My elegant new Heyday Twizzle dress, assorted bridges, and a handy styling trick for stretch belts

Outfit details

C. 1940s tri-colour hat with green feather: Froufrou 4 You
C. 1930s/1940s black plastic ball tipped hat pin: Unknown, had for many years
Black plastic hair barrette: Goody
1950s style gold leaf and black plastic dangle earrings: Claire's
Mid-century vintage plastic "amber" beaded necklace: Purchased in person from a fellow vintage seller
1940s style floral print Twizzle dress: c/o Heyday
Burgundy cardigan: Mexx
Green 1950s style stretch belt: Hell Bunny, purchased from Retro Glam
Skinny light yellow Bakelite spacer bangle bracelets: Gift from a dear online friend ♥
Vintage amber orange hued carved plastic "fakelite" bangle bracelet: Thrifted
1940s/1950s brown scallop edged gloves: Vitamin F
1950s golden brown corduroy handbag: Rue 23 Vintage
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style brown faux leather heels: eBay
Lip colour: MAC Diva

{I'm linking up this outfit post up with the Style Crone's marvelous May Hat Attack, which is teeming with stylish chapeau inspiration from fashionistas around the world.}


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

And if I'd wanted this title to be novel length, I would have added “windy weather” and a fabulous feathered cap to it as well – but we’ll get to those points a little later on. :)

If you've been been taking outfit photos for your blog for any amount of time now and opt to do so in an array of different locations (as opposed, for example, to always in the same spot on your front lawn), chances are you've encounter times when, completely unintentionally, you ended up having multiple shoots in a relatively short time period that all starred some common element.

We've definitely had those before and more recently encountered one wherein, during the earliest weeks of spring, we ended up shooting on three different bridges in a span of scarcely more weeks than that. Each is different, of course, and I'm certainly not complaining - it just makes me smile, as I find these organic photo shoot location trends rather charming (past ones have included such things as pathways, beaches, urban settings, park, gazebos, and my parent’s deck).

This is the second of those three shoots (the first being my recent vintage lime green shirtwaist dress outfit) and the third - which we took while on an exciting recent impromptu weekend getaway - will be appearing here in the very near future.

This particular bridge - which I think is rather cute insofar as bridges go - is located just a few hundred yards up the street from our house and crosses over Penticton Creek to a lovely retirement community (that's open for anyone to walk through; something that our dog, Annie, and I enjoy doing often).

Despite it's proximity to our abode, we hadn't yet shot on it yet, so the return of spring's balmy weather seemed like the ideal time to do just that. We tend to get a lot of wind in the Okanagan during the spring, and it was out in full force that day, but I'd thought ahead and made sure to use a hat pin to hold my vintage chapeau in safely in place.

I bought this delightful c. 1940s tri-coloured hat a few years ago, but hadn't yet debuted here on the blog yet. The reason? I was waiting for the perfect outfit to partner it with.

I own, and wear, a a fair bit of each of the three main colours that it stars, but none of the other ensembles I'd tried it with before delivered the same "total package" look that I was aiming for, which this gorgeous 1940s style dark floral print frock, the Rich Bounty Twizzle Dress, from Heyday definitely did (to my mind at least!).

I've had the wonderful fortune of working with Heyday in various sponsorship capacities for at least three years now and I've been a loyal customer of theirs for at least a couple of years longer than that. A little earlier this year they asked if I'd like to team up for an outfit post (our first to date) and I said yes faster than the speed of light.

Heyday is one of my favourite vintage production in the world. At present, I own three pairs of swing trousers, two Fleur Dresses, and a cute floral print top, that is no longer available on their website (plus this beautiful Twizzle dress now, too), from them, each of which I see a lot of wear throughout the year.

This is my first Twizzle dress from Heyday and I can honestly say, I sincerely hope that it isn't my last!

