Stripes, gingham, a snowy owl, and wouldn't you know it, more rain!

Outfit details

Green and white vintage style headwrap: Handmade gift from a lovely blog reader
Black enamel covered metal hoop earrings: Unknown, had since I was a teenager (probably Claire's)
Green and white striped Gina Top: c/o Dolly & Dotty Green cardigan: Old Navy
Oscar the Owl brooch: Erstwilder
Black plastic rose bead stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
1940s style side button high waisted blue jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
White 1950s/60s tile purse: Running Rabbit Studio
Black & white vintage style saddle shoes: eBay
Lip colour: MAC Party Line


Photography by Tony Cangiano  















































(The fabulous keyhole and tie string detail at the neckline on the back of this darling green and white striped shirt from Dolly & Dotty.)

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Earlier in the month, I chatted (here) about the near monsoon levels of rain that we've been getting around these usually very dry parts and how they've been impacted our normal spring/summertime ability to take photos just about any time during daylight hours that we desire. As such, I won't lament the weather - very little we can do to change it, after all! - here a great deal, but it does warrant mentioning because it is directly responsible for the backdrop against which today's images were captured.

Recently, on yet another rainy weekend (it's almost like the rain is intentionally falling most heavily on the two days a week that are the most likely for Tony and I to be out and about on – le sigh. We'd been doing quite a lot of bopping about in the northern Okanagan that afternoon, rain falling the whole day long (you can actually see some raindrops on my clothes in many of the photos above).

As evening began to break and we knew we'd have next to no daylight soon, we opted to just make the best of a damp situation and found an (already closed) little shopping mall/plaza that had a slender overhanging roof that allowed us to duck under and avoid getting wet while grabbing a few snaps of this fun, casual 1940s inspired ensemble.

For the first time ever really, in just the last year or two, I have been feeling stripes big time for my own wardrobe. I've always appreciated stripes and enjoyed them on others, but for ages, I shied away from them as a general rule (with a few notable exceptions made for things like classic Breton strips).

I'm not sure what flicked the switch, so to speak, but something did and now it seems stripes are something that I can't add enough of to my closet. Especially so in terms of vibrant, yet still very classic looking garments, such as this absolutely delightful Green and White Striped Gina Top from online UK vintage reproduction/vintage inspired/rockabilly clothing superstore, Dolly & Dotty.

I'm truly honoured to have recently become one of Dolly & Dotty's brand ambassadors and to, in this exciting new roll, get a chance to highlight a number of wonderful pieces - and share more about the company itself - from this fantastic, budget-friendly brand here on my blog in the coming months. Beginning with this super cute striped shirt, which looks sweet and innocent from the front, then gets decidedly flirty with the fun keyhole detailing on the back (see photo above of such).

It was far too cold (about 10 or 11C and pouring rain) on the day we took these snaps to go comfortably go bare armed, but I slipped down my cardigan for a few moments so Tony could get a snap of this wonderful detail on the back of it for you guys to be able see as well.

I really like this top. It's lightweight, but not sheer (which is getting harder and harder to find, even in the repro/vintage inspired fashion world), very reasonably priced, incredibly comfortable, fits like a glove, and is timelessly pretty as well.

I have several other separates, aside from my beloved Freddies of Pinewood side button jeans here, that I know it will play really nicely with, too, including a vintage high waisted denim skirt and a jumper style skirt from Tatyana (bought way back when they were still known as Bettie Page Clothing) - to name, but a couple.

I knew, as it was indeed the fact, that a lot of driving and bopping around would be taking place that day, so comfort was the name of the game, but naturally, as us vintage fashionistas do, I still wanted to look a.) old school and b.) well put together.

I don't do a great deal of pattern mixing usually, but when I do, I like to reach for patterns that compliment each other nicely, in terms of both their colour and design. Strips and gingham are practically kissing cousins, as the old expression goes, so they felt like a natural match.

This very sweet fabric headwrap was a surprise gift a few years ago now, which a super thoughtful blog reader made and sent it to my PO Box as what is called online these days, “love mail”. I was immensely touched by her kindness and have worn this wonderful handmade piece many times, especially during the summer months, which might as well be called gingham season, if you ask me.

