Taking part in the Sisterhood of the Travelling Vintage Dress

Outfit details

1950s cream lace platter hat: eBay
Mauve hued pearl stud earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Vintage gold tone metal fountain pen shaped brooch: Unknown, had for years (probably thrifted or from eBay)
Mid-century leaf print dress: The Sisterhood of the Travelling Dress launched by Joanna from Dividing Vintage Moments
Gold tone faux leather skinny belt: eBay
Brown fitted cotton blazer: Thrifted (Value Village)
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
C. 1940s yellow-green hued gloves: Unknown, had for years
C. 1950s/1960s woven straw clutch handbag: Unknown, had for years (likely Value Village)
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style round toe brown faux leather pumps: Walmart
Lipstick: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Several months ago now, when 2016 was a young, fresh faced new year, I had the great pleasure of taking part in Australian milliner + vintage blogger Tanith Rowan's exciting Travelling Hat project. More recently, I've equally enjoyed getting to spend some time with The Travelling Dress.

For those who may not have heard about the Sisterhood of the Travelling Dress yet, this was a similar project that my dear online friend Joanna from the blog Dividing Vintage Moments launched back in 2014.

The premise being that a genuine mid-century vintage dress would hop around the world from one vintage blogger/social media user to another before, ultimately, being part of a raffle giveaway that Joanna plans to hold for it in the near future.

It is my understanding that I'm the last participant to spend time with the dress and I must say, I feel really touched about that fact. This dress traversed the globe, visiting wearers in numerous countries on at least three continents.

Each woman put her own unique, wonderful sartorial spin on the garment, with looks spanning the more casual to the deeply sophisticated. Some ensembles suited daytime and others were ready for even the most swanky of cocktail parties.

Every one of the looks, I believe, reflected the woman beneath the dress and was a beautiful way to witness not only the participants' sense of style, but the also their personalities as well.

Just as I did with the Travelling Hat, I bonded with the Travelling Dress big time. When it reached my doorstep, it was in need of some freshening up, so (after getting Joanna's okay to do so) I gave it a gentle hand washing and air drying.

I thought long and hard about the outfit that I wanted to sculpt around it, ultimately letting both the dress itself and the current season dictate the stylistic direction that I took it in.

The photos that you see here were captured very shortly before our recent trip to Edmonton (and, indeed, were the most recent outfit snaps we grabbed before heading off on holiday). They were taken at one of just a teeny, tiny handful of publicly accessible historical houses/buildings in the Southern Okanagan: The Leir House, which is located just a stone's throw away from our home here in Penticton.

In late August, when we did this shoot, the seasons were just starting to change hands. The days were growing a little cooler (though, after the uber rainy summer that we experienced this time around, such wasn't quite as stark a change as usual) and the ability to layer clothing without melting faster than a Popsicle dropped on a hot sidewalk in July was immerging once again.

A true vintage frock like this - with its eye-catchingly pretty leaf/fan print - felt as though it needed an equally classic ensemble to go with it, so for my time with the Travelling Dress, I chose to take things in a direction that would have been nicely at home throughout much of both of the 1940s and 1950s.

Out came a mid-century stiffened lace platter hat, a vintage appropriate fitted brown blazer, a vintage straw clutch, a great pair of c. 1940s greeny-yellow hued gloves, a small assortment of jewelry, and a pair of 1940s style contemporary brown faux leather pumps.

The dress, as well as the setting itself, were the stars of the show this time around and I didn't want other elements of my look competing with them. Instead, much like the natural process of summer melding into autumn, I wanted things to be harmonious and appealing.

Pined to the collar of both the dress and the blazer, you'll notice a gold tone metal vintage brooch in the shape of a classic fountain pen. I gave particular thought to the brooch that I wanted to team with this dream, and ultimately selected this one because I felt that it was a very apt representation for the fact that I, like all those who have spent time with this dress, have had the joy of writing a chapter in the history of this garment's life.

Projects like the Travelling Hat and Joanna's beautiful Sisterhood of the Travelling Dress not only connect fellow vintage fashionistas with one another, but tie us all to the life of a given accessory or garment. We share a mutual love of style, but put our own unique stamp on an item before it moves on to keep seeing the world and adding chapters to its story along the way.

As a nostalgic soul who adores preserving the past, I can think of few things more worthwhile or important on the fashion front for anyone to be a part of.

I want to wholeheartedly thank Joanna for creating this project, enriching the lives of many vintage fans the world over in the process, and for letting the dress wrap up its jet setting tour in Penticton, before moving on to its next home.

Though I will most definitely miss this elegant vintage frock, thankfully, I too have new memories (of it) now and photos to match, and I will carry both with me in my heart for the rest of time.

I found my dream 1950s fall dress (and have been wearing it all season long!)

