Walking around town in my birthday suit

  Outfit details

1950s taupe umbrella: etsy seller Theresa's Tresures, Etc.
1950s cream lace platter hat: eBay
Golden brown hair net: eBay
Faux pearl stud earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
1950s coral skirt suit: etsy seller Mystery Mister
Gold toned and faux pearl antique inspired brooch: eBay
1940s/50s saffron yellow gloves: gloves
Mid-century vintage embroidered handbag: etsy seller Kitty Adventures
Nude on nude seamed stockings: eBay
Brown round toe pumps: Pipsqueaks and Damsel's Consignment Store
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Antonio Cangiano








































 

 
 







     

♥ ♥ ♥

Not literally of course - though I'm sure that might be worthy of mention unto itself, if it did happen! No, the kind of birthday suit I'm talking about was, quite literally, a suit that I received as a birthday present this year. My wonderful mom and step-dad very sweetly allot a certain amount for my birthday each year and then, if I so desire, leave it up to me to pick what I want.

This year, as my birthday rolled into sight, my thoughts were (despite, or perhaps because of the warm weather - off season shopping often lands one better deals!) planted squarely on vintage suits. Of which, previously, I owned at the time, just two.

A large part of the reason for this is that, I find, vintage suits rarely fit me well. They'll be too big, too small, too long, too bulky (for my petite frame), or any combination of those things in the same suit. Alterations done by skilled seamstress or tailor can certainly help of course, but some fit issues (especially if a garment is lined) can be trickier to remedy with suits than, say, a dress or pair of pants, and can also set you back a few clams. Ideally one always wants to aim to find garments that fit as well as possibly from the get-go, and that was not something I'd experienced over the years.

A very dear online friend and I had been discussing suits throughout much of the winter and spring, and as the year progressed, I knew that it was high time I did something about the shortage of suits in my closet. Though one might luck out and find a great bargain from time-to-time, typically a good vintage suit is a wardrobe investment item, and something that you'll want to try and make sure, at least on paper, sounds like it should fit you well.

I'd been scouring etsy and eBay quite extensively for suits for a few weeks when I hit upon the coral gem you see here. It was love at first sight. I forgot about all the other suits (and there had been hundreds) that I'd seen in previous weeks. This was the one. Reasonably priced as it was, its price tag did still make it an investment and a splurge, so I very happily opted to select it as my birthday present from my parents this year.

I waited excitedly for it to wing its way through the mail up here to Canada, and couldn't throw open the box quickly enough when it did. Other than being a tad darker coloured than I'd thought (the seller's photos were a tiny bit overexposed), it was precisely as pictured, and much to my immense delight, fit like a glove. Better than a glove, I'd say, it fit as though it had been tailor made for me - a rarity indeed, no matter the garment.

This suit is a dream. It's warm (really warm!), expertly constructed, in terrific shape, and a seriously gorgeous colour, to boot. I love the nubby, classic tweed; the glistening gold sparkle filled buttons, the shape of the lapel, where the jacket hits, the skirt length, every last, magnificent detail. This is one of the pieces that a person holds onto for a lifetime and treasures dearly, wearing it a thousand times, in an ever-so-slightly different way nearly each, throughout the rest of their days.

To model it, on a day that was both warm and rainy, we took these shots on a wee bridge in downtown Penticton. The location wasn't planned. We didn't know that there would be nearly matching flowers peppering the background, it was merely a wonderfully well (colour) coordinated moment of happenstance.

There are saffron hued threads in this tweed, so I used them as the jumping off point for my glove colour choice, as well as my gold hued brooch and vintage embroidered handbag (which was very, very kindly given to me as a gift by fellow blogger Carolynn Markey, from her lovely etsy vintage shop, Kitty Adventures, and which had once belonged to her dear grandmother; Carolynn also has another etsy shop in which she sells her delightful handmade wares called Moon of Silver, that's well worth checking out, too).

A suit like this, in such a vivid colour, is the star of the show for sure, but that doesn't mean it can't be accessorized with classic pieces such a pearl jewelry, a 1950s umbrella and lace platter hat, and my beloved brown round toe pumps. It was plenty toasty out that day, so there was no need for a blouse, sweater, or scarf underneath, just a vintage lace trimmed full slip and a pair of classic nude seamed stockings.

