A beloved vintage shirtwaist dress for those in between seasons days

Outfit details

1950s floral print scarf: Not sure, had for years (possibly a gift or thrifted)
Floral metal and faux pearl earrings: Save On Foods
Teal-cerulean blue 1980s does 1950s shirtwaist dress: eBay
Vintage gold tone metal and rhinestone floral brooch: eBay (similar style available in my Etsy shop)
Skinny light blue belt: eBay
Gold toned metal bangle bracelets: Payless
Vintage woven raffia handbag: Yard sale find
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
White pumps: Payless
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace
Nail colour: Sally Hansen Rogue Rush over Essie Pink Diamond


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Of all the shirtwaist dresses in my closet, this cheerful 1980s does 1950s teal meets cerulean blue number gets the most amount of wear, bar none. It's seen me through road trips, attended lengthy antiques auctions, been guised up for the holidays, worn for walks at the beach, visited hundreds of yard sales, done more hours of housework in than I can begin to count, hugged plenty of relatives at family get-togethers, and is a frequent first choice when running errands or bopping around seeing the local sites (and indeed, it appeared here over two years in a post on that very topic called The Intrepid Urban Explorer).

It is also an extremely useful piece to have on hand as one season starts to shift into the next, be it spring into summer or summer into fall, as is the case now that we've celebrated Labour Day and are heading, mighty quickly, towards the return of my favourite time of the year: autumn.

More so this year than for any other in recent memory, I'm keen to hold onto summer. To savour and indulge in each glistening moment of warmth and amber hued sunshine. As August wound down, I felt much like a little kid again, trying, ultimately unsuccessfully, to hold onto the heat of summer and make it last all the that much longer. Time waits for no one though and can't be harnessed on a whim - for better or worse - so I've made peace with the fact that all too soon, the days of beaches and fresh peaches, the ability to comfortably go bear foot, and the need to consume copious amounts of ice cream to stay adequately refreshed will be behind us again.

We're not quite there, but I can sense the heat draining from the days like like the last ounce of toothpaste being squeezed from the tube. Before it does though, you can bet your bottom dollar that you'll find me, and my trusty turquoise shirtwaist dress out and about, posing with flowers (as I did with this delightful cart that is parked out front of our local Art Knapp's nursery), sitting in the sun (with sunscreen and a hat on, of course), savoring all the local fruit and veg I possibly can, and reflecting back on what has been, hands down, one of the busiest and most action packed summers I've enjoyed in a very long time.

From adding clothing and handbags to my Etsy shop to launching my YouTube channel, trying my hand at selling vintage in person, traversing the Okanagan from top to bottom, spending time with family, celebrating birthdays (including my 30th back on July 10th) and anniversaries, my second ever blogger meet-up, and oodles more, this summer has been a constant go-go-go for me! And you know what, knackered as I was at times, and hard as such a demanding pace can be on my health, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love what I've accomplished, set into motion, and have begun planning for the remainder of the year and beyond.

After all, one can always top their most frequently worn shirtwaist dress with a chunky cardigan and put their feet up - for a few minutes at least - once Old Man Winter is here again and we're up to our bumper bangs in bone chilling snow. For the moment though, I'm going to keep on reveling in summer, gearing up for fall, and being thankful for what an awesome, fun filled, productive season this one has been for me.

Voodoo Vixen love at first sight

Outfit details

Vintage pale pink nylon/chiffon scarf: eBay
Pink sparkly bow earrings: Payless
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Turquoise cardigan: Cleo
Circa 1950s silver tone rose brooch: Miss Farfalla
Aqua and pink Flora dress: Voodoo Vixen
Pink plastic rose bangle bracelet: Walmart
Vintage straw handbag: Yard sale find
Nude seamed nude stockings:
White pumps: Payless
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Red
Nail colour: Sally Hansen Rogue Rush over Essie Pink Diamond


Photography by Tony Cangiano

 ♥ ♥ ♥

A little earlier this summer, when I took the (massive - for shy little me at least!) plunge and decided to start filming YouTube videos, I knew that I wanted to wear something that really and truly represented my personal style. Various wardrobe options swirled through my head, but ultimately I happily opted to sport this uber charming vintage style pink and blue Flora dress from UK fashion brand Voodoo Vixen on video camera.

