Saying good bye to Vancouver Island all over again

Outfit details

1940s/1950s black hat with red fabric rosettes: Etsy (the shop that I got it from is no longer in business)
Red plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Fitted black cotton blazer: Banana Republic
Fitted red top: Urban Planet (I think - bought it years ago)
Black cotton cami: Real Canadian Superstore
c. 1940s plastic novelty binoculars brooch: eBay
1950s seashell novelty print skirt: eBay
Black cinch belt: Hip Hop 50s Style
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
Vintage bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
Black crocheted purse: Thrifted (Value Village)
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Black pumps: Payless Shoes
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Photography by Tony Cangiano  

♥ ♥ ♥

By complete and total coincidence, today marks exactly five months since these photos were taken on the very last day of our awesome two week long trip to Vancouver Island. It's genuinely hard to believe that so much time has passed since then. It feels like mere moments ago that I was standing out there on the deck of the ferry, wee rain drops dancing around us as icy winds blew over the Pacific and rippled my skin with goose bumps.

As with most final days of vacations that you've adored, this one had a note of bitter sweetness to it. Tony and I both enjoyed our time on the Island immensely and I personally found a certain kinship with it that I've almost rarely discovered elsewhere in my travels. Yet, we were starting to miss our comfortable bed at home, having more than one bathroom, and most of all, our darling pets. Thus, with misty eyes we said goodbye with love in our hearts for this stunning part of Canada, vowing to return again as soon as possible.

The weather wasn't in any kind of mood to cooperate, so we didn't get a lot of photos that day (and it was impossible for me not to squint up a storm in those that we did due to the wind), but thankfully we have a few to remember it by.

I'd purchased this darling 1950s novelty skirt on eBay a few months prior, once it was locked down for certain that our 2014 holiday destination was going to be Vancouver Island, which floats merrily in the Pacific. I didn't get a chance to wear it earlier in the trip, so I made sure to sport it on the last day - not knowing when I'd be anywhere in the vicinity of an honest-to-goodness ocean again next.

Its smile-inducingly sweet pattern of shells, seaweed and triangles is super fun and stands amongst one of my favourite novelty prints in my whole wardrobe. It will definitely be coming with me on future trips to the sea (and the beaches here in the Okanagan).




I've said it before and I'll say it here again today, we had an amazing, action packed time on Vancouver Island. From the charming little private mid-century house (pictured above) that we rented on Airbnb to stay in, to the many fabulous experiences (several of which, such as going whale watching and feeding a little herd of seals, were complete firsts for both of us), to simply getting away from the daily grind for a while, this vacation stands as one of the most memorable and enjoyable of my life.

Though I was knackered to the nth degree by the end (I can so see it in my face here), I was also deeply happy and filled with that certain nameless sense of deeply rooted contentment that comes from getting to experience a truly fantastic - and much needed - holiday for a few days.

As things stand now, Tony and I don't have any set plans in place for a trip in 2015. Given our shared passion for traveling though, it's highly likely that we will be hitting the highway (or high seas!) again, if only for a weekend or two here and there as this year progresses, the weather improves, and our wanderlust reaches a tipping point.

I truly loved sharing about our trip both during the fact (on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) and here on my blog in the weeks and now months since we’ve returned home. Wherever we venture next, you can rest assured that we'll have a camera in hand and that there will be lots more fun travel related posts to follow. I can hardly wait!

Of Orca Whales, Parliament, and Casual Attire

I need to preface these photos by stating for the record that I was wearing layers. Lots of layers. Beneath my sweater, I had a fitted long sleeve shirt, a fitted t-shirt, a camisole, and a long line bra. Hidden below my Freddies of Pinewood jeans, I has on long johns. So if things seem a bit bulky - or like the jeans are clinging to my legs in weird ways - that's why. Now, on with the show...err, photos!




