantic, whether you’re partnered or celebrating solo…
