July 1, 2012

Festive red and white 1950s gingham for Canada Day

 

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_3

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_10

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_2

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_7

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_4

 

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_9

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_13

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_11

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_5

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_8

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_14

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_6

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_16

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_12

1950s red and white gingham dress, Mission Creek Park vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiiano, image_15



Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
 
Red and white polka dot headband: Claire's
 
Red rose stud earrings: Claire's
 
Red vintage plastic bead necklace: gift with purchase from an etsy seller
 
White button front blouse: Reitmans
 
Cute gold toned poodle brooch: eBay
 
Red and white 1950s gingham sundress: etsy seller JanesVintage
 
Red vintage belt: unknown (probably off of a different 1950s dress)
 
Red lace trimmed pettiskirt/crinoline: Pettiskirt Style
 
Thicker red bangle bracelet: Forever 21
 
Thin red and white bangles: etsy seller Me She Designs 
 
Vintage straw clutch: thrifted
 
Nude seemed stockings: eBay
 
White pumps: Payless
 
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red layered over top of Clinique's Raspberry Glace


Photography by
Antonio Cangiano


♥ ♥ ♥


The early morning light is soft and warm like the feeling of sun-kissed sand between your toes as it bathes me here in the living room this morning, a perfect start to today's fantastic Canada Day celebration and all the merriment and fun that July 1st holds in store.

Knowing that Canada's birthday was on the horizon, I recently did a photo shoot at Mission Creek Park in Kelowna in its honour. I wanted a location that conveyed a sense of Canadiana without being as a glaringly obvious as, say, a field of maple trees or a hockey rink. No, what I was after was something homey, old-fashioned, humble and beautiful, and a small log cabin building located near one of the entrances to this provincial park fit the bill to an absolute tee.

The day was, much like this lovely morning, bright and sunny, with scarcely a cloud in the sky or worry on my mind, and Tony and I had a blast as he captured snap after snap of me in this terrific spot. I've always been a big fan of log homes, both for their Swiss Miss and Canadian vibes, and have to say this might be my favourite location we're shot at so far this year.

Calling to mind everything from Little House on the Prairie to farm kitchen curtains, gingham - like that used in my red and white 1950s sundress here - is a perpetual favourite of mine, and a true classic the world over. I love gingham for its youthful appeal, timeless sweetness, and ability to play well with other patterns (in this case a polka dot headband), and sport it frequently all year round, with a particular emphasis on the warmer months.

Back at the end of May, mere days after today's vintage outfit photos were captured, the fine folks over at Vintage Living magazine used two images from this shoot in a piece they did on me, called A Dress with a Checkered Past - My Vintage Find.

It's been so hard not talk about this lovely honour with all of you sooner, but I really, really wanted to save this Canada Day appropriate outfit and location for today, so I held off on mentioning it until now. I'm tickled pink that Vintage Living did this post about me and one of my favourite dresses, and want to thank them deeply for featuring me again on their terrific blog.

Today we'll be having a barbeque feast, soaking up as much vitamin D from the sun as we can, and heading down to Okanagan Beach this evening to watch the annual firework show. I just know its going to be a fabulous day, and I couldn't be happier about the fact that I get to spend the first official holiday of summer in my home town once again.

I hope that you all have a marvelous, fun-filled Canada Day celebration, too, dear friends, and that you'll join me in raising a glass (of your favourite Canadian beverage) to the amazing summer that lies ahead!




51 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous outfit- and perfect for Canada day!! I love the blouse underneath too. I have several sleeveless dresses but I'm not crazy about that upper arm thing :) The blouse underneath reminds me of those sweet dirndls! Have a lovely weekend!! x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, hon! I'm anything but crazy about my upper arms either, so when I hit on this styling trick a while back (inspired by similar looks in 1950s catalogs), it instantly became a warm weather go-to for me (this outfit does have a bit of dirndl vibe, good call!).

      ♥ Jessica

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  2. your dress and bag are amazing!! xx

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  3. lovely - incidentally red and white are my national colours too - the Maltese flag is red and white too:)

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  4. It is a perfect Canada Day outfit, I love it. The necklace in particular.

