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July 6, 2012

Tapestry handbags and local vintage themed murals


Ok, technically only one of each, but pluralized words often make for nicer titles, don't you think?



Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_8


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_1

Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_10


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_6


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_2


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_5


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_3


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_9


Front street Penticton vintage mural photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, brown and cream 1940s vintage dress image_7




Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12

1940s cream and brown mini heart print dress: etsy (seller is no longer in business)

Copper-pink pearl hued earrings: Claire's

Brown 1950s gloves: etsy or eBay

Sand hued bangle bracelet: etsy seller RecycleBuyVintage

Multi-colour crystal bead bracelet: gift from my mom and step-dad when they went on their trip to the Grand Canyon last year

1950s floral tapestry handbag: etsy seller Studio 1950

Nude seamed stockings: eBay

Dark brown faux letter heels: Pipsqueaks and Damsels Consignment Store (here in Penticton)

Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glaze


Photography by Antonio Cangiano
 


♥ ♥ ♥


Just to the left where these photos were taken, until very recently, stood the town's only (present day) strip club. Ummm, where yah going with this, Jess, I hear you saying...allow me to continue. You see, Slack Alice's (the aforementioned gentleman's club) burned to the ground this past February, taking with it a neighbouring liquor store and Chinese restaurant, and as such this corner of the city now looks a touch barren.

Not though, that many folks around town really mind (well, perhaps some of the chaps do, but I've yet to hear any of the ladies lament over Slack's unexpected demise). I don't have qualms with strip clubs as long as they're legally operated and the workers are treated fairly and properly, and I feel sorry for the three Front Street business owners who lost their properties (and perhaps even livelihoods, I don't know their respective back stories) in the blaze.

Anyhow, a few feet further down the street is the parking lot near where these buildings once stood, and on the wall of a building that luckily remained unscathed stands a beautiful mural that was painted by two local artists. The scene it depicts is one of downtown Penticton circa 1930, and is the only solely vintage themed mural that I'm aware of in town.

I don't own much in the way of 30s garb, so instead I donned a 1940s dress (which, given it's age, I'm always a little leery of wearing on any kind of regular basis) and a beautiful 1950s tapestry handbag to go visit this artistically adorned corner of town on a recent (somewhat) overcast afternoon.

As many of you know, I'm massively allergic to nickel and have to avoid it like the plague, which means that many handbags are off limits for me. Occasionally however, if the amount of exposed metal is minimal and I don't plan on wearing the bag too often, I'll push aside my fears of getting a painful rash from the (potential presence) of this offending metal and take the plunge.

I'd been daydreaming about finding a pre-1960s floral print tapestry handbag that was nickel-free (or at least pretty close) for years now, and was elated when I discovered this lovely purse on etsy earlier this year. There is a little bit of metal, as you can see, but if I wear it with gloves and (save for these shots) long sleeves, I suspect I should be ok most of the time. A point which makes me a very, very (1950s rose tapestry purse carrying) happy camper.

This post includes something which is a rather uncommon occurrence for me, the bearing of my exposed arms. The reason why I rarely do so boils down to two main factors. The first of which is I believe in dressing with a certain degree of modesty (shy, ultra self-conscious soul that I am), and second because I'm not a big fan of my upper arms at all.

For medical reasons its virtually impossible for me to lift weights or do any kind of sport that would help tone my arms again (believe me, I've tried, and the consequences have been awful and very detrimental to my health), because of chronic muscular problems. As such, for many years now I've had what I humorously refer to as my "bulldog wrinkle" arms, thanks to the little fold of flesh right above the elbow (which in a way is cute to me, but I doubt others think so) and the fact that my upper arms are fleshier than I wish they were.
In the grander scheme of things, and given all the other (much more serious) problems and complications that have come about from my chronic conditions, my arms are not a big deal. My chest and torso, for example, are riddled with surgical scars and yet I have no issue my skin there whatsoever - funny, isn't it, the elements of our own bodies that we opt to worry about?

My arms usually look fine when clothed, and really aren't that bad when exposed, doing so is just something that I doubt I'll ever be fully comfortable with. Sometimes though, when the summertime heat is blazing down almost as hot as the flame that took out Slack Alice’s, a gal just has to forgo sleeves, done a cute dress, and embrace how she looks – flaws and all - in the name of vintage fashion. Smile





26 comments:

  1. The heart pattern is just adorable! You look fantastic.

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  2. Great photos. The dress is totally cute. I'm a sucker for hearts. The gloves are the right amount of modesty. I've been looking for a tapestry purse too. They have a timeless charm about them.
    It's too bad those businesses burned down. My home town used to have a bordello back in the day. I'm told that there are remains left in the hills somewhere.

    I have a special distaste for strip clubs. To me they are gateway to men behaving disloyally with an excuse. My father was a huge patron of strip clubs. This lead to him getting private dances and later cheating on my mom. I refuse to go or let my husband go to one. And living in Nevada there are plenty of strip clubs and whorehouses.

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  3. The dress is gorgeous and your arms look great! Love the mural!

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  4. Soooo pretty and the pics are as beautiful as always (L)

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  5. Today's outfit is adorable! I love the neckline on the dress.

    There's nothing wrong with your arms! I work in customer service, and every summer day I see arms covered with wrinkles, rolls of fat, scars, hand-poked tattoos, etc.