I had been contacted by a lovely rep from Voodoo Vixen a little earlier this year about collaborating on some product spotlight outfit posts and the company very kind sent me this dress, as well as a seriously darling ladybug cardigan (which I'll be featuring in a post unto itself here in a few weeks). I sincerely appreciate both pieces and have fallen head-over-heels in love with each of them.

Seriously in love, that is. I wouldn't have donned my new Flora dress as the key outfit component of my first YouTube video if I didn't have mad adoration for it! :)

This soft, comfortable cotton frock channels the spirit of the 1940s, but can easily be styled in a 1950s or more contemporary direction, too, if so desired. It's well constructed, true to size, made of very good quality materials, has darling cap sleeves with one pink button on each (the same kind of buttons that appear on the torso), and a flattering vee meets sweetheart sort of shaped neckline.

I'm also a big fan of its mid-calf length (on my 5'2" torso, that is) and the fact that the skirt on this dress has a wonderful amount of swing to it. Indeed, I could see being able to dance the night away, if one wanted, in this dress no problem. By the same token, you could take it in a fancier direction, adding gloves, a hat, perhaps a lace or crochet shawl, or anything else your heart desired for events such as weddings, garden fetes, baby showers, or a timelessly lovely tea party.

The moment I saw this dress on Voodoo Vixen's website, which is chalk-a-block with vintage inspired styles that are sure to provide no shortage of wishlist fodder for many a vintage loving, pinup, and rockabilly lass the world over, my heart skipped a beat. Its fabulously feminine colour palette and floral motif instantly reminded me of a similarly patterned wallpaper that hung in one of my childhood bedrooms (in the first house we lived in here in Penticton, actually). I adored that wallpaper and have found myself drawn to things that resemble it ever since.

In person, Flora was even more stunning and she and I hit it off splendidly! Though it wasn't a chilly day by any means when we were shooting (photos and a video!), I knew we'd be in the shade a bit (at the always stunning Guisachan Park in Kelowna), so I topped this lovely aqua and pink dress with a turquoise hued cardigan and pulled colours from its palette for my accessories and nail polish choices.

Interestingly, unlike many patterned dresses, there is no white, black, grey, red, or navy blue in this dress' design, which is relatively uncommon amongst the frocks in my closet and made me really give thought to what hues my accessories should me. As the dress itself is vibrant and eye-catching, I wanted to ensure it remained the star of the show that day and that it wasn't overpowered by darker accessories. Thus, I opted for pale coloured ones - specifically a classic pearl necklace, pale pink nylon/chiffon scarf, pink rose pattern plastic bangle, sparkly pink bow earrings, a silver tone vintage rose brooch, white shoes and a pale straw handbag.

Idea for spring, summer and the first few still-warm days of autumn on its own or topped with a lightweight cardigan, as I've done here, this dress could also be hugged by a pale hued (think cream, light grey, beige or taupe) fur wrap come the nippier days of the year. In fact, I can easily picture this dress and the person wearing it looking like a million dollar against a snow covered landscape, the gentle colours of the pattern popping all the more thanks to the marshmallow hued background.

You only get one first time for every new thing that you try, and for my inaugural YouTube video, I will always remember and be very happy that I had recently received such a gorgeous floral print vintage style dress from Voodoo Vixen, which I was able to wear on camera that day. It is me and my style to a tee and will forever remind me, in the loveliest of ways, when I wear or see it hanging in my closet, of the nerves, excitement and happiness of that majorly cool experience and exciting new step in my life.

I don't always wear shoulder pads, but when I do...

Outfit details

Dark green snood: eBay seller tina.g-2008
Faux pearl stud earrings: eBay
Circa 1950s maple leaf scatter pins: Antique store in Vernon
1940s style Tea Dress Denim Dark Blue: Vivien of Holloway
Green vintage Bakelite bangles: Carved = wonderful gift & thin marble spacer = thrifted White vintage bangle: Probably thrifted or from a yard sale
Camel hued faux leather cross body purse: eBay
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Brown leather peep toe wedges: Yard sale
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red

Photography by Tony Cangiano  

♥ ♥ ♥

...They're inevitably part of 1940s ensemble.