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  5. What a lovely outfit! It suits you perfectly!
    I really love Canada and was student in Quebec about 10 years ago... far away from my native FRANCE!!!

    http://lostin1950.blogspot.fr/

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  6. You look gorgeous! Congratulations :))


    Veronika

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  7. Such an adorable ensemble! I am jealous of those white shoes. It seems white shoes are rather difficult to find, for me at least anyway.

    xoxo
    -Jane

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, dear gal! I really agree, they were something that eluded me for years, too (as I didn't want a pointy toe or ultra platform style), but this past February I finally hit upon this pair at Payless. Since then they've probably been the second most worn pair in my closet (right after my tried-and-true, also coincidentally from Payless, classic black pumps).

      ♥ Jessica

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  8. What a lovely outfit! I wish I had something as festive to wear today. I love your brooch!
    And congratulations on being featured in vintage living!
    Xo Laurie at Retro Reporter

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  9. OMG!!! I love your outfit. And I've so been wanting to try a faux bang. I got a new set of hot rollers and am eager to try it. :::Crosses fingers:::

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  10. Love the red and white - and the poodle pin as well :)

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  11. YES! This is my favorite outfit post so far. So very summery and festive. Red and white are perfect for summer. :) Love your dress. Love your blouse. Love love your poodle pin. And super love your clutch and pretty little rose earrings. All! I'm behind in my blog reading, so i have a few of yours to catch up on. Looking forward to them! Fabulous post, Jessica. Have a great Canada Day celebration..

    Mary

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  12. You are gorgeous!!! I love this outfit, maybe my favorite ever. Beautifully put together and the photos are fantastic, Antonio! Love, love, love everything about it! Congrats on the well deserved feature.

    Happy Canada Day!

    xo

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  13. Happy Canada Day to you and yours, Jessica. What a patriotic outfit, perfect, as always. I particularly like the pettiskirt, and the fact that the poodle brooch has a coordinating red collar.
    Congratulations on the Vintage Living post.

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  14. truly dignity <3

    love the white shoes - they match with almost every outfit!

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    1. Thank you, sweet Charlotte, you're totally right about the shoes - especially during the summer when black can often seem to overpower the sweetness of vintage sundresses and cute, fluttery skirts.

      ♥ Jessica

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  15. Hi awesome gals, thank you each very much for your completely lovely comments. They're more than making up for the lack of sunshine here in our neck of the woods today! :)

    Wishing you all a fabulous Canada Day!!!

    ♥ Jessica

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  16. Such an adorable outfit! You look so sweet!

    At first glance, I thought you were actually carrying a log over your head in the fifth picture from the bottom, and was astonished by your super-human strength.

    I hope you enjoy an awesome Canada Day!

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  17. Awww, thank you very much! That's too funny - nope, no Paul Bunyan-esque strength going on over here, just having a blast playing around at a fun log cabin (that's available to the public, how cool is that?!).

    ♥ Jessica

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  18. How feminine you look and I gotta say gingham has been a lifelong fav of mine.

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    1. Thank you very much! Gingham is a perpetual favourite of mine, too. I have a vintage red and white gingham skirt, too, which is quite similar to this, as well as a white and black gingham blouse, and at least a couple of other pieces, too (all of which will, no doubt, appear here sooner or later :) ).

      ♥ Jessica

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  19. Stunning outfit! Happy Canada Day :)

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  20. You are simply too divinely cute for words. I love gingham but have never been lucky enough to find anything in it that fits me.

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet gal, "divinely cute" is one of the nicest ways I think anyone has ever described me.

      Hold onto the hope, I bet there's an awesome gingham piece out there with your name written all over it, just waiting for you to find it one day.

      ♥ Jessica

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  21. wow stunning outfit, love the gingham! <3


    XO Sahra
    EffortlessCool

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  22. Just gorgeous! That gingham frock is such a dream; the lace trim and crinoline peeking out are too adorable!!

    Oh-- and Happy Canada Day!

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  23. What a fun post. I bought a vintage poodle pin today! Lynnette x

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    1. How cute, Lynette! I'd love to see a snap of it and/or you wearing your darling vintage poodle brooch any time.

