May 16, 2014

We're going to see the sea!


Vintage Fashionista Friday blog graphic for Chronically Vintage photo VintagefashionistaChronicallyVintag.png


{Soft pink and vibrant turquoise has to be one of the most appealing colour combinations of all time! A single glance and it's a cinch to see why these shades were so popular during the 1950s. It's from that decade that this beautiful velvet and satin hat with its almost origami like folds of fabric hails, and it is as stunning today as when it was minted nearly sixty years ago. $14.00 from Glitter Death Boutique.}




{Cast using a real dried starfish as the mold, these sweet, immensely pretty gold plated brass starfish earrings sing with the spirit of the sea, yet are not so overtly nautical inspired as to not be a (warm ocean) breeze to wear with all manner of of outfits. $40.00 from Maria Studio.}




{Though I have yet to try their offerings myself, for quite some time now I've been hearing rave reviews about the brand Lip Crime's colour rich lipsticks from many a vintage and non-vintage fashionista alike. My interest is thoroughly piqued and if I was going to add some to my cart today, a bold, but still very wearable, summertime gorgeous pink like this shade, called Geradium would be one of my first choices. $18.00 from Lime Crime.}




{Oh how I love (underline that a hundred times at least!) this curve hugging, classically beautiful, cheerfully hued 1950s linen blend wiggle dress. Not only is cute - and stylish - as a button, but it will help keep you cool on even the most parching of summer days. Fits up to a 35" bust/28" waist. $115.00 from Blue Velvet Vintage.}




{This enchantingly lovely 1950s barkcloth purse stole my breath clean away the moment I laid eyes on it. Both beautiful and generously sized, it features an elegant Asian Garden design complete with strategically placed mother-of-pearl embellishments and a classic cream coloured opaque handle. This is an instantly captivating vintage handbag if ever there was! $36.00 from Vintage Wise.}




{The colours and design of this timelessly gorgeous 1950s/1960s Emmons gold toned and aqua moonglow brooch instantly make me think of marine vegetation swaying in the ocean current and would smashing on a summer suit, blouse or dress. This chicly pretty vintage pin is $25.00 and comes by way of Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}




{I have such a thing for single note and simple blend perfumes, colognes and scented oils like this wonderfully lovely sounding blend of carnation, lily and white grapefruit, dubbed Sea Breeze, all of which sound so enchantingly perfect for summer. $10.00 for an 8ml roller ball container from Symbolic Imports.}




{There is just something about the start of the truly warm segment of the year that makes me gaga about the colour gold! I paint it on my toes and tips alike, turn to it for jewelry, and even like nesting gold toned brooches in my hair sometimes. This year I'm wishing something fierce for a gold hued pair of strappy sandals and these metallic leather stunners - Persia from from Miss L Fire - would fit that bill rather fabulously. $175.00 from Miss L Fire.}





As you may have guessed by the title and theme of this month's Vintage Fashionista Friday post (as mentioned in last month's edition, from now I'm going to be using more interesting titles instead of just calling them VFF and their respective post date), a wee spot of travel may soon be in the cards.

In early June Tony will be presenting at a work related tech event in Vancouver (BC - not Vancouver, Washington, though I'd love to see that city one day!) and if my health will permit, I'm going to be tagging along with him.

Though not epically far away from us, at about a 4.5 hour drive, Vancouver is still a hefty trip for me and is one I've not yet taken even so much as once since we moved back to BC in early 2012. In fact, I haven't been there since January 2007, and last I was in that beguiling beautiful and endlessly bustling city, it was the dead of an icy winter and I had a horrible head and chest cold, so it wasn't exactly a dream holiday.

As Tony will be working for a lot of it, this isn't going to be a vacation (for him at least), but it will be a getaway nevertheless and while he's hard at work shining like the tech star that he is, I'll be alternating between trying to recharge my batteries and doing some serious sourcing, if all goes well, for the shop.

Having not been to Vancouver in so long, I'm not overly familiar with the vintage and thrift shopping scene there any more, but I do keep a running list of stores in the area and look forward to getting to know as many of them as time and circumstance will permit. This will be my first ever buying trip for the shop that takes me beyond the borders of the Okanagan, so I'm bursting with excitement at the prospect.

I'm also flat out giddy to see Vancouver again. I was born and stone's throw from Rain City, as Van is sometimes called (due as the name implies, to the large amount of precipitation it receives annually), and lived in the Lower Mainland (the southernmost portion of British Columbia of which Vancouver is a key player) until shortly before my 9th birthday, so its a part of the world I'm well acquainted with and which I've always held a particularly special spot in my heart for.

Vancouver is famous - and in some cases, infamous - for a lot of things, from Stanley Park and its towering totem poles to scrumptious eats at Granville Island Market, a bevy of marine life at the Vancouver Aquarium to the sublimely stunning Pacific Ocean, where some of those marine critters at the aquarium (or at least their ancestors) originally hailed from.