Outfit details

1950s/60s abstract print scarf (worn on my head): Moon Walk Vintage (won as a lovely giveaway prize a while back on Va-Voom Vintage)
White plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Dark plastic tortoise shell sunglasses: DKNY (worn on the boat)
1950s beige rain coat (worn on the boot): Tootsie Vintage
Olive green-brown cable knit sweater: Forever 21
Hand painted vintage orca whale brooch: Vendor at the 2014 Victoria Vintage Expo
Black plastic rose stretch bracelet: Thrifted years ago from Value Village
1940s style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Sky blue vintage style cross body purse: eBay
White and black vintage style saddle shoes: eBay
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace
Nail colour: Essie Hide & Go Chic


DSLR and iPhone photography by Tony Cangiano 

(Me out on the water during our whale watching tour.)

♥ ♥ ♥

Last month we took a peak a what I wore during an awesome day of seal feeding while in Victoria at the start of autumn. This time around I'm shining the spotlight on what I sported on the day that we went out on a three-hour long whale watching excursion.

These photos (save for the one of me on the boat and the the ones taken of/on the high seas) were shot after we'd been out getting hit with surprisingly chilly, extremely strong winds for hours, so my make-up was half gone and my cheeks were more than a little flushed from the weather, the excitement, and certainly the happiness of that day.

Taking part in a whale watching adventure was something that I'd wanted to do since I was a small child, so I knew that even though it would be a bit of an investment, we had to do so while on our fabulous two week long Vancouver Island trip. We did a lot of research into the various companies that offered excursions of this nature and ultimately went with one from the Prince of Whales (love that pun-tastic name), as their boats were said to over smooth rides and have onboard washrooms - two absolute musts for me if I'm setting sail anywhere.

Both proved to be true and we had a marvelous time setting out into the vast blue Pacific Ocean, where we spotted orca whales, minke whales, seals, plenty of birds, and for all of about two seconds, I'm certain that I saw an adorable little otter diving around in the waves. The company offers a whale sighting guarantee, which means that if we hadn't seen any that day, we could have come back for free again a second time. Thankfully, though it did take about an hour and a half to see the majestic black and white orcas, we spotted plenty of wildlife that day, so one outing was all it took.

The staff on board were friendly and very knowledgeable and I had a great time talking with one female staff member in particular, who shared with me tons of great facts about orca whales, including that some of the oldest in the pod that live in those Pacific waters are thought to be at least a hundred years old.

Sadly, truly heartbreakingly actually, she also informed me that about half of the orca whales that are born today die at a young age due primarily to environmental factors (re: polluted waters). This number rattled me to my core and made me feel even more fortunate to get an opportunity to see the handful of these resplendently beautiful wild creatures that we did on that sun-kissed early fall afternoon.

The Price of Whales website had advised tour participants to dress warmly and in layers, so that is precisely what I did. Though my outfit wasn't as in-your-face vintage-y as some of mine certainly are, it was still old school enough to have most eyes on me as we boarded the boat and several people paid me lovely compliments, which is always touching to have happen in any setting.

While I was (barely) warm enough thanks to those four layers on top (five counting my jacket) and two on the bottom (plus thick cotton wool socks and my trusty orca coloured saddle shoes, which are surprisingly warm themselves), the wind was so strong that even with a scarf wrapped 1940s style around my locks, I still had to put a hand on my head many times when the boat picked up speed to avoid the risk of having my wig go flying off into the surf!

I really want to go whale watching again in the future so when we do, I'll either wear something that literally ties my wig to my head or sport a fitted hood that prevents it from going anywhere. Thankfully due to my diligence, it stayed put and I didn't have to deal with the embarrassment that would have come had the wind snatched it up!

We really had an amazing time out on the water and when we returned to dry land, we headed over to the provincial Parliament Building (aka, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia building), which is located on the waterfront, for a quick photo shoot before heading home to fill our famished tummies (being out on a boat in cold, windy weather really works up an appetite!).

This stately and truly gorgeous example of late Victorian architecture (it was completed in 1897) is one of the most breathtaking buildings to be had in this very new province of ours and is a location I'd been wanting to shot in for many years now. Despite the sunshine, there wasn't a lot of folks around, so we were able to take plenty of shots on the stairs and other spots on the backside of the building without other sightseers or locals crossing in front of our lens, as can often happen in popular public spots like this.