      ♥ Jessica

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  24. you look absolutely stunning!! :) these are at the top of my list of my favorite pictures you have posted :) i adore your dress and your hair looks just adorable!! :) and you look like you had so much fun!! :)and you hair looks amazing! :) and your skin looks flawless as always! :) i enjoyed these pictures so much!! :)

    hugs and best wishes,
    TheRitzFlapper (Alicia)

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Alicia, you're too sweet for words. I've been wearing my hair like this a lot over the past couple of months, and really think it's going to my "style of the summer" this year.

      ♥ Jessica

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  25. LOve this dress! Love the setting, too. Again, I'm homesick for Canada. Ah well, happy Canada Day!

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  26. Jessica, you look fantastic (as usual). :) I love that dress, oh my!
    Thank you for the comment on my recent blog post. Always look forward to your comments!
    xoxo
    BD

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  27. Wow! I love this so much. I love red, and I love gingham, and I love lacy petticoats, and I love brooches, and I love love love this. Okay, I think you get the point. You look so gorgeous!

    http://meggymoo0.blogspot.com

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  28. You're too kind, Jessica. The honor was ours. Besides, you look absolutely fabulous in that red and white gingham, so we could hardly resist doing our part to show your look to other passionate vintage lovers. Keep up the great work with Chronically Vintage. You're a credit to the lifestyle. :-)

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  29. You're too kind, Jessica. The honor was ours. Besides, you look absolutely fabulous in that red and white gingham, so we could hardly resist doing our part to show your look to other passionate vintage lovers. Keep up the great work with Chronically Vintage. You're a credit to the lifestyle. :-)

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  30. Your outfit made me think of the old-fashioned Polish gals who used to wear red and white outfits and jewelry to celebrate their national pride. What an eye-catching ensemble you put together there.

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  31. I really love this outfit. It's fun and bright and playful. The petticoat sticking out fro beneath it looks great.

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  32. I absolutely love your gingham dress! How is it that my second favorite part of your outfit is from Claire's!

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    1. Thank you very much! I hear you re: Claire's. While a lot of their stuff is ultra teenybopper or passing fad, I often turn to them for classic accessories because there one of an exceedingly small handful of shops here in Canada when I can readily find nickel-free earrings (a must if you're ultra allergic to that pesky metal, like I am). Sure it can take some digging, but a gem or two usually emerges if you're up for the hunt :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  33. Happy belated Canada day! Hope you had a wonderful time. Your outfit is absolutely gorgeous as is the surroundings. I am itching to visit Canada, just need to save my pennies. x

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    1. Thank you very much, dear gal! While you're doing that, I'll be tucking mine away in the hopes of coming to visit your marvelous country again one of these days, too.

      ♥ Jessica

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  34. I absolutely love each piece of the outfit, but the poodle pin is my favorite!

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    1. Thank you very much, Rachel! I'd just gotten it a tad before the day of this shoot, and was itching to wear it for the first time. I've seen had it one at least once a week :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  35. Oh my, you look so classy and feminine.

    Sam

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  36. I absolutely adore this outfit. Really fabulous. Hope you had a great Canada day!!
    Miss P xx

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    1. wow fabulous from head to toe, the dress is a dream made of gingham, just adorable!
      kiss,mary

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  37. Happy Canada Day!! :) Wow...a magazine spread!! That's just brilliant and you look so lovely in the photos too! Love the straw clutch darling! Thanks for BouBou's birthday wish...he had fun! Kisses to Stella! Have a fabulous weekend!
    May xx
    walkinginmay.blogspot.com

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  38. OMGoodness..... This is my favorite of your photo shoots, well thus far!!!! You look absolutely adorable. I love everything from your red polka dot headband to your shoes. The petticoat is FABULOUS darling and the dress is so incredibly sweet. You look sassy.....

    Hugs, Beverly

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    1. Thank you very, very much, dear Beverly! ♥

      It's hard to believe it's been about a year now since they photos were snapped - by goodness, how time flies. It both seems like a fast, and slow year (perhaps a bit more of the latter, but really just the 2013 half of things). Talking about this post and outfit (which stands as one of my all-time favourites, too) is just the reminder I needed to start pondering what I might want to wear this Canada Day.

      Heartfelt thanks again - and tons of gentle hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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