Very well made (as all Heyday products that I've tried so far have been), comfortable as the day is long and enchantingly sophisticated, this 1940s style frock has a colour palette that suits autumn especially well, but a fabric weight that serves spring and summer best (as layered piece it could easily see you on into fall, too).

I'm not terribly busty (I'm on the small side of a North American C cup) and often find that 40s and 50s style repro dresses with necklines of this general shape are a bit roomy on me. This one is a tad, but not so much that its overly noticeable.

I was debating between two sizes on this dress and opted for the larger one, but if I purchase further Twizzles in the future, I'll likely go for the smaller of the two, as I there's ample stretch to the fabric used here and I think that doing so would help the bust fit even better (again though, and I really mean this, it is 100% wearable and becoming as it sits now).

Fascinatingly, this particular dress is based on a classic British CC41 design from the heavily rationed war years that is part of the founder, Shona's, own wardrobe. It's a deeply classic design that looks the 1940s part to a tee, and which I'm more than a little bit smitten with. I love this fabulous dark floral print frock and can't thank the lovely folks at Heyday enough for sending it my way.

With so many hues at work in my dress and hat, I didn't want to go overboard on the accessories front at all, but of course, this look still called for some. I tried a number of medium to wide width belts out with this dress, ultimately favouring this fun 1950s style green stretch belt from Hell Bunny.

It includes your classic triple "row" style metal clasp, which suits some ensembles fabulously, but not this one, so I decided to use a trick that I've been employing for years now when such applied and simply wear it with the clasp in the back. This gives you so much more millage from your stretch belts and because the clasp is quite flat and lies flush to your body, I've never found them to be uncomfortable when worn in this manner.

I'm elated that spring is here and that the weather is warm enough to shot outside sans seven thousand layers again. Even with some of life's usual ups and downs recently, I'm in a stellar (and very productive) mood at the moment and find myself waking up accompanied by a very welcome sense of joy and contentment. I feel like as though such shines through in these photos, and that makes me love them - and this 1940s style ensemble - all the more.

Who knows, perhaps we'll even take more photos on another bridge this season - which I hope (and am planning) to fill with as many shoots as possible. After all, to put a modern spin on a classic expression regarding hay, one needs to take outfit photos while the sun shines! :)

Every now and then...

Outfit details

Black felt beret: eBay  Gun metal and clear rhinestone bow earrings: Payless
Sterling Silver Hearts Name Necklace: Onecklace
Red button front shirt: Smart Set
Black fitted vest: Reitmans
1940s style grey swing trousers: Heyday
Plastic angle bracelets: Assorted sources
Light pink cross body faux leather bag: eBay
Red socks: Walmart
1940s style black oxford shoes: Thrifted (Salvation Army)
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

As a lifelong self-professed girly-girl who (outside of the dog park and more rugged pursuits in the wilds of nature) rarely wears pants, in no small part because most styles look as disastrous on me as a train wreck along side a forest fire with a swarm of killer bees rushing out of it, it's certainly not everyday that my style veers in a distinctly menswear inspired direction.
 
Yet, much like my uber stylish friend Sara of Lilies and Remains recently talked about, I've suddenly been feeling drawn towards trousers a lot more in the last few weeks. Odd, perhaps, given that they don't suit the incredibly warm (case in point, we were sitting at a roasty toasty 42C a few days ago) weather here as of late, but yet also understandable because pants often have a casual air to them that suits the hot-as-an-over weather that comes part and parcel with the dog days of summer so strikingly well.
 
Over the years I've purchased my fair share of pants, including offerings sourced online from a few different repro and/or rockabilly brands. Most, despite buying the so-called right size, didn't end up doing my short, curvy figure the slightest hint of a favour and were either returned, sold, or given away. Though they're a touch too big for me (I am forever running into pants either being just a little too big or too small), I couldn't bring myself do part with some Heyday trousers I bought about 2.5 years ago, as I am quite fond of them.
 
