A tugboat, hearts galore, and the long overdue debut of my black 1950s quilted circle skirt

Outfit details

1950s red nylon/chiffon scarf: Thrifted
Black and silver heart earrings: Target (I think)
1930s clear and black beaded necklace: Maejean Vintage
Grey button front shirt: Tommy Hilfiger
Black cotton camisole: Joe Fresh or Old Navy
Vintage heart and cupid dangle brooch: Either eBay or thrifted
1980s does 1950s red stretch belt with silver heart clasp: eBay
1950s black quilted circle skirt: eBay
Red faux leather cross body purse: eBay
Red laced trimmed crinoline: Pettiskirt Style
C. 1980s lack sheer heart print gloves: eBay
Grey tights: (New in pack from) Value Village
1940s style black faux suede heels with bows: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red

Photography by Tony Cangiano

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Waaaaayyyy back in December 2011, I blogged about finding one of my vintage grails - a quilted 1950s black circle skirt - and how I'd not only unearthed it at long last, but done so at a stellar price. Though I've worn that skirt scores of times since then, it has somehow escaped appearing on my blog until now (baffling, I know! :)).

This outfit, so very common of the sort I sport (with a coat or jacket over top) in the winter, is what I wore for Valentine's Day this year (so hence the plethora of hearts, right down to the black sheer heart print gloves). As nearly months have somehow whizzed past since then - seriously, where did they go?! - before we really get into the thick of late spring and then summertime weather and their accompanying fashions, I wanted to share these photos with all of you.

As I'd posted about earlier in February, I really wasn't feeling a saccharine sweet palette or even pink at all (strange for me, I know) this Valentine's Day, but I didn't want to forgo dressing for the holiday entirely either. Instead I paired red with black, grey and silver and opted to let my festive feelings shine through the wearing of so many hearts.

Don't let my lack of a coat fool you, it was seriously chilly that day and I had goose bumps a plenty going on - at least on the top half of my body. On the bottom, between the grey tights, red crinoline, and quilted black circle skirt, I was relatively warm, save for my feet. Up top I opted for a vintage appropriate grey button front shirt, a beloved 1930s beaded necklace from Maejean Vintage, a cute little silver toned vintage dangle brooch complete with cupid charm, a red and silver vintage heart buckle stretch belt, and a pair of sheer black lace gloves that offered virtually no warmth, but were definitely in keeping with the spirit of the day. Earrings and a sheer red vintage hair scarf capped the casually cute ensemble off (with my usual black faux suede heels wrapping things up at the other end).

They were images were shot down at Okanagan beach here in Penticton right beside the SS Sicamous, where one finds a charming vintage tugboat permanently moored a few feet out into the water. Tony and I were busy critters on Valentine's Day, running errands, as we tend to on the weekend, and spending the evening celebrating with family at my mom's house, and I didn’t realize in the moment just how wrinkled my shirt has become throughout the day! Oh well – that’s real life!

Now that I've finally shared this skirt on camera, chances are you'll see it here again and again as time goes on. I find that to often be the case the with pieces I've had for ages, but not posted about sooner - perhaps its a way of making up for lost time (doubly so in this case, given how I'd yearned for a skirt just like this for ages).

Though it was just a couple of months ago, it feels like a long time since Valentine's Day and looking back at these snaps, I'm grateful that winter has retired for another year once more and that, fun as the holidays that season houses are, we can focus on spring and summer for a several months now.

For while I do certainly love winter in many wonderful ways, I "heart" warm weather even more! :)


*PS* If you haven't caught wind of it already, hop on over to the wonderful blog The Boyer Family Singers and enter for your chance to win a $75.00 store credit from my Etsy shop, as well as take advantage of a limited time coupon code there that will save you 25% off on absolutely everything in my shop (to which I've added over fifty new items in the last week alone!).

