A small handful of photos (of me) from 2009

As we sit here on the 26th day of the first January of this new decade, it feels almost unreal to reflect upon the fact that more than a month has now passed since Christmas – or, from a different perspective, that 2010 is nearly 1/12 complete!

Before this fresh year starts feeling like an old friend, I thought it would be wise to post a few photos (of myself) from 2009 that I’ve thus far not had the chance to blog about. Aside from the fact that I’ve been wanting to share these images here on Chronically Vintage since the moment they were each snapped, by posting them I will be able to clear the photo slate from last year and henceforth share snapshots from 2010 (without the lingering feeling that I should be posting ‘09’s images first).

I made a bit of a promise to myself last year that I would post images on my blog as a means of helping myself work on my self-esteem level and related issues pertaining to sharing photos of myself publicly. Prior to 2009, I’d never been able to work up the courage to post my own image online, but (happily) having finally gathered the nerve to do, I want to make sure I don’t revert to my former photo reclusive self – and what better way to ensure that doesn’t happen to put together posts just like this one?

Two of three separate days featured below are presented in mosaic form, the last entry however is not, as some of the photos taken that night were snapped in such a way as to capture my whole outfit and I didn’t want those particular images to get cropped by the photo tiling application that I use.


{My sun-kissed 25th birthday}


{Captured in the gloriously invigorating, crystal clear July light, these photos document what I was sporting fashion wise on the loveliest birthday I’ve thus far experienced as an adult. I hope they also transmit the immense joy I was enveloped in that wonderful afternoon, for my sweet husband showered me with surprises, gifts and countless reasons to smile from dawn to dusk, and truly made turning a quarter of a century old one of the most memorable days of my life.}


{An autumn evening with Madame Butterfly}


{Notes of opera swirled through this past fall, upon the discovery of a local programme which allows those under 30 years of age to purchase opera tickets a deeply discounted rate (reduced price tickets are highly limited though, so you have to try and snap them up as soon as they’re released!). As a result of learning about this, we able to take in not one, but two, absolutely splendid opera performances last year: The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (blogged about here), and Madame Butterfly.

The images above show what I wore to see the tragically, sublimely beautiful masterpiece that is Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (I honestly cannot recommend a viewing of that opera highly enough, even to those who profess to dislike opera – it is a tale that transcends its medium and speaks directly to the heart), as well as a serenely lovely, vintage style poster for the play that I discovered online and wanted to include with this mosaic.}


{The hills were alive with the sound of theatregoers}






{It’s not every day I get to take in a live musical performance, let alone one featuring my favourite Julie Andrew’s film of all time, The Sound of Music – not mention get the chance to see such a show with someone who had never watched the movie before. Though this classic and inspiring tale is beloved the world over, my husband – who grew up in Italy – had yet to view the film and only had a vague idea of the plot.

It was with immense excitement that then that we headed off downtown to catch the show (the fact that I was wearing a new dress that I found on sale for $40, also bolstered by happiness that eve), and I’m delighted to report that we both adored it! All through the evening I sat there singing along in my head to the familiar tunes, captivated by the talented cast’s performances and the utterly magnificent prop work the show included. Though it was the first musical we’ve had the pleasure of seeing together, I sincerely hope it’s only the beginning of our mutual theatre going adventures!}


Looking at these photos of some of the days I really cherish from this past year, I can’t help but feel a bit giddy with excitement thinking of what new memories (be they of fancy nights out or more run-of-the-mill day-to-day happenings) lay ahead in the coming months of 2010.

I’m also excited (silly as it may sound to those who are much less shy than I also) about the fact that I’m gaining a bit more self-assurance when it comes to posting photos of myself. I have each and every one of you, my terrifically sweet readers and friends, to thank for this, as your supportive feedback on past photo posts have done wonders to help boost my confidence.

Many thanks for taking a quick stroll down some of the events that stood out for me last year, everybody, I can’t wait to share some of the best days of ’10 with all of you, too!