    Practically nobody meets the fashion world's impossibly high standards of beauty. I know a professional model and they have to edit out her surgery scars in photos- the reason that she is model-thin is that she has serious gastrointestinal issues.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kim, you're absolutely right, practically no one meets the fashion world's unrealistic standards of beauty. I'm really ok with that, actually, because I feel that most people (the example of your friend is the perfect one to highlight this point) are actually more beautiful because of their imperfections and the various scars and marks they have to show for the battles they've won throughout their lives. It is are uniqueness that sets us apart and can help make us more fascinating. Life would be rather dull and uninspiring if we were all perfect carbon copies of one another.

      ♥ Jessica

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  6. I love brown. I think it's my favorite among the neutrals. So I adore this dress. I feel the same way. I own a 40's piece and I'm nervous about wearing it for too long. The most I will wear it is for a evening event or church {it's a 40's cocktail dress, I believe}. I would just hate for something bad to happen to a piece of history.

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  7. Oh my goodness, that dress is darling! I love the little hearts, and the way the lacy edging echoes the scalloped edges of your gloves. I'll have you know that I didn't notice anything unusual about your arms when I looked through the pictures, and when I got to the last few paragraphs I had to go look again to try to find what you disliked about them, and even then it was't very obvious to me. Sometimes, it's a good thing that there is summertime weather to force us to overlook our flaws!

    Thank you also for stopping to look at my little blog... I'm most flattered :)

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  8. Hi darling =)
    I love your dress...is so so beautiful *.*

    XOXO*
    With love
    Miss Lil'Susie ♥

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  9. Jessica darling your arms are perfectly fine. In Australia we term this problem 'bingo arms' because gravity sure affects the underside of the upper arm if you wave your arm around. Your arms look super adorned with one of my fav things...a vintage tapestry handbag! I love vintage tapestry purses, tapestry spectacle cases and vintage tapestry handbags..you get the picture I'm sure. I have a small collection of gently used vintage tapestry items which I jealousy guard and only use on rare occasions.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, sweet lady. I'm a huge (!) fan of tapestry too, yet own almost nothing in this beloved, classic material (save for this beautiful handbag - oh, and a cute tapestry Christmas pillow). I'm thinking that I really must try and change that, especially if I could find more vintage tapestry pieces in my price range.

      ♥ Jessica

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  10. What a darling dress! And the gloves look so great!

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  11. What a simply delightful outfit! You put together a real winner.

    Best Wishes,
    Amanda

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  12. Jessica you look absolutely beautiful, arms included! These photo's are stunning, I especially love the last one, the colours are amazing. So happy for you with your bag find. xx

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  13. I love your handbag it's beautiful! :D

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  14. Hello! Thank you for your lovely comment. This outfit is gorgeous, I love hoe there are so many elements to it, the accessories, the bag, and of course the clothes. That dress is so lovely on you, it must be so precious. I would love to own a genuine 40s dress, and I have searched and searched, but so far, a rare few are the correct size (with my short height) and always quite expensive. I'm hoping to chance upon one like a miracle. Your hair looks amazing!

    http://meggymoo0.blogspot.com

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  15. I adore your style! You look sensational.

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  16. I understand your feelings completely, we'll just leave it at that.....
    {but, for what it is worth, I didn't think twice when I looked at your arms-I was actually wondering the story behind your tattoo!}.

    And thank you for the story-I loved hearing about the backstory!

    <3

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    Replies
    1. Hi sweet Rachel, I appreciate your understanding. It's good to not feel like one is in the boat all alone when it comes to hangups they have about their body.

      My little tattoo (which so, so needs to be retouched because it was never quite as solid as it could have been and has faded a bit over the years), is my one and only. I got it as a teenager in the wake of getting out of an extremely abusive relationship. It symbolized so much then and was proof, in a roundabout way, that I'd survived (because I was alive to feel the needle on my skin and because I was free to do with my body what I pleased). The word (poet) is because I've always written poetry and really felt that my writing helped to define me at the time (come to think of it, it still does).

      ♥ Jessica

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  17. Hi endlessly sweet ladies, thank you each very much for your kind, wonderful comments. I feel so blessed to be amongst such thoughtful, lovely people.

    ♥ Jessica

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  18. Hi, I've been reading your blog for a couple of months now, and I just wanted to say that it is a delight to read your intelligent writing. Of course, I also love seeing your beautiful outfits and vintage photographs, but I especially appreciate your writing. Have a nice day!

    Ashlee

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very, very much, Ashlee, I'm deeply touched to know how much you enjoy my writing. I'm very, very shy and quiet most of the time when it comes to having real life conversations, but give me a piece of paper and a pen or a computer keyboard and I'll blissfully let the words flow like milk and honey from my mind all day long.

      Heartfelt thanks again,
      ♥ Jessica

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  19. adorable dress... totally in love with it.

    http://wardrobexperience.blogspot.de

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  20. this is one of the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen Jessica, you're great! I love tapestry bags too, my uncle gave me a pink& green tapestry bag many years ago and it's still one of my favourites

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, dear Katia. How wonderful that you have a vintage tapestry handbag, too. I'd love to see it!

      ♥ Jessica

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