Vintage Fashionista Friday: March 5, 2010

There is always a degree of excitement when I begin a new type of post that is set to occur regularly within the pages of Chronically Vintage. A clear sense of eagerness accompanies that exhilaration, as I begin to tentatively create the layout design that future editions (in this case for the brand new “Vintage Fashionista Friday” series) will adhere to – or at least be guided in some measure by.

To date one of the most popular posts on this site (not to mention one of my absolute favourite to put together!) has been Seven Stunning Vintage Holiday Season Outfits, which appeared in the early days of last December. That holiday season article – and the immensely positive response it received – really got the ball rolling in terms of what inspired the idea behind this new “end of the work-week” post.

In that piece I created seven distinct looks based on different vintage styles (such as “The Jitterbug” and “The Bombshell”), handpicking a number of items for each style. I think that for this budding series of fashion centered posts, I’m going to adopt a somewhat similar approach, however, instead of classifying each look by a title (for example, “The Girly-Girl”), I’m going to bestow a female name upon each weekly look.

As I was mentioning just the other evening on the phone with my step-dad (while discussing an entirely unrelated matter), I’ve always had a passion for naming things. Growing up I named nearly everything in my bedroom, including the beloved down filled pillow that saw me through my whole childhood (it’s name, if you're wondering, was Squishy), and that passion for bestowing monikers onto things has scarcely waned over the years (to this day any doll, plush toy or anthropomorphic item that comes into my house gets its own special name).

There’s something soulful and endearing about giving an item – or in this case, a handful of items grouped together – a human name. Doing so is certainly not a new act in the world of fashion; just think of the many clothing, shoe, handbag, and jewelry designers that assign monikers to their items and/or collections, some of which – like the Hermès Kelly bag – have literally become household names amongst those with a passion for style.

Of course the sort of look that one person might conjure up in their mind for the girl’s name “Evelyn”, for example, may be entirely different from what you yourself would picture someone with that name wearing. If you ask me, that’s part of the fun in assigning handles to things! The names I’ll bestow on each look are the product of my imagination; they’ll be based on anything and everything from a passing whim to a lifelong association with a direct source of inspiration.

In giving a ladies’ name to each weekly outfit (which is composed of a selection of different wardrobe pieces, accessories and related items that tie into a particular style), I feel that it embeds an extra level of depth to the very title “Fashionista”. For just as with women themselves, beautiful looks should always have a name to be remembered by.

And on that very note, let me present Chronically Vintage’s first ever edition of “Vintage Fashionista Friday”, staring a lovely, excellent for the beginning of March ensemble I’ve dubbed “Daphne”.


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{Sensuous curves and a fabulously elegant shade of steely-lilac, paired with gold toned arm bands, combine to make this stunning set of 1950s aluminum cat eye style frames a true work of art for your pretty peepers. Vintage women’s eyeglasses frames (which do not include lenses, so that you easily have them filled with your own prescription), $82.00 (US) from etsy seller Vintage 50s Eyewear.}



{Cardigans are a wardrobe staple all year round, but few times call for them more than when winter is slowly beginning to transition into spring. This immensely cheerful vintage button front sweater (labelled as size “M”) in the hue of fresh churned butter would pair well with everything from sun dresses to wool skirts, making a great piece to have on hand no matter the season. Splash some sunshine into your wardrobe with this cute cardi, which can be found from etsy seller My World of Wonder’s shop for $28.00 (US).}



{When I think of a woman named Daphne, I imagine a bold mix of sultry allure and girl-next-door charm. She’s the type of gal who wears a fragrance that is both feminine and powerful, such as Galanos (by Galanos), a classic scent that’s been on the market for over thirty years now. Mixing cedar wood with geranium, rose, carnation, oak moss, musk and other heady floral and earth notes, this scent would be perfect for the ethereal lady I envision in today’s vintage look. A 60ml bottle of Galanos eau de toilette can be had for $43.24 (Cnd) from FragranceX.com.}



{A cacophony of gorgeous leaves in rich shades of blue, plum and yellow swirl to and fro across this immensely pretty 1940s/50s cotton day dress (complete with rhinestone buttons down the front), which is fits up to a 40 inch bus/32 inch waist, and is available for $118.00 (US) from etsy seller The Greedy Seagull.}



{This glistening set of elasticized rhinestone bracelets from Forever 21 would be the perfect way to add a pop of sparkle to another wise understated outfit – or they’d do just as nicely as the finishing hit of pizazz for a to-the-nines look. No matter what you match them up with, there’s no denying their sticker price of $10.80 (US) for the entire set is real gem of a deal!}



{Sometimes it’s the most agelessly precious of items that can add extra life to an outfit or a room. Case in point, this darling Bukowski of Sweden plush bunny rabbit, which so wonderfully echoes the approaching spirit of spring and Easter time. This sweet little bundle of faux fur can be found for $10.00 (US) from etsy seller Hello Darling! Vintage.}



{Imagine you’re strolling through a field of vibrant daffodils as you go about your day in these upliftingly lovely “Lemon Meringue Heels”, complete with their playful matching bow. These stylish citron hued pumps are available in women’s sizes 5.5 to 10, for $34.99 (US), from ModCloth.com.}

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I truly hope that you all enjoy and garner your own wardrobe inspiration from this blossoming series of weekly Friday articles. I must say, I'm even more giddy about the idea of Vintage Fashionista Fridays then when I began writing at the start of this post (surely that's a positive sign of things to come!).

Wishing you each a gorgeous weekend filled with countless reasons to smile, my eternally stylish dears!