{In the mood for a marvelous new vintage springtime chapeau? Look no further than this charmingly elegant 1950s Lord & Taylor Fifth Avenue ladies cream straw hat with pink velvet ribbon, coordinating pink flowers, and clear rhinestones. It's jaunty, lightweight, and extremely well suited to the warmer half of the year. $34.00 Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Wave goodbye to snowflakes and hello to sun-kissed blooms when you slip on this pair of delightfully lovely 1950s/1960s light blue and green enamel coated metal flower clip-on earrings. $15.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Sweet-as-candy light pink thermoset plastic combines with shiny silver tone metal in this 1950s demi-parure to create a fabulous mid-century jewelry set that is every bit as chic as it is lovely - not to mention very springtime appropriate. $32.00 (for the set) from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{I swooned long and hard the moment I first laid eyes on this wonderfully pretty, very vintage appropriate Heart Cardi in Haze Blue created by the brand Louie et Lucie. Not only is it a timelessly classic layering piece in a gorgeous colour, but it features a sweet little heart motif that feels so fresh and springtime perfect all at once. Available in modern ladies sizes Small and Medium only at the time of writing. $119.01 (New Zealand dollars) from Vintage Heaven.}
{And speaking of hearts, why not wear yours on your sleeve, your label, your purse, your hat, your scarf - anywhere you please - when you pin this immensely pretty, and very romantic, vintage light blue guilloche enamel heart brooch to your outfit. $20.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Oh peach, how I love you (and so, coincidentally, does my husband). Though I usually need to stick with shades that have pink, rather then yellow, undertones, this is a classic colour that I'm crazy about and which I eagerly look forward to slipping into again bright and early spring (and I continue to sport it clear on through to at least September). This mid-century inspire short sleeve peach Martha blouse is just the thing if you're looking to add more of this great fruit inspired hue to your wardrobe this year. Available in modern UK ladies sizes 8 to 18 (some sizes sold out at the time of writing). £40.00 from Heyday.}
{I can clearly remember the moment I found this enchantingly pretty 1950s mint green Swiss dot and white lace trimmed skirt late one afternoon while shopping in Vancouver last year. It was too small for me and in years past, it would have simply remained where it hung, but thanks to the fact that I have an Etsy store now, it was able to come home with me and, much more recently, get listed in my said shop. It's a delightful, very classic piece that could be styled up or down, taken in a vintage direction or sported with modern outfits, too. Plus, every time I see it, it puts me in the mood for mint candy, which is never a bad thing! :) Fits up to a 24" waist/free hips. $34.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{Lilacs, undoubtedly one of spring's most iconic and magnificently scented flowers amongst those smells, I've long found, that people absolutely love or can't stand. Interestingly, it has usually been chaps, in my experience, who weren't keen on it (Tony amongst them, though he says their odour gives him a headache, so it makes sense that he wouldn't love them then). I however fall into the camp of adoring lilacs and could bath in nothing but their scent all spring long. Thankfully thanks to this gorgeous lilac roll on scented oil you and I can do just that, if so desired. $8.00 for 10 ml from Etiquettes.}
{You would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful beaded mid-century vintage purse to carry for spring than this breathtaking white and pastel stunner featuring a gorgeous floral design in shades of soft pink, green, blue, purple and yellow. $59.99 from Savato Collection.}
{Hurrah!! At long last (or very nearly so) thick winter glove and mitten season is over and that means we can go back to sporting gloves simply for the fabulous fashion statement that they make, not expressly for keeping frostbite at bay. If, like me, you go gaga for mint green, then this elegant ruched 1940s/1950s pair, which suits spring and summer excellently, is just what your wardrobe needs. Best suited for those who wear a size 6.5 vintage glove. $18.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}
{It's never too early in the warm weather season to start thinking about your next vintage bathing suit, especially when it's a show-stoppingly stunner like this rare Tina Leser pink and white 1950s one-piece featuring dimensional pussy willow chenille embellishments. Fits up to a 32 - 34 bust/26" waist. $259.00 from The Best Vintage Clothing.}
{Give your brown, black, grey, and navy blue shoes a much needed rest this spring and slip into a pair of these alluringly stylish cream coloured Retro Mary Jane Heels instead. They'll go with just as many outfits, but suit spring's soft, elegant palette even better than dark hues in most settings (plus, they would make for gorgeous shoes for a bride on her wedding day). Available in modern ladies sizes 7 through 9 (at the time of writing). $54.95 from Blue Velvet Vintage.}
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Can you say the title of today's edition of Vintage Fashionista three times fast with tripping up? Jokes (and tongue twisters) aside, March really is a month that suits pastels incredibly well (ditto for April). These fledgling days of spring - or near spring, as is currently the case - are mellow and sweet, assuming winter's wrath is finally hightailing it out of your neck of the woods.
Winter's palette, dark, alluring, vampish even at times, was fabulous December, but it feels heavy now - like trying to eat a rich five course feast on a sweltering July day, when a light salad and lemon ice are all that want to put in your mouth. Pastels are the sweet confections and frozen treats of the colour world. Though they can be a touch twee (not that that's a bad thing), they also have the ability to be sophisticated and very chic, say in vintage skirt suit or 1940s tilt hat form.
I adore pastels - even if a few of them, such as orangey-peach and lilac - are not amongst my most flattering colours and thus must be avoided in large doses and worn near my face - and intentionally sport them primarily during the spring and summer months (though I have warmed up to them a bit for winter, as I chatted about in this post last year, they'll never feel like autumn to me, so I rarely wear them then).
While one certainly can, you don't have to sport head-to-toe pastels in the slightest. A small hit of baby blue, cotton candy pink, or newborn chick yellow against darker neutrals or complimentary shades of the same colour can look immensely beautiful and perhaps, some might go so far as to say, become a grownup up take on pastels. I wouldn't agree with that entirely, as again, a pastel suit, cocktail dress, evening gown, or pair of gloves, for example, can all be wildly sophisticated and appropriate for fashionable folks of all ages.
We often think of just a few shades when pastels spring to mind, but really they're a fairly vast category that can, and does, encompass everything from the hues already mentioned in the paragraphs above to light grey, pale aqua, soft plum, sweet apricot, the gentlest shades of brown, cream and ivory, nude and buff, whisper faint metallics, lavender, and toned down citrus shades, amongst others.
Though I will sometimes go full on pastel, I usually like to use these soft, but very sartorially powerful hues, as accent notes in my wardrobe, such in the form of a pair of earrings, hair flower, snood, shoes, handbag, or (in a somewhat larger dose) a skirt or cardigan. They're fun and markedly cheerful, and signal to all who see you that you've embraced spring's return with open - and very stylish - arms.
Whether you feel the siren's call of periwinkle, soft blush, sage green, or starlight yellow, why not make like our well dressed Vintage Fashionista and deck yourself out in some sugary sweet, absolutely beautiful pastels this spring?
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