Outfit details

1930s/40s wide brimmed red straw hat: Frugal Frocks in Armstrong, BC
C. 1940s black hat pin: From a different vintage hat
Black rhinestone encrusted earrings: (I think) Claire's
Black thin knit cropped cardigan: Fairweather
1950s red, orange and black plaid double breasted dress: Wiggle Room Vintage
Vintage style wired pumpkin bead brooch: Summer Blue Jewelry
Brown 1950s gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably eBay)
1950s/1960s red handbag: I Love Vintage Stuff
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Red patent faux leather pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Yes siree, this fabulous fifties frock checks off so many boxes for me. It's plaid, one of my three favourite patterns of all-time. It's midi length (the most flattering hem length on me), it's double breasted (something that I utterly adore on fitted mid-century dresses), it's in great shape, and it boasts the most autumn perfect colour palette imaginable.

I'd be hunting for a dress in this colourway for age now and was elated to find one shortly before fall started this year from Etsy seller Wiggle Room Vintage. It fits me like a glove and still has its original matching belt to boot. To say that I'm a happy camper, would be a serious understatement!!!

From September straight on 'til these last days of November, I've been sporting this gorgeous 1950s plaid frock - it was even one of my Canadian Thanksgiving weekend wardrobe choices this time around. Indeed, with my dear American friends celebrating their own Thanksgiving this week, it seemed only fitting that this new dress of mine made an appearance here, before autumn complete vanishes from sight once again.

To keep the fall time theme going strong, I partnered this fabulously festive dress with a super cute mid-century style pumpkin wired bead brooch that I picked up last spring from Summer Blue Jewelry, whose offerings make me go completely week in the knees and which look the old school part marvelously.

Much like the dress itself, I'd yearned for a sparkly, 1940s/50s appropriate autumn themed brooch for years and was thrilled to find this one. I adore supporting artisans in our vintage community midst, own a few beautiful handmade pieces from Summer Blue now, and hope to add more to my jewelry box as time goes on.

I really wanted to keep the colours at work in this outfit cohesive and thus opted for a beloved red 1930s/40s wide brimmed hat, black earrings, a black cropped shrug/cardigan, red bag and shoes, and brown gloves (there are skinny golden-brown lines in the pattern of the plaid). It was windy (again) on the day we took these snaps in the nearby town of Osoyoos, but thankfully the sun was out and I didn't freeze without a coat here (something I won't be able to say, baring a fluke warm snap, as we head into winter next month).

This whole look makes me immensely happy and sums up my fall time style to a tree. It's fun, comfortable, feminine, and truly ideal for this season. I love this 1950s plaid dress to bits and look forward to continuing to wear it for many more autumns in the years ahead!

*PS* Absolutely joyful Thanksgiving wishes to all of my American friends and readers who are celebrating this terrific holiday tomorrow. 

*PSS* Things are going marvelously so far here in Vancouver and I really look forward to sharing some of the highlights of our travels once we're home again. 

New clothes and old habits

Outfit details

C. 1950s brown felt hat with wooden toggle: Purchased from a fellow vintage blogger
Faux pearl stud earrings: Claire’s
Mustard yellow button front shirt: Thrifted (originally from Ricki's)
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Burgundy cardigan: Mexx
C. 1950s/1960s brown wooden circle brooch: Thrifted
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Super store
Burgundy plastic beaded stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
1950s/1960s mustard yellow and pink paisley circle skirt: Red Light Vintage
Lace trimmed white crinoline (not visible): Petticoat Style 1950s taupe gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably eBay)
C. 1970s - 80s wooden beaded handbag: Thrifted (Value Village)
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Burgundy faux suede pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Party Line
Photography by Tony Cangiano  

♥ ♥ ♥

Before launching into today's post, I must give credit to Tony, whose photography skills shone especially brightly on the day these images were taken. You might not sense if fully from the photos here, but the wind and light that day were flat out bonkers! This shoot now ranks amongst the top three windiest we've ever done and the light was the sort where it changes ever few seconds. Even with this potential impediments from Mother Nature in place, Tony still managed to capture a slew of beautiful photos and I sincerely thank him for that.

Occasionally over the years I've spoken here - and on YouTube - about the fact that I have rather bad teeth. They're massive crowded and crocked (some of which is hidden by my lips, especially on the bottom row), unattractive looking, and four back ones are missing (pulled in my youth because things like root canals could not be afforded). I was teased mercilessly throughout school because of them, know for a fact that they didn't help my dating life when I was single, and continue to feel the various negative ways in which they impact me to this day.

I'm not here to delve into all that again really (and certainly am not pitying myself), but it warrants saying because today, for only the second time ever (as far as I can recall) in my blog's 6.5 years of life, I am not only showing you my teeth (or at least how they look when I try to smile with them showing - I say "try" because I genuinely don't know how to naturally smile with them flashing, as I have spent my whole life trying to cover them up as much as possible, including by usually smiling with my lips closed), but doing so intentionally.

It struck me a while ago that I was already doing just this on YouTube when I speak there, so why keep my mouth closed on camera, too? Why? There are so many reasons for me, some of which I've just touched on, but ultimately, I have accepted this is who I am and how I look. I hope with every fiber of my being to have the financial means to give my mouth a serious overhaul one day, but thus far in my 31 years of life that that hasn't been possible (and likely won’t be for a while to come still).

