Flickr Favourites: November 20, 2015 (plus an awesome giveaway over at CiCi Marie's!)

{The Bill ~ James Vaughn}






{1950 Family Circle Magazine Cover ~ Classic Film}


{Red-Bellied Woodpecker 28 ~ Diane Giurco}



{All Bright 'N Shiny ~ Paul Malon}



{Cutex Nail Polish, May 1946 ~ The Bee's Knees Daily}



{Röd lada/red barn/shades of grey ~ Tomas Baliukonis}



{The New Movie Magazine, June 1931 ~ The Bee's Knees Daily}

{Red ~ Kon!}

{1944 ... "A Wave, a Wac and a Marine" ~ James Vaughn}



{The Starlight Roof, Waldorf Astoria Hotel ~ Paul Malon}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on its title to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}

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My passion for, and frequent wearing, of red/black/white and/or grey is anything but a state secret. I've mentioned it here before, including in this vintage outfit post from last August and as we head into winter again - fall time weather being as good as a distant memory here in Canada at this point time - my mind is turning to it once again, as I wear this combo during the winter more than at any other point in the year.

While red is certainly one of my signature colours, and a beloved favourite, too, this particular colour combination excels, in my opinion, because of the sum of its parts. It is classic and bold, but rarely jarring. Elements of it match winter's tones, while the fiery red provides a dose of warmth and vibrancy that is so often devoid from this season - save for in our festive December decor.

The grey and/or white in the equation are as calm as the first delicate snowflakes that accompany the falling mercury and the black speaks to the fact that winter is the end of one year. Yet in its very darkness, the slumbering world of Mother Nature will be reborn as the season draws to an end and we usher in spring's return. That point though, especially considering that we're still technically in autumn, is a long way's off though.

First there are snowmen to make, holiday treats to whip up by the dozens, many a layer to bundle under, and the bleakness - and light - of this time of the year alike to celebrate and welcome into our lives For there is an undeniable beauty and elegance to winter that resides in the stillness, the haunting chill, and annual traditions aplenty that call winter home - not unlike that of the timeless marriage of red, black, white and grey itself.

Even if winter is far from your favourite season, I encourage you to embrace the hidden loveliness in it and to keep yourself warm, if only in spirit, but wearing sizzling colours, like red, orange or yellow, yourself this season as well. It will go a long way in helping to keep your spirits up until that distant day when spring really does roll back into town again!

*PS* Speaking of things to help fuel your spirits this season, have you heard about the fabulous Etsy shop giveaway that I'm holding on my dear friend CiCi's beautiful blog, CiCi Marie? You'll definitely want to check out her sweeter-than-sweet review + giveaway post and enter for your chance to win a $75.00 store credit to my Etsy shop right away!

Flickr Favourites: February 24, 2014

{Revlon Fashion Plate Makeup ~ BudCat14/Ross}  


{Yellow rose ~ KLMircea}  


{Learn to Bake (back cover) ~ estelle & ivy}  


{French 'For Sale' Sign ~ prettyshabby}  


{Winter ~ Clermont Camera Social }  


{Parsons Snow Chains - advert, 1956 ~ mikey ashworth}  


{Beautiful pair ~ totheforest}  


{Picture Post, Leslie Caron, 17th July, 1954 ~ Chez}  


{The warmth of winter ~ Thomas Rusling}  


{Abby - Artist Teddy Bear ~ P is for Paper}  

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on its title to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}

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There are few scents that I love more in the whole vast, wonderful world than that of wood smoke. Be it from a campfire nestled in the woods, on the beach, in a backyard, or wafting out of a chimney. With a little less than a month to go until winter officially wraps up, and in reality, probably two or more months until spring really starts to burst to life again here, there is, thankfully, still plenty of time for me to continue getting my annual fix of wood smoke.

I woke up today on a snow covered, perfectly still morning in February thinking about this fact. We don't have a fireplace at our house, but many throughout town do, and I love that if I threw open the window right now, chances are, that cozy, fragrant, timeless aroma would come barreling in to the room within seconds.

This thought then set me thinking about the colours of the flames that are integral for producing a fire. Intense reds, glowing yellows, sizzling oranges, and the occasional flash of pale blue or icy white. This palette seems particularly well suited to winter, because so many of its key players are the polar opposite of the freezing weather, pale landscape, and ash hued skies above.

We bring fire into our homes during these long, frozen months to warm our room, hands, and souls alike, but I think we also flock to the flames because of the fact that they're rather redolent of the sun's surface, blinding summer light, and that half of the year when the potential for frostbite is the last thing on your mind.

