Wearing My Ultimate Unicorn of a Vintage Novelty Print Skirt

Outfit details

1950s green hair scarf (it's more grass green in real life than the bright sun makes it look here): Probably thrifted
White faux pearl stud earrings: Probably Claire's or eBay
1950s confetti lucite and real maple leaf brooch: Either a gift or from eBay, if memory serves me right
Black off-the-shoulder boat neck shirt: Joe Fresh
C. 1980s - 90s Brown leather and faux reptile skin belt: Thrifted
Gorgeous 1950s style Canadian novelty print skirt: Handmade gift from an incredible friend ♥
Red lace trimmed crinoline: Pettiskirt Style
Plastic bangle bracelets: Forever 21 & assorted sources
Vintage wood bangle bracelets: Thrifted
1940s/50s style brown leather wedge sandals: Yard sale find
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Nail colour: Essie Red Nouveau


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

First and foremost I fully acknowledge that, yes, Squinty McSquinterton has returned again in full force and that she was accompanied by Weird Wind Face McGee this time around, too. Le sigh!!!

No matter though, this incredible 1950s style novelty print skirt had to be photographed while the temperature for single layered outfits was still accommodating and that trumped strong winds and harsh light. It could have been raining frogs on me that day and I would have still posted these photos! :)

For you see, in them I am wearing what is, really and truly, hands down my ultimate, dream, fantasy, holy grail of a novelty print skirt: one that entirely Canadian themed!!!

Ever since my teen years I have scoured countless shops online and off nearly obsessively for a vintage Canadian novelty print skirt from the 40s or 50s (assuming that such had even existed in the first place). I informed scores of vintage sellers I knew of my hunt and was willing to pay a premium to land such a skirt, but none was forthcoming.

A very dear online friend of mine, and fellow vintage novelty print lover, was aware of my search and had done her best to track one down for me as well (this lady has mad skills when it comes to sourcing elusive vintage items), but we both continued to come up empty handed.

Unlike myself, she is sewer - and a very talented one at that, may I add. Last year as incredible Christmas present, she knocked the socks clean off of me when she surprised me with the gift of the incredibly lovely, immensely mid-century vintage looking Canadian print novelty skirt that I am sporting in these photos.

Time was not on our side on the busy day when Tony and I quickly grabbed these shots up Carmi Mountain here in Penticton, so hence the harsh sunlight (aka, we couldn't shot earlier or later in the day, when it would have been kinder and more flattering), epic squinting and weird faces at work here, but again, I simply could not go any long without sharing this skirt with all of you. It is a dream come true for a proud, patriotic vintage loving canuck like myself and I simply had to shout about it from the highest rooftop - or in this case, Mountain peak! :)

I cannot begin to thank my treasured friend enough for the gift of this awesome Mountie on horseback, canoe, First Nations and Inuit, wood grain, evergreen tree, and dog sled print skirt. It is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favourite novelty print garment I've ever owned and I still have a hard time (months after receiving it) wrapping my head around the fact that it is actually, really and truly, mine.

From the bottom of my heart, sweet friend, thank you for giving this vintage Canadian gal her unicorn 1950s garment. There are no words to adequately describe how much I love it! Please don't let my windswept face fool you, I was smiling up a storm, both on with my actual lips and in my heart as I posed for these photos atop that beautiful hill and let the dry, dusty green landscape highlight the phenomenal-ness of your amazing gift.

Exploring the Library and Archives Canada on Flickr

Though Canada might not be the oldest country in the world, it has been populated for thousands upon thousands of years. Initially by First Nations peoples, later by European settlers, and in more recent years, by folks from all corners of the globe. For nearly as long as photography has existed, people across this vast nation have striven to preserve our history on film, yet one doesn't seem to encounter nearly as many vintage Canadian photographs as those from places such as the US and UK.

It was this thought, partnered with a lifelong love of Canadian history that prompted me to start a Vintage Canada Flickr group back in 2011, and a Pinterest board devoted to Vintage Canada around the start of last year.

Like many people the world over, I have a deeply rooted passion for, and interest in the history of, my nation. With a land mass second only in size to Russia, Canada is not exactly a tiny country by any stretch of the imagination, however for such a grand sized place, we have a relatively small population (we're presently sitting right around 35,000,000), which may in part explain why there are often fewer yesteryear Canadian images to be found both online and off.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's exceedingly hard to find vintage Canadian photos, it's not at all, but again, they're by no means as commonplace as those from, say, the US, which both in days gone by and now, has had a much larger population than ours. It warms the very corners of my soul (an all-important point when you consider how chilly the abundance of snow we get up here can make mind, body and soul!) to encounter vintage Canadian photographs, and so today - on this nippy February morning - I thought it high time that I shared one of my absolute favourite resources of  just such images.

Beyond merely being a favourite spot to spy nineteenth and twentieth-century Canadian photographs, illustrations and art, the Library and Archives Canada's Flick stream is a trove of valuable - and highly interesting - Canadian history, as most of the photos (and illustrations) include at least a small degree of background information for them.

The Library and Archives Canada's about page on Flickr does a terrific job of summing up what this official Government of Canada run stream is all about. "(LAC) collects and preserves Canada's documentary heritage, and makes it accessible to all Canadians. This heritage includes publications, archival records, sound and audio-visual materials, photographs, artworks, and electronic documents such as websites. As part of our mandate, we work closely with other archives and libraries to acquire and share these materials as widely as possible."

To date this is one of, if not the very best, resources for older Canadian photographs that I'm aware of anywhere on the web. It's been in place since 2008, which was when I first discovered it. In the time since then, I've actively tried to stay abreast of the LAC's uploads, thoroughly enjoying and often learning more about Canadian history from this important archive's many interesting images (which total more than 2,100 and counting).

While I could happily post every last one of the LAC's images, I'll refrain (for the moment!), and instead share with you twenty vintage photographs, spanning multiple decades, that are amongst my very favourite in this phenomenal collection.

(These wonderful images speak volumes for themselves, so I haven't captioned them, but if you'd like to know more about a specific photo, please click on it to be taken to its respective LAC Flickr page.)

Even if you're not a Canadian, so long as you delight in seeing vintage photographs, this is a Flickr stream that truly is not be missed (much like the Glenbow Museum's stream that I posted about here in 2012), and one that I'm sure nearly everyone could find photos amongst which speak to their passion for, and interest, in history.

After all, who doesn't love a good back at look at the past, eh? :)