I love this gorgeous vintage suit to no end. It's one of the best birthday presents I've ever received and helped fill a nagging gap in my wardrobe big time. Almost unbelievably, it's actually the second suit I received as a present this year. The other though, my dears, will just have to wait for a post unto itself another day. :)

Tapestry handbags and local vintage themed murals

Ok, technically only one of each, but pluralized words often make for nicer titles, don't you think?

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
1940s cream and brown mini heart print dress: etsy (seller is no longer in business)
Copper-pink pearl hued earrings: Claire's
Brown 1950s gloves: etsy or eBay
Sand hued bangle bracelet: etsy seller RecycleBuyVintage
Multi-colour crystal bead bracelet: gift from my mom and step-dad when they went on their trip to the Grand Canyon last year
1950s floral tapestry handbag: etsy seller Studio 1950
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Dark brown faux letter heels: Pipsqueaks and Damsels Consignment Store (here in Penticton)
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glaze

Photography by Antonio Cangiano 

♥ ♥ ♥

Just to the left where these photos were taken, until very recently, stood the town's only (present day) strip club. Ummm, where yah going with this, Jess, I hear you saying...allow me to continue. You see, Slack Alice's (the aforementioned gentleman's club) burned to the ground this past February, taking with it a neighbouring liquor store and Chinese restaurant, and as such this corner of the city now looks a touch barren.

Not though, that many folks around town really mind (well, perhaps some of the chaps do, but I've yet to hear any of the ladies lament over Slack's unexpected demise). I don't have qualms with strip clubs as long as they're legally operated and the workers are treated fairly and properly, and I feel sorry for the three Front Street business owners who lost their properties (and perhaps even livelihoods, I don't know their respective back stories) in the blaze.

Anyhow, a few feet further down the street is the parking lot near where these buildings once stood, and on the wall of a building that luckily remained unscathed stands a beautiful mural that was painted by two local artists. The scene it depicts is one of downtown Penticton circa 1930, and is the only solely vintage themed mural that I'm aware of in town.

I don't own much in the way of 30s garb, so instead I donned a 1940s dress (which, given it's age, I'm always a little leery of wearing on any kind of regular basis) and a beautiful 1950s tapestry handbag to go visit this artistically adorned corner of town on a recent (somewhat) overcast afternoon.

As many of you know, I'm massively allergic to nickel and have to avoid it like the plague, which means that many handbags are off limits for me. Occasionally however, if the amount of exposed metal is minimal and I don't plan on wearing the bag too often, I'll push aside my fears of getting a painful rash from the (potential presence) of this offending metal and take the plunge.

I'd been daydreaming about finding a pre-1960s floral print tapestry handbag that was nickel-free (or at least pretty close) for years now, and was elated when I discovered this lovely purse on etsy earlier this year. There is a little bit of metal, as you can see, but if I wear it with gloves and (save for these shots) long sleeves, I suspect I should be ok most of the time. A point which makes me a very, very (1950s rose tapestry purse carrying) happy camper.

This post includes something which is a rather uncommon occurrence for me, the bearing of my exposed arms. The reason why I rarely do so boils down to two main factors. The first of which is I believe in dressing with a certain degree of modesty (shy, ultra self-conscious soul that I am), and second because I'm not a big fan of my upper arms at all.

For medical reasons its virtually impossible for me to lift weights or do any kind of sport that would help tone my arms again (believe me, I've tried, and the consequences have been awful and very detrimental to my health), because of chronic muscular problems. As such, for many years now I've had what I humorously refer to as my "bulldog wrinkle" arms, thanks to the little fold of flesh right above the elbow (which in a way is cute to me, but I doubt others think so) and the fact that my upper arms are fleshier than I wish they were.

In the grander scheme of things, and given all the other (much more serious) problems and complications that have come about from my chronic conditions, my arms are not a big deal. My chest and torso, for example, are riddled with surgical scars and yet I have no issue my skin there whatsoever - funny, isn't it, the elements of our own bodies that we opt to worry about?

My arms usually look fine when clothed, and really aren't that bad when exposed, doing so is just something that I doubt I'll ever be fully comfortable with. Sometimes though, when the summertime heat is blazing down almost as hot as the flame that took out Slack Alice’s, a gal just has to forgo sleeves, done a cute dress, and embrace how she looks – flaws and all - in the name of vintage fashion.