Without a doubt, this is one of the more casual outfits I've sported on my blog over the years. Were we not out whale watching, it's the kind of thing I might wear for a trip to the dog park with Annie or perhaps a fall time pumpkin picking excursion in a farmer's field. Delightfully, two pieces of this look were purchased mere days before while in Victoria: the classic cable knit sweater came from Forever 21 (I'd made a point to budget for a trip there as I hadn't stepped foot in one since we left Toronto at the start of 2012 and I'd really been missing it), and the adorable vintage (c. 1980s) orca whale brooch came from the Victoria Vintage Expo that I'd attended the very day before our whale watching adventure.

The rest of the items that made up my layered ensemble were from my closest back home and I couldn't help but love how well that happened to scarf matched my new sweater. I'm always on the lookout for comfy, classic knits like this that are wool-free (I'm allergic to wool) and don't break the bank, and this one delivered big time there (if memory serves me right, it was about $28.00). I'd definitely wear it again for outings like.

I've been rationing my sets of outfit photos from our time on the Island and this, I believe, is the second to last one that I have to share. The final photos, taken on the very rainy ferry boat ride back home to the mainland, will be appearing here in the near future.

Much like our afternoon of feeding the seals, this was an amazing experience and one that I feel very blessed to have been able to enjoy on our holiday. Should you ever get the chance to go out on a similar excursion yourself, I really can't recommend it highly enough! Tony and I both agreed that it was money extremely well spent and that we'd love to go again and again and... :)

In which I feed a little herd of seals - also known as one of the best days of my life!

Outfit details

Blue and white bandana: eBay
Red plastic rose earrings: Claire's
Red plastic vintage necklace: Gift with online purchase years ago
Plaid shirt: Warehouse One
Burgundy lace trimmed camisole: Fairweather
Vintage reproduction green knit bolero: Miss Beta Knits
Vintage white, blue and red enamel anchor brooch: (probably) eBay
Side button 1940s style jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Blue and white plastic stretch bracelets: Both thrifted
Red cross body mini satchel bag: eBay
Black and white saddle shoes: eBay
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

The past four months have flown by nearly at the speed of light. A mixture of marvelous holidays, poor health, bursts of productivity, powerful snow storms, and the start of 2015. Some days it feels like a rather long time since we were on Vancouver Island and yet there are also moments when it's almost as though we're still there. Those two weeks were the one of the biggest highlights of the past year for both Tony and I, who adore traveling to no end, so the latter point comes as no surprise to me.

Ill health and equally poor weather has not made for the best of conditions when it comes to taking photos around these parts lately, so before January wraps up entirely, I wanted to share at least one outfit post with you this month and thus I'm dipping into the Victoria trip vault and pulling out these snaps from what was truly an incredibly fun afternoon.

You may remember from my post 10 highlights from our awesome trip to Vancouver Island, that I chatted about the rainy day on which we had the immense joy of feeding a small herd of harbour seals at the wharf in Victoria.

Seals have been one of my favourite animals for as far back as I have memories, but never before that day had I gotten the chance to get anywhere near that close to them - let alone help to give them a free lunch! :)

The seals that congregate at the wharf there know that tourists and locals alike want nothing more than to provide them with freshly caught fish (which one purchases from a small fish monger's shop a few feet from the water's edge), but even if they're used to interacting with humans, that doesn't mean that they're not still entirely wild. They most certainly are and it's important to keep that in mind if you're interacting with these darling creatures.

Known, entirely affectionately, to locals as Rock Sausages, the seals are a hearty, friendly bunch, each with their own distinct personalities. It was fascinating to kneel down on the dock, heavy raindrop all but landing with a thud around me, and gingerly hand fish to these beautiful marine mammals. Their behaviour struck both Tony and I instantly of being incredibly dog-like and indeed, one of the sweetest of the bunch reminded us a great deal of our own dog, Annie.

It doesn't take long to feed a hungry pack of harbour seals a small plate of fish, so once we had (and after we'd taken no shortage of photographs of them), Tony and I ventured a little further down the wharf to a walkway that runs between the rows of vibrantly coloured floating homes that also reside in this corner of the mighty Pacific Ocean.

Knowing this was going to be a rugged sort of outdoors-y day, I'd dressed the part in an outfit centered my beloved Freddies of Pinewood 1940s style side button jeans and a truly fantastic bespoke pine green knit bolero that my dear friend Beta from Miss Beta Knits created for me as an incredibly kind review gift last year.

