{Capture the beauty and vibrancy of a walk through the woods in the fall with this absolutely lovely 1950s orange veil fascinator hat. $18.00 from My Robin's Nest Boutique.}
{To quote the listing itself, this luscious handmade lip balm is "a lightly sweetened, comforting flavor [that] is created with an interpretive blend of essential oils distilled from spices, woods, and evergreen needles". If like me, you're a fan of earthy, heady scents that channel Mother Nature, this great balm is perfect for you - especially now that November's lip parching winds and frosty chill are upon us again. $7.00 for 0.21 ounces of lip balm from For Strange Women.}
{Tapping into the theme at the heart of today's post (see text below the Etsy listings), this charming, beautiful laser cut bamboo wood brooch features the timeless side profile of a wolf howling at the moon and would great with all kinds of cozy ensembles the whole year round. $15.32 from One Happy Leaf.}
{Cuddle up and look seriously cool + cute in this wonderful vintage deer motif Cowichan style zipper cardigan sweater. Fits up to a 40 inch bust. $48.00 from Zest Vintage.}
{Spring, summer, fall or winter, this fantastic 1940s/1950s green molded plastic leaf and silver tone metal matching earring and necklace set is the perfect woodland inspired accessory for any outfit (very much including at Viva Las Vegas!). $45.00 for the set from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Enchantingly pretty and ideal for autumn, this stunning 1940s leaf print silk dress will turn heads wherever you go. Fits up to a 36-38" bust/30" waist. $206.78 from Trunk of Dresses.}
{Woooo's going to have the most adorable purse in town? Why, it's you, if you bring home this fabulously cute tooled leather cross body owl bag. Seriously, this is one darling handbag that suits autumn's rich, earthy colour palette so sublimely well. $69.00 from Sew Shoe Me.}
{Keep the inspired-by-nature theme going strong with this elegant, strikingly beautiful vintage (1960s) gold tone metal and hematite hinge bracelet featuring two marvelous oak leaves. $36.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Talk about an awesome pair of shoes for a complete bargain! These charmingly fun, wonderfully sophisticated black Jack Rogers patent leather peep toe shoes feature elegant leafs on the vamps and would go with the 1940s silk dress above magnificently well. Fits a 1980s woman's size 8 foot. $10.00 from Kami Sue.}
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In the world of Girl Guiding and Scouting, their is a wonderful history of allowing members who were the only person (or very nearly so) that was interested in Guiding/Scouting in their area be a full fledged member of the organization all the same (even when there was no troop or pack for them to join nearby). Girls and women who fall under this heading are known as Lone Guides or simply "Lones", and though they were more common in decades past (especially when many towns and cities were a fraction of the size they are today), they still exist in numerous countries (including Canada) around the world.
Over the years, I've often reflected on how a good many of us in the vintage realm are Lones as well. Often we live in communities, towns or even cities, where there is almost, if not completely, no one else (that we know of at least) who shares our profound passion for the past, wears vintage, and/or is a vintage blogger. There may be no vintage or antique shops, no vintage fairs or other events, or places we can go to connect with those who share our interests in the past and truly "get" what it's like to be a part of the vintage subculture.
Here in my small town of Penticton, that's a heading I certainly fall under. Though I'm fortunate to be friends with a small number of folks in our region of the province who sell vintage, and I'm very grateful for each of them, I don't have any fellow mid-century wearers or bloggers to hang out with and there are no vintage clothing stores in my town (and exceedingly few in the Okanagan in general).
Around town in fact, I've acquired the nickname of "That Vintage Girl", as that's often how people seem to recognize and know me if we haven't formally met before. On many an occasion, I'll met someone who has heard about from another local resident, and they almost always begin with, "Hey, aren't you that vintage girl?". Yes, yes, I am and I'm thrilled to be known for something that is so important and integral to my life, but sometimes it would be thoroughly awesome if I had a friend or two nearby to call up and hangout with while we wore our snazzy vintage outfits and chatted about everything from pin curl patterns to sourcing vintage fashions locally.
Who knows, maybe one day someone who shares this passion will move to Penticton and we'll become fast friends, but for now, I remain the local 1940s/1950s wearing lady and make a point of counting the internet amongst my blessings, because it allows me to connect with scores of fellow vintage enthusiasts around the world 24/7 - many of whom are, again, communities of one unto themselves.
We're lone wolves indeed and so, as I was thinking about this topic a fair bit this week, it seemed fitting that I devote this month's edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday to all of my peers the world over who are the sole vintage wearers/bloggers in their respective areas and give it a wolf + woodland theme to honour that fact.
It takes a lot, no matter how much you love and enjoy doing something, to be the only one participating in it for years (or even decades) on end and I have the utmost admiration for my fellow sisters and brothers in vintage who walk this path alone, wherever they may reside.
You are each an inspiration and I strongly encourage you to always keep on doing what you're doing and know that you're never truly on your own - especially so long as you have internet access! :)
