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!).

A dark romance

{Sumptuous, inky black velvet and gorgeous dusty maroon hued millinery blooms call this exquisitely lovely 1930s/1940s does Edwardian era wide brimmed hat - which is in stellar condition for its age - home. $75.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.




{Come the ice covered days of winter, I can never get enough of a dark merlot coloured lip. What seems heavy and out of place so often in the spring and summer, is positively at home amongst the shadowy hues of this frozen season. VIP Cosmetics Lipstick in 331 Burgundy Wine, $11.00 from Amazon.}



{Red roses and blue violets not really doing it for you this Valentine's Day? While not slip on this strikingly lovely 1950s black plastic flower necklace instead and celebrate winter's colour palette and spring's triumphant return in the same go and write your own kind of style poetry in the process. $26.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}




{Turn heads at the speed of lightning when you sport this incredibly glamorous Old Hollywood inspired champagne satin and black lace evening dress on February 14th or any day of the year. It's a timeless stunner if ever there was! Available in ladies sizes Small to XL. $160.00 from Blue Velvet Vintage.}



{Locks and keys are symbols that I always associate with Valentine's Day and the fact that the locks in this fantastic vintage silver coloured charm bracelet are heart shaped just feels like the icing on the festive cake. $20.95 from Jewelry Created For You.}



{(Speaking of which…) I don't think there's any beauty brand on Etsy whose offerings I want to try for the first time more those from world famous For Strange Girls. I've been lusting after their heady scented, poetically beautiful offerings for ages now and hope that 2015 will finally be the year I'm able to give them a spin. Each of their enticing looking offerings sound appealing, but for Feb. 14th, I can't help but feel that their decadent Black Forest Cake solid perfume would be especially fitting. Brass mini compact with 2g of perfume, $36.00 from For Strange Girls.}




{If Valentine's just isn't, well, Valentine's, for you without at least a little hit of crimson (even in the midst of a darker palette), then may I suggest this gorgeous oversized 1930s red celluloid bow brooch? $49.00 from Best Ever Vintage.}




{Don't let a little bit of wear put you off, this strikingly beautiful c. 1940s black velvet kiss lock purse still has oodles of life - and love - left in it to give and would be the ideal evening back for any romantic or otherwise exciting rendezvous this month. $24.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}




{These endlessly chic D'Orsay Black Faux Suede Closed Toe T Strap Platform Heels bring a serious dose of old school footwear elegance and allure to any ensemble. I'd be tempted to partner them with a skinny black pencil skirt and sheer lace vintage blouse with a merlot hued camisole underneath for a seductively lovely Valentine's Day dinner look. Available in ladies sizes 5.5 to 10. (Only!) $39.99 from Blue Velvet Vintage.}

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When this year kicked off a few weeks ago, I welcomed it by sharing Twelve things that are inspiring my style (big time!) for 2015 as my first entry for January. Amongst the dozen entries on that list, were some that either directly or more subtly channeled a darker fashion spirit - one teaming with shades of black and grey, aged creams, regal burgundies, and burnished metallics - that has been calling my name especially powerfully since last fall.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day next week, I knew that I wanted to devote this month's edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday to this annual wintertime celebration, however I wasn't feeling perky pastels or overtly saccharine shades of red and pink this year, no, my mind went instantly to a place of black lace, time worn jewelry, sensuous fabrics, and style elements that spell romance in a more mysterious and captivatingly alluring tone of voice.

So hence the title of today's post and indeed, more likely than not, the kind of outfit I'll be sporting this year for Valentine's Day. There's no right or wrong palette for any holiday and if Cupid's busiest day of the year doesn't exactly send a jolt of joy through your soul, then perhaps slipping into a darkly hued vintage outfit like this and focusing less on romantic love and more on the fashions that you adore wearing is the way to go.

I have few qualms with Valentine's Day and am the first to admit that I love love, so to the speak, but I want to shake things up this time around and celebrating the first big holiday since New Year's Day with an outfit that lets my inner goth girl run free seems like a fitting tribute to a branch of the fashion family tree that I adore to no end.

Black lace stockings, rich velvet dresses, and aging turn of the century jewelry, here I come!