Beta, a passionate knitter, mother, wife, and fellow vintage loving lady resides in Portugal and is truly one of the kindest and sweetest people you could ever cross paths with. Her charming Etsy shop is filled with a carefully curated selection of knits that she creates using genuine mid-century patterns, such as scarves, gloves, berets, and boleros akin to the one I'm wearing in these photos. Beta also takes custom orders, so if there's a knit project you've been hankering to have made she may very well be the gal for the job.

This is the second product that I've received and review from Beta (the first was one of her fabulous Miss Marple scarves) and I truly hope that it's not the last that I'm able to add to my wardrobe from her talented knitting needles, because both are extremely well made, comfortable, soft, and delightfully vintage appropriate.

I have sported this dark green knit bolero more than any other sweater of cardigan in my wardrobe this fall and winter (especially during Christmas time, when its holiday tree hue was especially fitting) and I absolute love it to bits. It's chunky and cozy and as every bit as sweet as those precious harbour seals were.

Though four months have passed since we left for our two week holiday to Vancouver Island, the memories of that adventure packed fortnight are crystal clear in my mind still and I know that many of them, especially those of the day we fed a little heard of uber adorable seals will stay with me always. A dear and beautiful reminder of just how special Mother Nature and all her wild children are - not to mention how much they adore being handed platefuls of their favourite food!

Bar none, this was/is one of my favourite days in my whole life and I'm so happy to that we captured it on camera. You can bet your last smelt that I'll be down at the dock tossing fish to the seals the next - and all future - time(s) I'm in the majestically lovely city of Victoria and should you happen to be there yourself, I can't recommend doing so highly enough. It really is one of the more enjoyable experiences that you could ever have!

Adventures with butterflies and an Edwardian castle

Outfit details

1940s/1950s navy blue hat with whimsical bow: Jardin Antiques in Okanagan Falls
Faux pearl stud earrings: either Claire's or eBay
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
Vintage gold bow brooch: Probably thrifted or eBay (had for years)
1970s/80s does 1940s/50s orange and navy plaid dress: Diaphanous Vintage
Black faux leather skinny belt: eBay
1950s navy blue gloves: (probably) eBay
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
1950s/60s grey handbag: Running Rabbit Studio
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Navy blue pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Doesn't the title of today's post sound like every little girl's dream day out? :)

Though I had hoped to have a more festive outfit post to share with all of you today, between numerous health issues I’ve been contending with and a jam packed work load and social calendar this fall (and now winter), Tony and I have only had a chance to do two photo shoots since we returned from Victoria some 2.5 months ago now (and those would be the last two outfit posts I've shared here in recent weeks). That said, I'll still try to get a Christmassy ensemble up before the year is over, if a shoot is able to happen in the coming days.

That is one of the beauties of the holiday season isn't it? It's quite literally a small season unto itself and affords one the chance to do all kinds of fun, festive, highly photo worthy things over the span of multiple days or even weeks.

Right now though, let me hop away from the mulled cider, sublimely scented pine trees, and dazzling outdoor light displays and to our Vancouver Island vacation back at the start of autumn. Nearly every day of our two week holiday was bursting with activities and on one of the later days, we visited two places I'd wanted to see for many years now. Though, in actuality, we only went into one of them (more on that a little later on).

Our first big stop for the day was the breathtakingly beautiful Victoria Butterfly Gardens, which are located between the cities of Victoria and Sidney. Butterflies have always been very near and dear to my heart, to the extent that I almost see them as a personal mascot of sorts. On top of that, they're endlessly lovely and also very relaxing to watch, so I knew that a trip (a first for both Tony and I) to the Butterfly Gardens was a must on our holiday.

Tony had a Groupon coupon for the Gardens, which saved us a fair bit on admission, but I would have happily paid full price to get in, if we'd had to. Housed in a large climate controlled building, the gardens are a lush, tropical paradise of verdant plants and many, many different species of butterflies from around the world, as well as a few other lovely critters, such as different types of birds (like parrots and flamingos), frogs, koi fish, tortoises, and lizards.

