The land of the midnight sun

{Come the dog days of summer that will soon be upon us, one of my favourite ways to help, if only slightly, beat the heat, it so wear my hair tucked up under a scarf or turban and off my neck and shoulders. If you feel the same way or simply in the market for a great, very vintage appropriate turban, be sure to check of this silver-grey hued gem, which is a modern creation (that's also available in other colours such) that looks the yesteryear part through and through. $13.00 from Viva Dulce Marina.}




{The older I get (and at 30 in just a couple of week's time, I'm not exactly the youngest of spring chickens any more), the more I madly adore handmade, artisanal beauty products that are chalked full of healthy, natural ingredients and wonderfully devoid of harsh chemicals and other nasties that are sure to trouble my sensitive skin. Though I haven't tried it yet, this lovely bar of Alaskan Mineral Mud soap looks and sounds like it would leave my skin in good spirits and smelling, ever-so-appealing, like the serene wilds of the 49th state. $10.00 for a 4.5 - 5 ounce bar of soap from Rocky Top Soap Shop.}




{Add a sophisticated, cooling hit of arctic glamour to any ensemble with this stunning, good sized circa 1960s/1970s pave set polar bear brooch featuring silver tone metal and oodles of charming little white rhinestones. $25.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}




{A mere whisper of pink resides in this fun scallop adorned cotton 1950s blouse, which is equal parts lightweight and adorable. Fits up to a 40" bust/33" waist. $26.00 from Happy Valley Avenue.}




{Cool, elegant metal hues combine in this strikingly beautiful mid-century gold toned metal and hematite oak leaf clamper bracelet. Relatively lightweight, but visually substantial, this is the kind of piece that suits summer's airy ensembles, whether for day or night, so perfectly. $40.00 from Chronically Vintage on Etsy.}




{Sporting muted colours that call to mind everything from a melted dish of Neapolitan ice cream to a hazy summer sunset, this classic 1950s Ellen Tracey skirt would make for a relaxing and rather beautiful addition to any vintage lover's warm weather wardrobe. Fits up to a 28" waist. $69.00 from Flora Child.}




{Gold seed beads on one side, silver on the other, a simple snap closure, intact lining - what's not to love about this versatile, understatedly chic - and wonderfully sparkly - vintage handbag? Measures 7 inches wide x 7 inches tall. $32.00 from Futura Vintage.}




{Chic, sweet, and more than a little bit beguilingly beautiful, these elegant 1940s Tweedies pink and grey leather peep toe sandal heels would be the perfect pair of shoes for everything from a summer wedding to lounging, markedly glamorously, beside the pool. They fit a vintage size 7 1/2 B foot. $124.00 from Fab Gabs.}

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A grandly vast nation, Canada comes in at 9,984,670 square kilometres (3,855,100 square miles) and encompasses a truly amazing number of geographic landscapes, terrains, and types of natural wonders, one of which you may encounter if you venture up to the arctic circle, far above where all but a relatively small number of very hearty souls reside, during the summer months.

The phenomenon known as the midnight sun - when the sun is still visible even at midnight due to the axial tilt of the earth during the summer months, thus creating days comprised of 24 hours periods with some degree of visible sunlight present at all times - is not exclusive to Canada. It also occurs in regions around the world north or south, restively, of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, but it is something that I think many Canadians, even those who have never experienced it firsthand (a camp that I, unlike many of relatives and ancestors who hail(ed) from the Yukon, have not yet had the pleasure to be a member of), can't help but feel a certain powerful affinity for.

{A wonderful capture of the midnight sun out in full force in Canada's northerly Yukon territory. Image via Travel Yukon.}

Though I don't doubt that it may potentially cause a degree of havoc with one's internal clock and is probably a much more romanticized occurrence for those who have never experienced it, there is something powerfully, almost magically alluring about the notion of the midnight sun. There one finds days that never see total darkness and hours of light that hug - or strangle, again, depending on how you view things - you around the (no doubt sleepy) clock. In a given year, midnight sun is typically visible in the Arctic Circle from about June 12th to July 1st (interestingly and coincidentally enough, that date just happens to be Canada Day), which means that it will soon be coming to an end.