I kept my accessories fairly simple here, as the striped top (which I want to sincerely thank the fine folks at Dolly & Dotty for), gingham headwrap, and dark denim high waisted jeans already make quite an impact themselves. Naturally some made it into the fold though, including one of my absolute favourite brooches from Erstwilder, which stars none other than a well known Canadian bird: the majestic snowy owl.

I've spotted numerous types of owls in the wild (and heard the calls, no doubt, of more still), but haven't encountered any snowy owls in person. Maybe one day - that would certainly be a thrilling experience! Either way, this wide-winged sweetie pie can keep me company anytime and work wonders with a slew of different outfits, thanks to its timeless black and creamy white colour palette.

Though we have been getting some dry lately lately (cue chorus of excited cheers!), there have still be tons of damp ones as well, including this past weekend.

Thus, as we embrace summer's return this week, it will be genuinely interesting to see what Mother Nature has up her (rain jacket sleeve) and if we'll be needing to seek out more covered awning as we head into July or if we'll finally be able to shoot in good weather anywhere we please, as per usual for this time of the year.

As you can imagine, I'm pulling for the latter!

Ooh, foxy scarf lady!

Outfit details

C. 1980s paisley print scarf (worn on my head): Thrifted (Value Village)
White plastic rose earrings: Claire's
1940s style sparkly gold sunglasses: Canadian Tire
Custom handknit fox scarf: Delightful Handiwork
Forest green button front shirt: Joe Fresh
1940s style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Vintage yellow and orange Bakelite bangles, and wooden bangles: Assorted sources
Camel coloured cross body purse: eBay
Contemporary 1940s style camel coloured shoes: Swap meet find years ago
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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Granted Jimi Hendrix and 1940s garb might not always be the first natural pairing that you think of, but I couldn't help borrow and slightly modify the title of this rock legend's classic track for today's vintage outfit post, as it really does suit it so splendidly well. :)

Many a photographer will tell you that shooting in harsh afternoon sun is a big no-no (even though hip fashion magazines have been doing it for decades), and in general, I'm with them on that, but sometimes it's flat out fun to venture down the unconventional path, especially if that's when you happen to find yourself on a quaint, peaceful dirt farm road in East Kelowna on a nippy April day while wearing your brand new knit fox scarf.

Designed to look resemble classic fur scarves, wraps and stoles of decades past made from whole or partial animal pelts, this gloriously adorable creation is one that I recently bought from fellow vintage blogger Michelle's Etsy shop Delightful Handiwork. She posted about her own identical scarf not too long ago on her blog (also called Delightful Handiwork) and the moment I saw this darling creation, I knew that I absolutely had to purchase one.

I zipped an email her way and before I knew it, her knitting needles were clacking away and just a couple of weeks later, this cuter-than-the-day-is-long tawny red and white fox scarf - designed in the classic Miss Marple style - had landed on my doorstep.

Fortunately since chilly weather often lingers into April (or even May) in Canada, I was able to test drive this excellently well made scarf a few times before spring really started to hit it stride and may honestly whip it out even though it now has. Say, on rainy day and/or chilly days or at an evening beach bonfire come summer.

I love supporting fellow Etsy sellers and I also adore a heavy-handed dose of whimsy in my wardrobe. This gem of a hand knit scarf delivers like there's no tomorrow on that front. At just $20.00 USD + shipping, it's also a serious bargain, too, IMO, for a handmade creation and I would happily purchase more from Michelle to give as gifts or if she makes other variations featuring different precious critters in the future.

On the day that these photos were taken, Tony and I attended our town's annual gun + antique show, which is about 98% guns and the like, both past and present, and about 2% other vintage items, so the name of this event is somewhat misleading. However, this wasn't my first time visiting it, so I knew what was in store for us there. While guns and hunting aren't personally my cup of tea, I couldn't help but think that the natural association of fox those two things made this a cheeky place to wear my new scarf to.