The older I get, the more I continue to work on building my self-confidence and making peace with the present. As such, I wanted to be brave and smile with my teeth showing in this shoot - and who knows - perhaps in other photos as time goes on as well. Is it a beautiful smile? Goodness, no, but it's the only one I've got and that certainly counts for something.

Now, on to the new - clothes that is!!! Though not intentionally planned, it occurred to me as I was sorting through these photos that vast majority of what I'm wearing in them has been purchased throughout 2015.

This gorgeous 1950s/1960s mustard yellow, pink and burgundy circle skirt is the most recent acquisition, picked up from Etsy seller Red Light Vintage during a recent sale in that shop. The colours in it are amongst my favourite ever and I knew that my first outfit featuring this skirt needed to pull from them.

The yellow button front shirt (which is sleeveless and great for spring - early fall) was a thrifted find back around the start of July. The delightful little 50s felt pillbox-esque hat was purchased a few months ago from a fellow vintage blogger, and the shoes were bought new from Payless this past August (I'd wanted a classic pair of pumps in burgundy for...well...ever! And was elated to score these this year).

The other elements of this ensemble - the jewelry, gloves, beaded handbag, stockings, and burgundy cardigan are all older, but no less important to the over all look here and I must say, I just adore how this colour palette came together. It is so rich, feminine, and ideally suited to the very month that we're in: October.





We took these (very wind blown!) snaps on one of our favourite streets in (the nearby city of) Kelowna, which happens to have some historic homes on it, so naturally I couldn't help but pose in front of one of the most beautiful. This elegant abode is called the J.W. Jones House and is currently used by a law office. Isn't it a stunner? The wrap around front porch slays me every time I see it.

It's great when new and old can collide like that to create something wonderful like this outfit - or, in the case of my teeth, help one continue to grow and better accept themselves, even when doing so is quite the personal challenge.

So while you might not see me flashing my crocked pearly whites in every photos shoot hence forth, don't be surprised if they pop up every now and then. Old habits - like not smiling with them showing - might die hard, but they can indeed be laid to rest and it is my sincere hope that this post will help me do just that when it comes working up the nerve to smile in front of the lens.

Another autumn older

Outfit details

C. 1950s red velvet hat with faux pearl hatpin (they came together): Green Dragon Lady
Black micro crystal studded heart earrings: Claire's or Payless
Vintage appropriate autumn leaf sweater with crystal embellishments: Thrifted (Value Village)
1950s dark teal gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably thrifted)
Clear plastic butterfly stretch bracelet: Unknown, had for soooo many years
Red bow stretch belt: (An Asian clothing store at) Pacific Mall in Toronto
Vintage black velvet pencil skirt: Lady Kitschener's Vintage Emporium
Mid-century black patent purse: Probably eBay or Etsy
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Red patent pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Autumn, I have said before - and always felt - is my own personal new year. Of course I celebrate the changing of the calendar guards at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, like most folks, but in terms of what feels like the natural start of the year to me, it has been early fall for my entire life.

I believe in going with our inborn inclinations like this and joyfully welcome autumn as a time of renewal, bolstered energy, goal setting, decluttering, introspective thought and, yes, despite many things coming to a end around this time of the year, even a rebirth of sorts.

My birthday is in July, but I often think of the years of my life as beginning anew each time around in the fall. Today, as we kick off this most gorgeous of jewel toned seasons again, that is very much the case for me.

I also, in viewing these recently captured photos, notice that I look older. I don't say this as a complaint in the slightest (getting older always beats the alternative!), simply as an observation. I've been photographed heavily for a few years now and its fascinating to look back and see subtle signs of (further) age appear on the scene from one season - be it autumn or any of the other three - to the time it rolls around next.

Naturally, to greet this sparkling new autumn, a seasonally inspired outfit was in order. I reached for some familiar staples (the mid-century vintage skirt, bags, gloves, and hat - though I'm sure if this hat, which I've owned for a number of years, has appeared here before or not) and added this gorgeous, very vintage appropriate leaf sweater, which I thrifted several months ago and have been champing at the bit to sport it ever since (those who follow my YouTube channel may recognize it from this recent video featuring examples of vintage appropriate clothing from my own wardrobe).

I love the background and light colours in these images, which were taken at a beautiful woodland nature park in the nearby city of Kelowna (the Robert Frost worthy two paths diverging in the woods behind me in some of them only adds to it appeal to me). Though the leaves had not sprung into full on autumn splendor yet, there were subtle tinges of ripe pear yellow and coppery brown that let one know instantly that they would be doing so in a matter of days.

Connecting with, and spending time in, nature is incredibly important for me and I always love to greet the seasons by making sure to do so, so I couldn't be happier that my shoot for today’s vintage outfit post took place in a majestic forest setting like this.

Years roll on, the seasons pass like two ships in the night, one gradually morphing into the next, and we age. This is the natural cycle and pattern of life. Unchanged since time immemorial.

Am I older? You bet, and I don't mind at all. For each year brings with it new wisdom, new gifts, new lessons, new friends, new memories, and at the same time, the return of old favourites, like autumn itself and many beautiful joys that call this enchanting season home.