What I wore to my first night at the opera

Towards the end of October my husband chanced up a wonderful programme (called Opera for a New Age) that’s in place from the Canadian Opera Company and The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, which allows patrons under the age of thirty to purchase opera tickets at a deeply discounted rate. The idea behind this marvelous programme being that it helps to open up (more costly) events like attending an opera to Toronto’s youth. (They only release a select number of seats per show though, so you have to snap up these bargain rate tickets quickly.)

Having long dreamed of attending an opera, we both jumped at this fantastic opportunity and purchased a pair of tickets to a newly opened performance called “The Nightingale and Other Short Fables” by Igor Stravinsky. The show, which was delightfully experimental, proved to be a very unique foray into the world of opera.

Set against a backdrop of orchestral music and Russian songs, this two act, three part performance veered away from what many would think of as “traditional opera”. The two scenes composing the first act employed highly skilled shadow work (one used hand puppets, the other human silhouettes behind a curtain) and acted out various (short) Russian folk stories. The second act saw a portion of the orchestra pit flooded with water so that puppeteers along with intricately designed puppets could to turn the viscous black surface of the water into an almost transcendent stage upon which to tell the a fairytale-like story about a Chinese Emperor and a nightingale.

I am however, jumping ahead of myself here though! As soon as I knew I would be attending an opera, my first question was: what’s the dress code? After a bit of online sleuthing (the Centre’s site didn’t seem to talk about this point),for better or worse (depending on your personal feelings surrounding formal evening gowns and tuxedos – I love them dearly myself), we determined that the dress code seemed to be what I’d describe as "casual formal". While that might sound like an oxymoron, it in fact encompasses a certain style of dress that allows for everything from suits (for the gents) to cocktail dresses, business suits, skirts of varying lengths and other evening appropriate wear for ladies.

Having never dressed for the opera before, I debated my choice of outfit carefully before the big night arrived. I sidestepped an overtly vintage look, though not intentionally per se. I don’t own many “opera worthy” pieces and so turned to a classic black jersey frock that I felt would ensure I looked neither under or over dressed. In the mood for a smoky eye, I draped my lids in shades of grey and black, which I paired with a red lip (I wear red lips a good 75% of the time, it’s by far the lipstick shade I feel most comfortable in). I wore my hair (which is now at least three inches shorter than it appears in the photos below since I got it cut last week) down, pulling the centre front part back, but leaving the sides free to flow over my shoulders naturally.

My choice of garb for the evening proved to be spot on. Though the majority of the crowd at this particular event was older than my husband and I, I felt instantly at ease with what I was wearing and blended well into the crowd of elegantly dressed, often distinguished looking women and men who shared in the performance with us that night.

Before we headed out to catch the subway downtown, I asked my husband to take a few photographs of my outfit, knowing that many years down the road – and hopefully having scores of operas under my belt by that point – I would want to recall with absolute clarity what I wore to my first opera. Spurred on by the incredibly kind and encouraging feedback I received regarding my Halloween outfit photos, I wanted to share these snaps with you all.







Outfit details:

-Silver tone and pale sky blue plastic crystal earrings: bought from a mall in Dublin when I lived in Ireland, honestly not sure what store they came from (other little stud earrings worn in holes above bottom hoop earrings, also from Claire's)
-Light blue lace camisole: FashionMax
-Black jersey dress: FashionMax
-Black double brass buckle belt: Forever 21
-Black nylons with tiny white polka dots: From eBay a couple of years ago, no label
-Black round toed, faux suede pumps: Wal-Mart
-Lip colour: CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain in #440, over Annabelle lip liner in #205 “cherry”


Attending my inaugural opera was a truly wonderful experience – however the week got even more amazing, for on the Friday (of that same week), we attended a second performance (as my husband just happened to log onto the Canadian Opera Company’s site shortly after they released a new batch of seats to a different opera later in the week). What show was on the bill you may ask? Why none other than the romantic, though (in true opera form) tragic, tale of Madame Butterfly. But the story of that night, my dears, and the photos of what I wore (hint, think more of a 50s style look) to my second opera, are for another post... :)