No one other than Tony picked up and commented on the association, but I still liked being able to have a somewhat themed accessory to sport to such an event. Very little vintage was to be had, but I did pick up a couple of small items for the shop and one seriously cool book from 1958 featuring hundreds (if not more) B&W photos all from classic mid-century movies. It's missing its dust jacket, but for $14 (the seller would only come down a dollar from his asking price of $15), it was still a steal of a deal for all of the cinematic history it houses (I will definitely try to share some pages from it here and/or on Instagram in the future).

Fashion, like sunlight, doesn't always have to take the path most followed. No matter your stance on wearing real fur (and/or hunting), you can easily sport a darling vintage appropriate handknit creation like this uber sweet fox scarf. I really adore how as time goes on, we are fortunate as old school fashion fans to consistently have creative folks like Michelle offering up products that not only look the yesteryear part, but which are skillfully made, and available to one and all the world over.

So while I don't plan to suddenly do all my photo shoots in the glaring mid-day sun, sometimes it's more than worth it to try something new and worry more about capturing the moment, than twiddling your thumbs while you wait for the golden hour to appear. When a scarf this adorable is around your neck, you want to take photos the very moment you slip it on - or at least asap, as we did that windy, golden springtime afternoon last month.

Of Orca Whales, Parliament, and Casual Attire

I need to preface these photos by stating for the record that I was wearing layers. Lots of layers. Beneath my sweater, I had a fitted long sleeve shirt, a fitted t-shirt, a camisole, and a long line bra. Hidden below my Freddies of Pinewood jeans, I has on long johns. So if things seem a bit bulky - or like the jeans are clinging to my legs in weird ways - that's why. Now, on with the show...err, photos!




Outfit details

1950s/60s abstract print scarf (worn on my head): Moon Walk Vintage (won as a lovely giveaway prize a while back on Va-Voom Vintage)
White plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Dark plastic tortoise shell sunglasses: DKNY (worn on the boat)
1950s beige rain coat (worn on the boot): Tootsie Vintage
Olive green-brown cable knit sweater: Forever 21
Hand painted vintage orca whale brooch: Vendor at the 2014 Victoria Vintage Expo
Black plastic rose stretch bracelet: Thrifted years ago from Value Village
1940s style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Sky blue vintage style cross body purse: eBay
White and black vintage style saddle shoes: eBay
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace
Nail colour: Essie Hide & Go Chic


DSLR and iPhone photography by Tony Cangiano 

(Me out on the water during our whale watching tour.)

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Last month we took a peak a what I wore during an awesome day of seal feeding while in Victoria at the start of autumn. This time around I'm shining the spotlight on what I sported on the day that we went out on a three-hour long whale watching excursion.

These photos (save for the one of me on the boat and the the ones taken of/on the high seas) were shot after we'd been out getting hit with surprisingly chilly, extremely strong winds for hours, so my make-up was half gone and my cheeks were more than a little flushed from the weather, the excitement, and certainly the happiness of that day.

Taking part in a whale watching adventure was something that I'd wanted to do since I was a small child, so I knew that even though it would be a bit of an investment, we had to do so while on our fabulous two week long Vancouver Island trip. We did a lot of research into the various companies that offered excursions of this nature and ultimately went with one from the Prince of Whales (love that pun-tastic name), as their boats were said to over smooth rides and have onboard washrooms - two absolute musts for me if I'm setting sail anywhere.

Both proved to be true and we had a marvelous time setting out into the vast blue Pacific Ocean, where we spotted orca whales, minke whales, seals, plenty of birds, and for all of about two seconds, I'm certain that I saw an adorable little otter diving around in the waves. The company offers a whale sighting guarantee, which means that if we hadn't seen any that day, we could have come back for free again a second time. Thankfully, though it did take about an hour and a half to see the majestic black and white orcas, we spotted plenty of wildlife that day, so one outing was all it took.

The staff on board were friendly and very knowledgeable and I had a great time talking with one female staff member in particular, who shared with me tons of great facts about orca whales, including that some of the oldest in the pod that live in those Pacific waters are thought to be at least a hundred years old.