The softest top ever from Grace, a fab 1950s novelty print skirt, and the return of summer weather

Outfit details

Sparkly gold plastic sunglasses: Canadian Tire (bought the very same day these snaps were taken - perfect timing or what!!!)
1950s aqua nylon (chiffon) scarf: Gift from a dear online friend ♥
Pink sparkly bow earrings: Payless
Grey top with grey lace collar: Grace
Wide pink belt: Clothing store in Scarborough, Ontario that shut down years ago
1950s Middle Eastern scene novelty print skirt: Gift from a dear online friend ♥
White lace trimmed crinoline: Pettiskirt Style
Vintage bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue black patent purse: etsy seller MK Retro
Black eyelet slingback sandal flats: Payless
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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What is Grace? How do you personally define it? If we turn to Webster's, we find that even there it has quite a multitude of meanings and possible uses in the context of applying it to a human trait and that each one fits the bill and yet feels like it still needs more. I think that grace is a certain sense of ingrained strength and composure. It is loveliness in the face of adversity and a gentle spirit when the world is mean and ugly. Grace is patient and sweet, loving and emblematic of many women over the centuries who we continue to look up to this very day.

Often the notion of grace goes hand-in-hand with a gentle demure and a quiet strength, as well as being something that a great many of us aspire to, and a percentage already embody. Grace can be amassed or lost, but never forgotten and it is an important characteristic which I personally feel the world would benefit from significantly if more people, women and men alike, strove to embody it to a greater degree.

In addition to being one of the loveliest traits a person can posses, Grace is also the name of an absolutely charming clothing brand from the UK that specializes in women's tops, camisoles, skirts and dresses in sizes ranging from 6 to 24, as well as scarves and collars. Earlier this year I was contacted by a representative from Grace and asked if I'd like to receive and review one of their beautiful offerings.

After educating myself more on the brand, I was happy to say yes and shortly thereafter, I received the strikingly lovely grey PP Jersey & Lace Shirt, which retails for £79.00. I sincerely appreciate this review gift from Grace and am delighted to share more about it all of you here today.

It is made of some of the softest, most skin friendly fabric (I have very sensitive and highly reactive skin, and therefore there's no such thing as too soft a fabric for me), which is a blend of ultra gentle organic cotton and bamboo. As well as being the gentlest feeling fabric I've ever slipped into, this long sleeved shirt has the versatility of being worn as either a top or a cardigan, thanks to the fact that it buttons all the way up the front.

This is a quality top through and through. The lace is detailed and very good quality, the garment forms well to the body, and it has the ability to be dressed up or down to your heart's content. I own relatively few blouses with none-pointy collars, so this top was also a very welcome breath of fresh air in my wardrobe. On the recent day when these photos were taken at Manitou Beach in Naramata, I opted to dress the top up a fair bit, thanks to this awesome 1950s Middle Eastern novelty print skirt (a gift from one of my dearest friends in the world), but you could just as easily partner it with jeans, shorts, overalls, or on the even more formal side of things, under a suit jacket or blazer.

I've also worn (but not yet photographed) it with my 1950s navy blue pencil skirt and that combination - to borrow, fittingly, an expression from the fine folks in the UK - works a treat in creating a very, very office/professional looking ensemble, especially when you add in stockings, pumps, and a classic, ladylike handbag.

It was at least 30 degrees out when we took these photos, but even though this Grace top has long sleeves, I wasn't swelteringly warm in it all. In addition to its fabulous qualities mentioned above, it is also gorgeously breathable and light as a feather. I would have no qualms packing this top with me if I was headed to the Sahara Desert. The fabric is supple and relatively thin, but not in a negative way at all. It's thin and sturdy at the same time, which is becoming an increasingly rare combination to find in clothing these days.

In addition, though Grace Clothing is not a dedicated vintage reproduction brand, this top, as well as some of their other offerings, has an alluringly lovely vintage appropriate look to it that would make it at home in any mid-century fashion fan's closet. When I wear it with a pencil skirt, it takes on more of a 1940s feel, whereas hear with my Aladdin worthy vintage circle skirt, it's fifties through and through. I suspect it could easily be styled in 1930s and 60s directions as well, in addition to obviously working wonderfully with more contemporary styles, too.

Grace's products are made with organic and fair trade fabrics, attention to detail, ethical manifesting processes, and an awareness of their impact on the environment. The company believes that "one happy day design integrity will become mainstream", a statement which, on top of hoping really does return to being true once more, seems to embody the word "grace" itself rather fittingly.

