Vintage plaid and straw for a windswept day at Wharf Park

Outfit details

1940s/50s flower adorned straw hat: etsy seller Bettes Bargains
Brown plastic hair barrette: Goody
Gold toned twisted hoop earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Coral cropped tie waist cardigan: Forever 21
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
Vintage plaid pencil skirt: etsy seller By The Way
Vintage woven handbag with bamboo handles: Yard sale find
White eyelet bow sling back flats: Payless
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace
Nail colour: Essie Muchi Muchi

Photography by Antonio Cangiano

{Love the cute photobombing duckies in the background here!}

♥ ♥ ♥

Before launching into today's post, I want to take a moment to extend my most heartfelt thanks to one and all who bestowed birthday wishes on me yesterday (and in the days leading up to the 10th). They brightened my day every bit as the candles on my yummy homemade GF cheesecake. I'm delighted to report that I had a stellar, low key, fun filled day - just as I generally prefer my birthday celebrations to be.

Originally I'd had a different outfit post planned for today, but the photos for it were just taken this past weekend, and between doctors appointments, my b-day, and a handful of other things earlier this week, I haven't even had a chance to upload said snaps yet, let alone put together a post featuring some of them - so they'll just have to wait until a little later in the month (I'm super excited to share them though, as they feature a brand new addition to my wardrobe that was my main birthday presents from my mom and step-dad this year).

The images in today's post were taken last month, on a day that was, to say the least a wee bit windy! I must admit, I couldn't help but wince a little when I saw these photos because, after the first couple we shot, unbeknownst to me, the mighty breeze had blown my cardigan a little to the side on my shoulder and in the process exposed one of my bra straps.

I could have removed this fact from all of these snaps with a little bit of Photoshop magic, but as I've said here before - and really am a firm believer in - sometimes it's important to document life just as it happened. That means the good, the bad, and the exposed flash of white brassiere strap – and so I left well enough alone. Life is far too short to sweat over tiny things like this when one is simply shooting for their own pleasure and blogging purposes.

Interestingly enough, the last time we did a shoot in this very same area (which you can see here), the wind was blowing every which way as well - coincidence? Perhaps, but I'll be sure to keep that point in mind if we plan to grab photos there again, as it was all I could do to keep my vintage straw hat from tumbling into the frothy waters below as we took pictured that day (talk about wishing you'd brought a sturdy hat pin!).

This cardigan is one of my very favourites - I adore the length (so often cardigans are miles too long on me, as I'm barely 5'2"), the warm, saturated coral hue, the sophisticated little faux pearl buttons, and the playful tie waist. It hasn't appeared on the blog for over a year (you may recall it from this June 2012 post), and as it complimented my fun vintage plaid pencil skirt and instantly evoked a summery feel, it seemed like the perfect thing to wear for a casual afternoon stroll on the Wharf Park pier in Naramata.

Though this cute skirt is making its online debut today (I'd wanted a summer weight vintage plaid pencil skirt for ages and was thrilled to find one for a song earlier this year on etsy), this is the second appearance for this charming vintage straw hat (previously spotted here). Part of me feels like this hat is from the 1950s, and another part feels like it's earlier - and the longer I own, and wear it, the more I'm compelled to think that it's from the 30s or 40s (due to the colour of the straw, the flowers used, the upturn of the brim). What are your thoughts? What decade jumps out at you the moment you see it?

One thing you may notice is that the last time I wore this hat, the flowers were in the front, and this time around they were in the back, with the veiling in the front (at the time, the wonderfully lovely Elizabeth of The Country Handmaiden asked to see a back view of it, and as I always try to remember such requests and post about them, it seemed like high time I showed her just that by wearing the back as the front here). Unlike many hats, this one works equally well no matter which side is facing front - thus essentially giving me two vintage chapeaus in one. I don't prefer one way over the other, it's a merely a matter of which works best for a given outfit.

My vintage woven handbag was picked up last summer at a yard sale for the princely sum of one dollar, and has, without a doubt become my most used purse so far throughout the summer of 2013. It looks small - and it certainly won't be subbing in for a suitcase anytime soon - but I'm able to get my wallet, cell phone, keys, compact, lipstick, a pen, handkerchief, and a couple of other small items in there without it bursting at the seams, unlike some of my other smaller pint sized vintage bags.

The glimmering sunshine, the clear, soul upliftingly lovely fresh blue skies, even the rambunctious wind were all perfect that fine June day. This is the kind of weather we Canadians quite literally dream about during the seemingly endless days of winter, and if I need to hold on tight to my hat or have a little bit of my bra strap show in some photos to enjoy such moments of perfect summertime weather, then so be it - if only prices that small could be paid on everything one enjoys in life.