I've missed the sea. Not a little, but a rather massive amount. Yes, the Okanagan is teaming with gorgeous lakes and beaches, all of which are fabulous and not something that I take for granted in the slightest, but ultimately, fresh water bodies of water that they are, these lakes big and small like, are not the ocean.

They don't have that telltale, tickle the inside of your nostrils scent of salt. One does not look out at them and see huge red and black and brown cargo ships transporting untold numbers of goods into this country from foreign ports. They don't have tiny terracotta hued crabs scuttling across their sands, five thousand seagulls always ready to converge on a single dropped French fry, or the kind of sunsets - breathtaking as the Symphony of Fire - that only the atmospheric conditions of the damp Pacific coast can produce.

A longing for the sea has clung to my soul like steadfast barnacles since the moment my family moved north to the Okanagan all the way back in 1993 and I will, without giving it a second thought, pounce - like one of those aforementioned gulls - at the chance to visit again any time I can. I'm crossing every finger and toe that I'll be well enough on the health front to accompany Tony next month and if I do, I'll be packing much along the lines of the late spring ensemble featured in this month's edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday.

One other change that you may have noticed here is that I've also decided to drop the practice of using a woman's name to lead off the post series with. As the titles themselves are now more dynamic, I didn't feel that the two went hand-in-hand very well any more. Aside from those changes, this post is, and will remain the same in terms of the type of content featured and that fact that a new one should appear here every month or so.

Keep your fingers crossed with me, my dears - I'll be sure to let you know as we get closer to June if I will indeed be headed to vivacious, marvelous Vancouver this season. Oh, how I hope so!!!

37 comments:

  1. I love that barkcloth purse/bag.I have had my eye on those Miss L Fire's for a while now!

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  2. I do hope you get to Vancouver, Jess.
    As it just happends, I too miss the sea so much. Last time I've dipped my feet into salt water was 2011, and it just happens to be the last time I've seen days off, too.

    Now, to fashion: the dress from Blue Velvet Vintage is EXACTLY the same colour as the shirt I'm wearing
    today. But that does not come stragge to you, knowing my devoted love toward green. :D
    ...and the title is wonderful, promissing and open to future.. I like your stuly of blogging (nothing new said there).

    Marija

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  3. How fabulous! I also love the ocean! :D

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  4. yay I do hope your health Permits and you can make the trip to Vancouver Jessica! I know you will have a wonderful time. I love that city so much and have not been back in years myself. As for the pieces in your post, great choices and I too love that blue wiggle dress. Very classic.

    Have a great long weekend!

    Liz :)

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  5. I lived within three miles of the ocean until I was 17. Now I am a good two hours away. Boy, do I ever miss the ocean! I get so nostalgic about it that I cry every time I go these day. I'm a sap.
    Sourcing for the shop is the best part of being an Etsy seller. SOOOOO much fun shopping for your job, huh?
    Cheers,
    L A
    .TheRavishingBlog.

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  6. I do love the dress and the barkcloth is just perfect, well everything is perfect! ^^ ... Enjoy the sea and have a nice weekend dear =)

    XoXo

    vintagepri.blogspot.com

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  7. Uau Jessica, que linda seleção de acessórios que remetem ao mar. Um mais lindo que o outro! Você tem muito bom gosto!
    Toneladas de abraços, desejo um ótimo final de semana e muitas vendas em sua loja.
    Com carinho, Cris.

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  8. Oh, the sea. I've been land-locked for thirteen years now, and I miss it so much. I hope you make it to Vancouver, and get all the *really cool stuff* before anyone else ;)

    I couldn't wear that hat, but that doesn't stop me admiring it. Just beautiful.

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  9. I do love teal. I bought a little bolero in that color on a whim a while back, and then had to pick up a couple of pieces to do with it. It's just so pretty on some many skin tones. That sheath dress is to die for.
    <3
    Jessica, cakesandcakesvintage.blogspot.com

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  10. oh, i have never been to the sea! (or ocean or beach or whatever its called) on days like today when it's cold and dreary and the dry, hard ground stretches as far as the eye can see, i can only dream of a rocky or sandy, wave lapped paradise. This spring i have incorporated a bit of a nautical air to a few of my outfits but it's just not cutting it. my heart longs for the ocean, and so i enjoyed these beautiful pieces you've shown, Jessica.
    ~Abigail

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  11. My little Lake Huron will have to do for me being so far from the sea. But luckily I can picture what your going to see because last fall we had lunch at English Bay watching the ships waiting their turn to dock. We also took a little hike up Grouse Mountain. Not sure I'll ever do that again. :)

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    1. How marvelous that you live so close to one of the Great Lakes. I wish we would have had the opportunity to explore some (or all) of them more when we lived in Ontario, but without a car, that was easier said than done. Isn't Grouse Mountain stunning? I haven't been up to its lofty vantage points since I was a small child and we'd go tobogganing up there sometimes.