Sadly, truly heartbreakingly actually, she also informed me that about half of the orca whales that are born today die at a young age due primarily to environmental factors (re: polluted waters). This number rattled me to my core and made me feel even more fortunate to get an opportunity to see the handful of these resplendently beautiful wild creatures that we did on that sun-kissed early fall afternoon.

The Price of Whales website had advised tour participants to dress warmly and in layers, so that is precisely what I did. Though my outfit wasn't as in-your-face vintage-y as some of mine certainly are, it was still old school enough to have most eyes on me as we boarded the boat and several people paid me lovely compliments, which is always touching to have happen in any setting.

While I was (barely) warm enough thanks to those four layers on top (five counting my jacket) and two on the bottom (plus thick cotton wool socks and my trusty orca coloured saddle shoes, which are surprisingly warm themselves), the wind was so strong that even with a scarf wrapped 1940s style around my locks, I still had to put a hand on my head many times when the boat picked up speed to avoid the risk of having my wig go flying off into the surf!

I really want to go whale watching again in the future so when we do, I'll either wear something that literally ties my wig to my head or sport a fitted hood that prevents it from going anywhere. Thankfully due to my diligence, it stayed put and I didn't have to deal with the embarrassment that would have come had the wind snatched it up!

We really had an amazing time out on the water and when we returned to dry land, we headed over to the provincial Parliament Building (aka, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia building), which is located on the waterfront, for a quick photo shoot before heading home to fill our famished tummies (being out on a boat in cold, windy weather really works up an appetite!).

This stately and truly gorgeous example of late Victorian architecture (it was completed in 1897) is one of the most breathtaking buildings to be had in this very new province of ours and is a location I'd been wanting to shot in for many years now. Despite the sunshine, there wasn't a lot of folks around, so we were able to take plenty of shots on the stairs and other spots on the backside of the building without other sightseers or locals crossing in front of our lens, as can often happen in popular public spots like this.

Without a doubt, this is one of the more casual outfits I've sported on my blog over the years. Were we not out whale watching, it's the kind of thing I might wear for a trip to the dog park with Annie or perhaps a fall time pumpkin picking excursion in a farmer's field. Delightfully, two pieces of this look were purchased mere days before while in Victoria: the classic cable knit sweater came from Forever 21 (I'd made a point to budget for a trip there as I hadn't stepped foot in one since we left Toronto at the start of 2012 and I'd really been missing it), and the adorable vintage (c. 1980s) orca whale brooch came from the Victoria Vintage Expo that I'd attended the very day before our whale watching adventure.

The rest of the items that made up my layered ensemble were from my closest back home and I couldn't help but love how well that happened to scarf matched my new sweater. I'm always on the lookout for comfy, classic knits like this that are wool-free (I'm allergic to wool) and don't break the bank, and this one delivered big time there (if memory serves me right, it was about $28.00). I'd definitely wear it again for outings like.

I've been rationing my sets of outfit photos from our time on the Island and this, I believe, is the second to last one that I have to share. The final photos, taken on the very rainy ferry boat ride back home to the mainland, will be appearing here in the near future.

Much like our afternoon of feeding the seals, this was an amazing experience and one that I feel very blessed to have been able to enjoy on our holiday. Should you ever get the chance to go out on a similar excursion yourself, I really can't recommend it highly enough! Tony and I both agreed that it was money extremely well spent and that we'd love to go again and again and... :)

In which I feed a little herd of seals - also known as one of the best days of my life!

Outfit details

Blue and white bandana: eBay
Red plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Red plastic vintage necklace: Gift with online purchase years ago
Plaid shirt: Warehouse One
Burgundy lace trimmed camisole: Fairweather
Vintage reproduction green knit bolero: Miss Beta Knits
Vintage white, blue and red enamel anchor brooch: (probably) eBay
Side button 1940s style jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Blue and white plastic stretch bracelets: Both thrifted
Red cross body mini satchel bag: eBay
Black and white saddle shoes: eBay
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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The past four months have flown by nearly at the speed of light. A mixture of marvelous holidays, poor health, bursts of productivity, powerful snow storms, and the start of 2015. Some days it feels like a rather long time since we were on Vancouver Island and yet there are also moments when it's almost as though we're still there. Those two weeks were the one of the biggest highlights of the past year for both Tony and I, who adore traveling to no end, so the latter point comes as no surprise to me.