One day I may splurge and bring them to a seamstress to have the waist taken in a touch and the hems increased (I'm barely 5'2" and without pining these in the back, the cuffs on them drag on the ground for me even when worn with heels), but for now, I just use a handy-dandy safety pin to help prevent unwanted gaping at the back and they're good to go.
 
The sizing issues pertain to my body shape and aren't a reflection on Heyday in the slightest. I sometimes wonder, if I ordered pants from them again, would I go down a size? Assuming my weight was about the same, I really don't know. They'd be perfect in the waist in all likelihood, but would they then be too tight for this style of trouser in the thighs or otherwise not look quite right? It's impossible to say for sure without trying a smaller size on, so I might just purchase the same size again but factor a trip to the seamstress into my budget if I did. Time will tell!

The three pairs of 1940s style swing trousers (grey, seen here, dark green, and a sandy beige hue) that I have from them are, along with my beloved Freddies jeans, my only vintage reproduction pants these days, so when the mood for trousers does strike, they're where I turn (and would you believe it, in more than five years of blogging, this is the first time I've worn trousers, not denim jeans or capris, on camera? It's true!).
 
I woke up one day recently in a distinctly menswear inspired state of mind. Perhaps it was the heat, maybe I just wanted a change of pace, or it could have had to do with the colour palette that I wanted to create to showcase this beautiful custom ordered sterling silver Onecklace that I recently received as a review gift from the company.
 
I get my fair share of emails from jewelry companies eager to partner with Chronically Vintage, however due to my nickel allergy, common in so many of the metals used by said companies, I almost always have to turn them down on the product review front, even if I adore their offerings. Not so, I'm delighted to say, with Onecklace, who offer many customizable monogram, name, initial, love, and mother necklace is sterling silver, 14K gold, 24K gold, and 14K white gold.
 
I knew instantly that I wanted a sterling silver name necklace, but that instead of opting for my first name, I thought it would be really cool to get the word "vintage" instead. I don vintage clothing all the time, but never before this beautiful necklace had I worn the actual word.
 
Onecklace was a sincere pleasure to work with. My ordered arrived all the way from Israel quite quickly, was excellently packaged, complete with a branded box and gift bag, and was just as I'd placed it. Though I do wish there was a wee bit more space between the first two letters (they end up looking a bit like a "W" to me), I truly have only the utmost of positive things to say about this necklace, very much including the fact that I can safely wear it without it troubling my sensitive skin.
 
If I was going to purchase the Sterling Silver Hearts Name Necklace, which is the style I opted for, it would cost $39.95, which I think is very reasonable price for a custom order piece like this. In fact, all of Onecklace's offerings - which have expanded further since I selected my review necklace - are well priced and attractive, plus many of them use timeless fonts that are a cinch to weave into vintage, repro, or vintage inspired ensembles such as the one I'm wearing in this photos.
 
I very much appreciate this beautiful necklace, which I've been sporting often since it arrived (it's light as a feather and goes with countless outfits), and also that Onecklace kindly provided my readers with a discount coupon code. If you'd like to purchase from Onecklace yourself, please use the coupon code FASHION at checkout to save 10% on all orders.
 
The glistening, almost bronze hued sun was beginning to set on the recent evening when Tony and I grabbed these quick photos in downtown Penticton (on Front Street to be exact), and as a result, we had to up the ISO quite a bit. I like the subtle grittiness that doing so added to these images, it completes this outfit well, don’t you think? As I was standing there, I suddenly wished I had a vintage newspaper or notebook to hold, as this borrowed from the boys look struck me as something a hard hitting female journalist might have sported back in the day.
 
I may not wear pants that often, and distinctly menswear inspired looks even less so, but that doesn't mean I don't love both, because I certainly do. Sometimes, as I'm particularly keen on saying, it's great to shake up your usual routine and step, in my case in Heyday trouser swaddled legs, out of your fashion comfort zone - which is precisely what I did here.