      Big hugs & many thanks for your lovely comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  12. my only comment is : why have we no shop to find all those beauties in France ?

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    1. I hear you loud and clear, my dear gal. There are exceedingly few shops that sell items like these around my part of Canada, too. I don't let it phase me though (not usually at least) - I just do 95% (at least) of my vintage shopping online. Sure, in person would be amazing, but online is terrific, too, and has the added benefit of being able to be done anytime the mood strikes, day or night.

      I can't speak for the other sellers highlighted here, but I ship worldwide from my Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChronicallyVintage), so if there's anything in it that you'd like to buy, I'm be thrilled to mail it to you in France.

      ♥ Jessica

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  13. I too adore a visit to the sea. I really hope you're well enough to go, and have a fabulous time!

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    1. Thank you very much dear, Philippa, I massively hope so as well. I'm craving spending time near the ocean again with every fiber of my being (and certainly looking at oodles of photos of Vancouver lately is only adding fuel to the fire there! :)).

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. The purse is stunning!
    http://balearaitzart.blogspot.com.au/

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  15. Hey buddy -- I'm best friends with the founders/owners of Lime Crime. I even came up with their motto.

    It's nice to leave home and travel. It expands our experiences and is relaxing. Have fun!

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  16. I have always loved the ocean...the sounds, the smell. Lovely post. Greetings from Montreal!

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  17. I'm wishing you the very best! I love everything about the ocean...and did a post about my part of the world today! Hugs!

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  18. cross fingers and toes!!
    that is really gorgeous! a little trip to the ocean and a great city! i was 1999 in V., on my trip around british columbia. i wish you tons of good health and great luck with shopping for your shop, my dear!
    that mermaid attire is wonderful. i love "simple" scents and eau de toilettes too.....

    kisses&hugs

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  19. I will hope for you too, you deserve a little get away, dear. And I suppose you have to restock your shop too. Did you that Denmark has extremely lot of beach kilometres? We are literally surrounded by beaches, and we love to swim and sail. At my little cottage we have to walk for only two minutes then we stand with our toes in the water. :) And thank you for following me at Instagram, it made me so happy. I have only gotten starten and already have four followers. :D Wishing you a lovely Sunday, dear. :)

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  20. Oh the purse and hat are to die for!

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  21. this mix of colours is vibrant! as being a blonde in the mid 30s would never wear these colurs together - but a lovely summery dress in turquoise mixed with gold accessories would totally come my way.
    have a good time by the sea and good luck on finding nice pieces for the shop.

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  22. I love that dress and handbag. I love Miss L Fire too and those shoes are great. Although the gold is pretty, I'm curious if they make these in more colors.
    Thanks for sharing,
    Stacey

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  23. such cute oceany items

    retro rover

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  24. I have all my fingers and toes crossed (perhaps even my eyes!) that you will be able to enjoy a lovely break with your fella by the sea and also find some treasures for the shop. XXX

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  25. Great selection of items sweet Jessica. I love the colors!

    I was born and raised on the Sea side and when I'm away for too long, I really miss it, I miss the smell, the fresh breeze, the colors and the food!

    Thank for such a wonderful inspiration!
    And I really hope you can make it to Vancouver my friend! That would be very exciting :-)

    Miss Beta xx

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet Beta. It's marvelous that you were born near the sea, too. Portugal has no shortage of stunning coastlines and ocean towns, so I bet that makes it even harder when you are landlocked for a while. Do you currently live near or on the ocean?

      ♥ Jessica

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  26. Ohhh the sea! I love it. Haven't seen it for a while. Last time was at a vacation in Malta! Very beautiful. Perhaps a good goal to visit the sea this summer.

    Hugs!

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  27. I hope that you'll get to go to Vancouver! It sounds absolutely lovely and like a place that you hold very dear to your heart. :)

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  28. I hope you will share some photos of Vancouver...( I always like to see the world through bloggs! )
    The sight of the Ocean must be something unforgettable!

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  29. I think I could happily wear everything in this lovely post. Gorgeous colour combinations. I very much hope that you are well enough to go on your trip, it sounds very exciting. I do love to be by the sea. My parents live 5min walk from the sea so whenever I go to visit them I get the benefit of that too! I just love to stand and look and listen to it.

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet Kate, I'm hoping to no end that I can as well. I adore our many lovely lakes, rivers and streams around here, but there's just a certain magical sway to the see that my soul is craving the chance to connect with again at long last. Fingers and toes - and vintage skirt hems all super crossed! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  30. Oh my goodness!! I truly love all of these. I've been craving a lot of blue lately and everyone of them did the trick!!

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  31. How exciting! Ironically, I would happily give up my sea for the Okanagan. I really do hope that you can make it here, and that you enjoy your trip. There are so many lovely things to see.

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