Man has harnessed fire, but it's still raw, still primal, still tremendously powerful, and no matter how modernized we get, we'll likely never stop using it in some capacity. It's too integral to life on this planet itself, and that suits me just fine. I could scarcely imagine winter without the scent of wood smoke lingering heavily in the air, bringing back an avalanche of memories from years past, while also putting me in the mood to roast plenty of delicious marshmallows – undoubtedly one of the best uses ever discovered for the mighty force of an open flame. :)

Flickr Favourites: January 6, 2012

{Snow and orange drink ~ x-ray delta one}

{General view of one of the classification yards of the Chicago and

Northwestern Railroad, Chicago, Illinois ~ The Library of Congress}

{Vintage 1950s angora sweater ~ modhuman}

{1953 winter fashion ~ April-Mo}

{Tea and Scones ~ Texas to Mexico}

{1957 Central Park, Plaza Hotel on the right ~ straatis}

{Modess 1949 ~ Captain Geoffrey Spaulding}

{Yellow rose stoned by snow ~ KLMircea}

{Onxy Hosiery 1918 ~ Captain Geoffrey Spaulding}

{Vintage Snowman ~ Kerry McQuaid}

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It's been a long time - nearly a twelve months (January 31, 2011, to be exact) - since the last edition of Flickr Favourites here on Chronically Vintage. As the Vintage 365 project progressed last year, it usually wasn't possible for me to write more than one new post here each day, so older ongoing series (such as this one) were temporarily put to the side.

Now the the new year is here it's time to bring them back out of storage!

Whereas past editions of Flickr Favourites (which, for newer readers, is a round-up of ten beautiful, often vintage related, Flickr images that have captured my attention recently) also shone the spotlight on one specific Flickr group per post, I've decided that I'd prefer to give Flickr groups that I really love or find interesting their own posts (as I did for some of the Vintage 365 posts last year), instead of just tucking them away at the bottom of Flick Favourite entries.

As such, future Flickr Favourite posts (which do not appear on set dates or days of the week, rather just when the desire to write such a post strikes) will be devoted to photographs, and cool Flickr groups (and you all know how much I love my Flickr groups!) will get their own posts (or at least that's the plan for now).

Today's images all have a distinctly wintry thread running through them. Soft hues, cool tones, and elegance abound in these pale blue, yellow and grey images, each of which speaks so deeply to the mood and imagery of the first month of the year.

Here's to 2012 and all the many inspiring images - wherever they hail from - that I hope will find their way onto the pages of Chronically Vintage as this year unfolds.

Oh the weather outside is...not very frightful, actually :)

✯ Day 361 of Vintage 365 ✯

In a country famed for the abundance - and the rather staggering volume of - snow we receive annually as a nation, it always comes as surprise when whatever corner of the country I'm calling home at the moment remains green (or nearly so) once the calendar hits and rolls on past the official start of winter.

While much of the nation has received plenty of the white stuff so far this year (my home province of British Columbia very much included), Toronto has remained relatively snowless so far this season (which is in stark contrasts to most of the other winters I've lived through here).

Though we're not exactly giving Florida a run for its money in the temperature department by any means, it is quite unusual to be so close to New Year's and not be buried up to our eyeballs in snow!

I'm the first to admit that the weather is akin to a spectator sport for many in Canada, so much so that most of us see nothing small talk-ish about bringing up this topic with strangers and our nearest and dearest alike, and I fully I realize that it's not exactly the most riveting of subjects to many in other parts of the world (unless its doing something rather extreme or unexpected that is - like if snow suddenly fell here in the middle of July!).

There are pros to not walking up to avalanche-esque volumes of snow each morning; it makes navigating sidewalks and roads (assuming they're not overly icy) worlds safer, and can also mean that fashionistas get to enjoy sporting footwear other than clunky, workhorse snow boots when outdoors for much longer than usual.

Yet - and clearly, this must be my Canadian DNA - I can't help but crave snow, at least initially, come the nippiest season of the year. While my health prevents me from being able to partake in most winter sports (or summer ones for the matter), there's nothing to stop me from looking the part of a seasoned snow bunny come December and January - especially when I've got wonderful vintage images like the one of Wanda Hendrix below to inspire my cold weather wardrobe.

{Beautiful actress Wanda Hendrix looking radiantly cheerful and set for a fabulous day of swishing down the slops, in this lovely winter photograph from 1950. Image via Carbonated on Flickr.}

 

As, at the end of the frosty day, this is still Canada, I know that there's a snowball's chance, if you'll pardon the pun, that the whole winter will play out on such a dry note. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me in the absolute least if I woke up tomorrow and there was a foot of snow glistening like a sea of diamonds on the balcony.

Regardless of when Old Man Winter really gives it his all this season, the temps are still on the shy side of freezing and there are plenty of occasions to dress nearly as heartily as though one was headed out for a day on the slopes - or, as I prefer, to look glamorous in front of a roaring fire at the ski lodge, cup of hot cocoa and vintage fashion magazine in hand.