The environment, as one might imagine, is humid, but not uncomfortably so (at least to me) and I greatly enjoyed the leisurely visit we had there, snapping cell phone photos, reading the information plaques on different species, and hoping that a butterfly might land on one of us (none did, but then again, we didn't see them do so on any other visitors either - perhaps next time!). There is something deeply enchanting, even magical about being surrounded by countless butterflies and a smatter of wild critters that most of us don't commonly come in contact with. It brings out your inner child, your inner lepidopterist, and your inner animal biologist all at the same time.

We capped off our visit to the Victoria Butterfly Gardens with a stop at the gift shop, where I treaded myself to a cuter than cute little plush green caterpillar toy (I have zero qualms with admitting I'm a thirty-year old woman who still adores stuffed animals! :)), before heading off to explore various other local sights. As the day wound down, we thought we'd try to visit Hatley Castle near the super charming town of Sooke.

By the time we got there however, the visiting hours were almost over for the day, so we decided that instead of being terribly rushed, we'd just do a quick photo shoot on the lawn and instead make a point to arrive much earlier in the day on a future trip trip to the Island.

Built in 1908, Hatley Castle is located in Colwood and is a Classified Federal Heritage Building that since 1995, has been used by the Royal Roads University. The castle - one of exceedingly few homes ever built, let alone still standing, in Canada to ever call itself such - was commissioned by wealthly Scottish Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir and his wife, Laura, who set highly renewed Canadian architect Samuel Maclure to work designing and constructing a gigantic mansion comprised of 40 rooms. The castle has what is known as a Scottish baronial style and shows elements of Tudor, Victorian and early Edwardian design influences. In the spirit of traditional European private estates, the Dunsmuirs christened their sprawling home and gardens Hatley Park.

The building remained in the Dunsmuir family until the end of the thirties, when it was sold to the Government of Canada. Over the course of the next few decades, it was used as the Royal Roads Military College, a Canadian naval training academy. Today, as mentioned above, it belongs to the Royal Roads University and is enjoyed by the students, staff and public in different capacities, including tours of its grand and stately rooms and gardens.

Extremely fascinatingly, in 1940, when the WW2 was in full force already in Europe, a contingency escape plan was made that would allow for King King George VI, his wife (the Queen Mother), and their two daughters (Elizabeth and Margaret) to reside in Canada at Hatley Castle. Though the Royal Family decided to weather the long war years at home in England, had the opted to leave, it my understanding that Hatley Castle would have been their most likely choice of a North American abode for the duration.

I think it would made a splendid temporary home, had they opted to leave England during the war and indeed, even just standing on the grounds of this majestic mansion - as much a castle (as its name implies) as one will find anywhere in this country - I couldn't help but feel a bit regal myself! :)

While we didn't get to see inside this towering grey stone castle that day, it was a pleasure just to be so near to it and to pose for some photos in what is essentially its present day backyard (at the time that the Dunsmuirs built their home here, the grounds were larger, but some of the land has been sold off over the years). Avid movie buffs may find that Hatley Castle looks familiar and indeed it may, as it has been used as a backdrop and/or setting for numerous TV shows and movies over the years, including as Professor Xavier's castle in some of the X-Men films.

Should you happen to find yourself on Vancouver Island anytime, I can't recommend visiting either (or both) of these places highly enough and I hope that on our next trip to that part of the country, we will indeed step foot inside Hatley Castle - no doubt (assuming they're permitted) with a new set of photos to follow.

Right now though, the only traveling we're doing is to visit nearby relatives in the Okanagan, very much including my mom and step-dad's house here in town, where we're spending many of the festive days of this beautiful season.

I hope that you're each having a marvelously merry December and that you enjoyed this look at another exciting day from our 2014 Vancouver Island adventure. I have some more photos from it to share with you still, so be sure to watch for further Victoria related posts in early 2015.

Happiest Christmas Eve, Eve wishes, my dear friends!

*PS*

Speaking of Christmas, don't forget that Chronically Vintage's exciting Buy More, Save More holiday season sale continues over in my Etsy shop until January 5, 2015. I don't plan on holding another big sale again for quite a while, so now is definitely the time to swoop in and pick up those items you've been eyeing lately, all at wonderfully discounted prices.