At £79.00, this top, especially for those like myself who do not live in the UK, is a bit of an investment piece for sure, I readily acknowledge that, but I can say with 100% sincerely that I feel its more than worth it. I've never worn a softer or more comfortable button front cotton shirt before and sense that this garment will last me for many, many years to come. I sincerely hope so, as it's a cinch to style up or down, timelessly pretty, and truly does have a certain unmistakable air of grace to it that suits the nature of my wardrobe to a tee.

A charming 1950s novelty print skirt for a morning spent at the Penticton Farmer's Market

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
Brown velvet Frank Palma vintage hat: etsy seller Nostalgia Vintage
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Brown cotton cami: Forever 21
Turquoise blue cardigan: Cleo
Edwardian inspired dangle brooch: eBay  Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
1950s/60s Orange gloves: etsy seller Revvie1
Striped purse: Jones New York
1950s autumn forest novelty print skirt: eBay
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Dark brown faux letter heels: Pipsqueaks and Damsels Consignment Store (here in Penticton)
Lip colour: Red Apple Lipstick's Firstorm Lip Gloss over their Red Lipstick
Photography by Antonio Cangiano  














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The Okanagan Valley is amongst the richest agricultural areas in the province (if not all of Canada), producing a massive quantity of fruit and wine each year, thanks to the seemingly endless array of orchards and vineyards that cover much of the available growing land around these parts. However, the area is also fortunate to have an impressive number or local food producers, who create everything from artisan cheeses to beautifully sweet honey, high quality baked goods to Mennonite style sausage.

Many of these items, a cornucopia worthy amount of local produce, and various assorted merchants and crafters can be found each Saturday morning in 100 Block of Main Street here in Penticton at the weekly farmer's market, where stall after stall beckons onlookers with their mouth-watering assortment of raw and cooked foods alike.

When I was a youngster, the farmer's market was a whole lot smaller than it is today (it used to take place in Gyro Park and didn't run for as long into the year as now does), however over the past decade or so its truly blossomed into one of the highlights of the growing season for the community, the bulk of which (trust me, the size of crowds there could practically give those at Disneyland a run for their money!) comes out several times (if not each weekend) during the market's ample season, which spans May 1st to October 31st.

The one main drawback (in my books) to the fact that the Penticton Farmer's Market takes place on Saturday mornings is that I rarely get a chance to visit it, given that I like to devote as many Saturdays as my health will permit to hitting the local yard sales. Sometimes though, if the garage sale pickings are slim, or I know I have someplace to be at a specific time on Saturday (and thus don’t go yard saling at all), we'll head downtown and enjoy a stroll through the throngs of folks who have come to do the same thing at the outdoor market on Main Street.

It was on a gloriously sun-kissed morning not too long ago when we did just that, and when Tony captured these outfit photos of me before we embarked. The weather, while gorgeous, wasn't exceedingly warm, so I opted for a long sleeved cardigan and one of my very favourite 1950s skirts, which features a darling autumn forest print (so perfect for this time of the year!).

My novelty print collection - be it skirts, dresses, or blouses - isn't that large, so it's a quite the boon when a new piece gets added, such as when I was lucky enough to be the winning eBay bidder on this delightful skirt earlier this year. It's so sweet and fun, and while it's certainly autumnal, it's also the kind of piece that - thanks to it's vibrant palette and relatively light weight cotton - I could totally wear in the spring and summer, too.

Though I didn't dress with that intention in mind, I loved that once we got to the farmer's market, I colour coordinated with some of the produce on offer there, from the tables of squash to the late season peaches, the swoon-worthily yummy looking freshly baked bread to the tender salad greens - my skirt and shoes even went well with the Nutella filled crepe Tony stopped to munch on from a local vendor who specializes just in French style crepes.

Though we didn't buy much, we had a beautiful morning, and I thoroughly loved getting to spend time outdoors, while the weather was still fabulous, in the heart of our little city, surrounded by, and able to help support, the truly wonderful efforts of some of our area's best local food producers.

With October wrapping up in just a couple of weeks, that means the Penticton Farmer's Market will go on hiatus again until May, when it will return with the most tender, tasty crop of asparagus, spring onions, teeny-tiny candy-sweet strawberries, and myriad other ingredients – all of which we'll eagerly, happily, forgo a bit of yard saling for every now and then.