Vintage peaches and cream and blueberries

Outfit details

Circa 1940s straw hat with flowers: an Etsy seller who has since closed their shop
Plastic peach rose earrings: Handmade by me
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Royal blue cardigan: Garage Clothing Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore

Vintage peach and blue plaid dress: Lovebirds Vintage

Mid-century vintage woven purse with bamboo handles: Yard sale find

1950s/1960s peach gloves: Probably either eBay or thrifted (had for years) 

Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay 

White pumps: Payless 

Lip colour: Made With Love from MAC

Photography by Tony Cangiano

 

♥ ♥ ♥

While the title of today's new vintage outfit post might sound like the beginning of a very delectable summer recipe (perhaps a cobbler, buckle, or shortcake – yum!), it in fact refers, as you may have guessed, to the colours in my outfit.

Peach is one of those hues that I love. A lot. But which does not always look the best on me, especially if it has yellow undertones. I need a true peach or one with pink/red undertones usually (which tends to push it into coral or salmon territory), unless the quantity of the colour being worn is modest and it's not not right beside my face in large doses.

This timelessly pretty vintage dress, which I recently purchased from fellow vintage blogger and Etsy shop owner Helen Mae Green's Etsy shop,Lovebirds Vintage, delivers just the right about of peach and is so, so, soooo darling for these fun days of mid-spring.

Another hue that I'm wild about, but don't necessarily wear as often as I'd like, even though it's kinder to me than peach, is royal blue. As such I loved that this outfit - sported at the gorgeous little creek right across the street from our house prior to running errands recently - combined both in hearty doses.

Now that we're finally done with winter, I'm all about spring's palette, straw accessories (like the vintage hat and purse here), light layers, the return of white shoes, and dresses like this that let you pull from their colour scheme while accessorizing, which given that I was in a peachy mood, I did here with my gloves, earrings, and pearl jewelry.

I love this dress! It's likely from the 1970s or 80s, but goodness does it look the mid-century part. Where it not for the presence of serged/overlocked stitching inside, it could pass for the real deal no problem. It's comfy as the day is long, well made, cheerful, and very cute, to boot. Helen had owned and worn it herself for a while, but felt that it didn't work quite as she would have liked for her, so she added it to her Etsy shop and I'm so very glad that she did, because I snapped it up in a heartbeat!

Plaid is perennial favourite of mine, no matter the season, and it's been a while since I last added a frock in this classic pattern to my closet, so I was excited about this lovely vintage offering all the more. I've worn it at least three times now since it arrived and know that it will see plenty of play throughout the these roasty-toasty months. It's so comfortable actually, that were I hopping on a plane or train somewhere, I'd have no qualms wearing it for a lengthy journey (no such plans at present, but it's great to have garments like this in your wardrobe that you can turn to if the need arises).

As you can see here, the sun is out again and I'm one seriously happy camper about that. In fact, knock wood, May has been going a lot better than April in many respects and I have a good feeling about the rest of the spring and summer. If it's as upbeat as the colours at work in this outfit, it stands to be a memorable and highly enjoyable one for sure. Fingers crossed! :)

Savouring autumn at the creek

Outfit details

1940s/50s flower adorned straw hat: etsy seller Bettes Bargains
Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
1940s inspired autumn leaf necklace: Handmade by me
White vintage slip: eBay
Dark orange cardigan: eBay
1950s yellow pencil skirt: eBay
1950s beaded gloves: eBay
1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Straw hued heels: Anne Klein
Lip colour: MAC Diva   

Photography by Antonio Cangiano  




     




   


♥ ♥ ♥

Earlier this year as summer was just beginning its beautiful reign, I wrote about my feeling regarding the unspoiled beauty and peacefulness of the area in which we now live, and how I could not help but marvel at the resplendence of once again knowing tranquility.

A few months on and I still feel my as though my soul is enveloped by these same thoughts when I step outside of my house, especially in the early morning or late afternoon into dusk hours. The purity of the unspoiled air, the rustle of the leaves as the trees whisper secrets to one another, the thousands of stars like dangling like diamonds over head, are all gifts that humble and astound, especially after being away from such a setting for so many years.

Where once we lived in the hectic, exceedingly noisy, sometimes dangerous, generally polluted realm of an area just north of downtown Toronto, we now open our front door and stair at some sublimely pretty woods that back onto a dusty camel and sage hued hill, that looks much like something plucked straight out of an old Western film.

There are no houses blocking our view, and traffic on the small two lane street that runs past us often comes to a complete stop for minutes on end during the later part of the evening and early morning. Nestled between the road and picturesque hill, one finds Penticton Creek, a body of water that runs down from the mountains that back our little town all the way to the sandy shores of Okanagan Lake.

I know it well, this beautiful little creek, having spent a great many childhood hours playing along (but never in - I heeded your warnings, mom, I promise) its banks and rocky edges. Yet despite our proximity, I hadn't yet had a chance to really get down to the water's edge and say hello to it again until very recently. I'd been going through a rough spell health wise and the day these shots were taken was the first time I'd been out of the house in nearly a month, which made filling my lungs with as much crystal clear fresh air an especially happy event.

After carefully (heels + loose earth are never the best combination) making our way down to the creek, Tony began snapping and neither of us could seem to bring ourselves to stop (posing or pressing the shutter). The air was warm and crisp and the golden leaves that were starting to form on the tall trees around us, the light had a magical quality to it that beckoned the soul and made you want to lay down and take a nap in the great outdoors like a pixie resting under a toadstool.

Penticton Creek, which includes a walking path directly above a good chunk of its length, is a popular spot for locals or all ages to enjoy an outing, and is particularly popular with dog owners, who can always be seen up and down its elegant length. On the day when we were there a very energetic, splendidly cute Husky came bounding into the water just a few feet away from where were standing and Tony instantly cast his lens on it.




The chipper dog was wearing a bright green collar which could be seen in all but one photo (pictured above), and I what I love about that shot is how, with its collar tucked into its long fur, it almost looks as though we were encountering a wolf in the woods, further adding to the fairy tale like quality of the whole sublimely lovely afternoon.

While we are being treated to a particularly (unseasonably) warm autumn this year, like a welcome home gift from the universe to celebrate our return to British Columbia, this is still Canada after all, and I know that in a few short weeks, it's very likely the creek - like the whole town itself - will be cloaked in a thick mantle of snow once more.

As such, I'm now trying to head over for a walk along the water's edge as often as possible, though I do usually slip on sandals or saddle shoes instead of heels, unless of course a photo shot such as this is in the cards that day.

In either case, just look for the the vintage wearing gal who's dividing her time between gathering bouquets of autumn leaves, petting the many adorable puppies that come bounding by, and counting her blessings that she’s able to live in such a breath-taking setting.