Ill health and equally poor weather has not made for the best of conditions when it comes to taking photos around these parts lately, so before January wraps up entirely, I wanted to share at least one outfit post with you this month and thus I'm dipping into the Victoria trip vault and pulling out these snaps from what was truly an incredibly fun afternoon.

You may remember from my post 10 highlights from our awesome trip to Vancouver Island, that I chatted about the rainy day on which we had the immense joy of feeding a small herd of harbour seals at the wharf in Victoria.

Seals have been one of my favourite animals for as far back as I have memories, but never before that day had I gotten the chance to get anywhere near that close to them - let alone help to give them a free lunch! :)

The seals that congregate at the wharf there know that tourists and locals alike want nothing more than to provide them with freshly caught fish (which one purchases from a small fish monger's shop a few feet from the water's edge), but even if they're used to interacting with humans, that doesn't mean that they're not still entirely wild. They most certainly are and it's important to keep that in mind if you're interacting with these darling creatures.

Known, entirely affectionately, to locals as Rock Sausages, the seals are a hearty, friendly bunch, each with their own distinct personalities. It was fascinating to kneel down on the dock, heavy raindrop all but landing with a thud around me, and gingerly hand fish to these beautiful marine mammals. Their behaviour struck both Tony and I instantly of being incredibly dog-like and indeed, one of the sweetest of the bunch reminded us a great deal of our own dog, Annie.

It doesn't take long to feed a hungry pack of harbour seals a small plate of fish, so once we had (and after we'd taken no shortage of photographs of them), Tony and I ventured a little further down the wharf to a walkway that runs between the rows of vibrantly coloured floating homes that also reside in this corner of the mighty Pacific Ocean.

Knowing this was going to be a rugged sort of outdoors-y day, I'd dressed the part in an outfit centered my beloved Freddies of Pinewood 1940s style side button jeans and a truly fantastic bespoke pine green knit bolero that my dear friend Beta from Miss Beta Knits created for me as an incredibly kind review gift last year.

Beta, a passionate knitter, mother, wife, and fellow vintage loving lady resides in Portugal and is truly one of the kindest and sweetest people you could ever cross paths with. Her charming Etsy shop is filled with a carefully curated selection of knits that she creates using genuine mid-century patterns, such as scarves, gloves, berets, and boleros akin to the one I'm wearing in these photos. Beta also takes custom orders, so if there's a knit project you've been hankering to have made she may very well be the gal for the job.

This is the second product that I've received and review from Beta (the first was one of her fabulous Miss Marple scarves) and I truly hope that it's not the last that I'm able to add to my wardrobe from her talented knitting needles, because both are extremely well made, comfortable, soft, and delightfully vintage appropriate.

I have sported this dark green knit bolero more than any other sweater of cardigan in my wardrobe this fall and winter (especially during Christmas time, when its holiday tree hue was especially fitting) and I absolute love it to bits. It's chunky and cozy and as every bit as sweet as those precious harbour seals were.

Though four months have passed since we left for our two week holiday to Vancouver Island, the memories of that adventure packed fortnight are crystal clear in my mind still and I know that many of them, especially those of the day we fed a little heard of uber adorable seals will stay with me always. A dear and beautiful reminder of just how special Mother Nature and all her wild children are - not to mention how much they adore being handed platefuls of their favourite food!

Bar none, this was/is one of my favourite days in my whole life and I'm so happy to that we captured it on camera. You can bet your last smelt that I'll be down at the dock tossing fish to the seals the next - and all future - time(s) I'm in the majestically lovely city of Victoria and should you happen to be there yourself, I can't recommend doing so highly enough. It really is one of the more enjoyable experiences that you could ever have!