As I couldn't track down The Most Interesting Man in The World from the Dos Equis beer commercials - he was probably off teaching hippos how to hang glide while knitting an afghan, learning to speak Mongolian, and juggling ten mini potted cactuses at the same time or something equally OTT and amazing - to do a sound bite for that title and opening line, you'll just have to read it in his voice in your head. :D

And for that matter, it's rather rare for me to wear dresses or shirts that don't reach past my elbows out in public, but sometimes one hits upon a garment that is so sublime, so well tailored, so expertly crafted and terrifically flattering on them that their usual fashion rules go out the window faster TMMITW could do a triple back flip. The next thing you know, you're standing in front of a camera in your brand new Vivien of Holloway Dark Denim Blue Dress, complete with shoulder pads and above-the-elbow sleeves and wondering how on earth your wardrobe ever got by without this timeless workhorse of a frock.

I'm very fortunate to have received this beautiful denim dress as a review gift from Vivien of Holloway (thank you so much for it!), who I will be collaborating with on at least two posts this year, plus you can see me wearing this very dress in one of my latest YouTube videos as well (and no doubt others to follow in the future). For this first outfit, the fine folks at VOH asked me to style it in a casual sort of way that would be redolent of both the 1940s and a good example of how busy ladies on the go these days could sport it (the second outfit post featuring this dress, to appear here next month, will take this same vintage reproduction frock in a bit more of a dressed up direction).

I flat out love the fashions of the war years, which relied so heavily on ingenuity, a make do and mend mentality, becoming tailoring, and stylish accessories to help pull an outfit all together, and it was those things that I kept in mind as styling my own ensemble here.

A classic snood, trio of vintage scatter brooches, Bakelite (and newer plastic, in the case of the white one) bangles, nude seamed stockings, brown leather wedge sandals, and a timeless cross body camel hued purse are all it takes to jazz up this lovely tea dress, as Vivien of Holloway describes this style, which really, objectively, is sensational all on its own.

Usually, as started in the title, I don't wear shoulder pages. I have small, sloping shoulders and find that they generally do my petite height and hourglass figure zero favours, but these ones - which could easily be removed if so desired, as they're not sandwiched between layers of fabric or otherwise tricky to do away with - are fairly modest size and in the over all context of this dress, even on my figure, they work. For the time being, I've left them in place and in fact, I rather like them and the way that they add a very important (further) note of 1940s appropriate style to this vintage reproduction garment.

Sure, I could have tossed a cardigan or jacket over top, but when you're doing a photo shoot and the temperature is about 36C/97F with little breeze and an arid desert-like landscape around you, one tends not to go running for layers - and, thanks actually, I believe to those aforementioned shoulder pads, I don't mind the sleeve length here at all and have been sporting this dress without anything atop it every few days since it arrived.

Made of quality, soft denim fabric that I'd describe as being of a flexible medium weight with a little hint of stretch to it, this dress is so incredibly comfortable. Like, wear it on a plane if you were flying from Canada to Australia kind of comfortable (which I'm not planning to in the near future, but if I ever do...). Don it for work, to pick up the kids, to run errand in, on a road trip, on a leisurely nature walk, to play golf in, while gardening, you name it! This dress is designed with practical daytime wear in mind, but it can also  be - as I'll be showing in my second post featuring it in September - guised up a bit too, if you need/want to take it in a slightly more formal/office appropriate direction.

I love the perky row of good sized white plastic buttons, too. They're sweet and fun and make accessorizing a cinch, as white and denim both go with darn near every colour under the sun. I like to pull to colours from my garments for my accessories a lot of the time, so in this case, I brought white into the picture again via one of my vintage bangle bracelets and also care of my pearl earrings (themselves as timeless as the day is long).

For some other styling options when it comes to Vivien of Holloway's terrific day dresses (seriously, I can't, and as always I say this without a lick of bias, praise these classic 1940s style dress highly enough), here are some images from the company themselves of the Tea Dress in different colours, as well as their similar, casual styles the Kitty (some versions of which are currently on sale), Run Around Sue, and Anna Sundresses, respectively (please click on an image to be taken to its VOH page).



























While Vivien of Holloway asked me to put together two outfit posts featuring this great dark denim tea dress, I'm so madly in love with it and its ability to instantly set the tone for an early to mid-1940s ensemble, that I'm sure you'll see it many a time again in the months and years to come, both here on my blog and on YouTube. It's my new favourite repro day dress and the first garment in a very, very long time to get me excited about wearing shoulder pads - which, I promise you, is no small feat! :)