Before it does though, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to devote this month's edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday to this most enchanting, fascinating and gorgeous of natural wonders. As such, the items featured here today all call to mind the pale sun and/or the great white north of the arctic. They are not filled with the blazing hues of a Vancouver Island sunset, the scorching colours of the sun over the Okanagan in the summer, or even the shades of dusk as it falls on the Great Lakes, instead they are subtly warm, twinklingly metallic, and appealingly gentle, like a soothing late June breeze. A wearable, fittingly summertime perfect colour palette that lends itself well to everything from camping to dancing the night away, even if that means doing so in one of the country's lower latitudes where the moon makes its usual evening appearance all season long.

One of my biggest dreams in life, present since early childhood, is to visit the Yukon some day and when I do, there's a very realistic chance it may happen during the late spring or summer, which means there's a decent likelihood that I might get to experience the majestic midnight sun firsthand. Until then however, I'll bolster my desire to do so further by sporting vintage fashions that celebrate and call to mind the land of the midnight sun and encourage you to join me in doing the same thing this summer. After all, who wouldn't like at least a few days of 24 hour sunshine during the most alluring and beautiful season of the year?

On this very special day in 1930...

✯ Day 287 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

It was a cold morning, whatever remnants of the short-lived summer may have lingered into fall had already disappeared and another seemingly endless winter was beginning to burrow into the once thriving town of Dawson.

In the dim oil lamp light a petite French woman by the name of Marie Lefebvre readied herself to give birth to her ninth and final child. Seven girls and one son had proceeded this babe's birth. Seventeen years of bringing life into the world had taken their toil on the mother's body, but deep inside her soul she was content and eager to meet the little she'd been carrying beneath her apron for three-quarters of a year.

Far away "down south", the world was abuzz with talk and stories of the economic crisis, fortunes lost, families forced to abandon them homes, jobless men trekking the country, desperate for any scrap of work. Up in the Yukon though, in their small hamlet of the north, there was still stability in 1930.

This town, once wild with the glint and fever of cold, had slowed rapidly over the decades since crazy rush of '98 that brought her husband, Charles, north on foot over the gruelling Chilkoot Trail, a thousand pounds of provisions (as mandated by the Mounties) lugged over the treacherous incline, pack load by exhausting pack load, on his strong back.

He was a good man, her Charles Burkhard. With his wavy brown hair, statuesque height, strong - but kind - features, and worker's hands, he lead the large family well, provided for his children, was sweet to her. Though more than twenty years her senior, his face - for all the toil it'd seen - was young, and few noticed the age gap between them.

At 34 years old, she wasn't ancient by any means, but she sensed, in that way mothers inherently do, that this would be her last child, so she took extra care to hold onto the memory of each moment, as the contractions grew stronger, closer, and her breath became heavier.

The birth was a straightforward one, easy and - as much as such things can be - pleasant. Not to anyone's surprise, the child was a girl. Quiet and calm, she cried immediately, nestled against her mother's breast, and slept soundly as the arctic winds waltzed against the wooden walls of the small home above the bakery that the family owned, before it fleeted off to howl through the towering mountains nearby.

Looking down on her tiny infant, Marie pondered a name - something French, perhaps, in a nod to her Quebec linage. Bernice, yes, Bernice. She liked the way it matched the "B" of the family's surname, and that it had a charmingly feminine ring to it.

On this day, 81 years ago precisely, in the snow-locked land of the Yukon,  Bernice Schill (née Burkhard), my maternal grandma was born to loving, hard working parents. She would grow up to be a wife and mother herself, live in three provinces and two continents, deal with tremendous heartache (including the passing of her only son), battle chronic illness, and yet, never lose that sweet, kind disposition her mother saw in her instantly.

 

{My grandma, Bernice Schill, looking so summery and lovely, in an photo taken circa 1950.}

Though it's been a very long time she she last set foot in Dawson - a lifetime ago, really - she still has the spirit of the north in her veins, going strong as her father as he set out from his home in Nebraska for the prospect of gold in the far-flung promise land of the Yukon.

She, my grandma (who has always, adorably, spelled her chosen grandmotherly moniker as "Grannie"), is a venerable, beautiful, wise, tenacious, caring, amazing woman, and on this day, I celebrate every moment of her fascinating life, and each gift and blessing she has bestowed on mine.

From the bottom of my heart, and all of my love, happiest 81st Birthday, Grannie!