A cute flamingo headscarf, vintage velour pedal pushers, and Canada Day camping fun

Outfit details

Vintage style square flamingo print head scarf: c/o Inkabilly
Black enamel coated metal hoop earrings: Unknown, had since I was a teenager (possibly Claire's)
Coral pink and white polka dot sleeveless button front shirt: Thrifted
Black thin knit cropped shrug: Fairweather
1960s green plastic and gold tone metal flower brooch: Clockwork Zoo
White 50s style stretch belt: Hell Bunny (via, if memory serves me right, Retro Glam)
1950s/1960s black velour pedal pushers: Frugal Frocks
1950s/1960s white tile purse: Running Rabbit Studio
Green plastic bangle bracelet: Forever 21
Assorted vintage plastic bangle bracelets: Various sorted (mostly thrifted)
Coral faux patent leather peep toe pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Partyline
Finger and toe nail colour: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pink Punk
Photography by Tony Cangiano (with photos of us two together taken by my mom)

{Please forgive the various little fuzzy "dots" in these photos, we were inundated with no-see-um bugs while taking these pictures and they photobombed us big time that night!}   

♥ ♥ ♥

Before launching into the heart of today's fun new vintage outfit post, I want to take a moment to sincerely, wholeheartedly thank each and every one of you bestowed happy birthday wishes on me over the past few days. Whether here on my blog, Facebook, Instagram, via email, snail mail, or anywhere else, I was super touched by your beautiful wishes and can't convey how much they helped to make my 32nd b-day all the more fabulous!

While - to no one's surprise here locally - we had scads of rain on my birthday, for the Canada Day long weekend at the start of July, we were treated to a bit of sunshine and tons of wind! It was then that we snapped the photos seen here today.

My folks took their camper trailer down to a beautiful campground in the nearby little town of Osoyoos, which is located on the British Columbia side of the BC/Washington state border. A large campground with, I'd estimate, a few hundred camping spots for RVs, campers, trailers, and tents, located on a picturesque lake, this park always teams with Okanagan locals and tourists alike during the summer months.

I've been past it many times, but this was my first time visiting that park. As I've blogged about before over the years (such as in this 2012 post), I'm a massive fan of camping and while the more rugged version is, sadly, out of the question for me these days due to my health, I'll still jump at the chance to go glamping anytime I can and that's just what Tony and I did when my mom and step-dad (pictured below) invited us to spend time with them on the Canada Day long weakened.




For a day of outdoor fun, I knew that I wanted a comfy, festive outfit and started with a fabulous new vintage style flamingo print headscarf that I recently received as a review gift from a great British vintage/rockabilly/pinup inspired housewares and fashion company called Inkabilly.

This scarf is wonderful! Unlike many contemporary vintage style headscarves, this one is a proper square, not a long, skinny shape (nothing against that style - I love it, too, and own several, it's just extra handy to have a square shaped one sometimes) and can - depending on your head and/or hair size - be worn WW2 worker style or folded to various widths, as I've done here.

At just £6.99, this vibrant flamingo print headscarf (which is also available in a purple version; this being the aqua one) is refreshingly budget-friendly, especially for those in the UK.

It is is well made from sturdy, soft 100% cotton. The colours are crisp, the design clear, and the size a very versatile 54cm X 54cm. I really adore this scarf and want to sincerely thank Inkabilly - who I will be teaming up with, and sharing more about, here on my multiple times again in the second half of 2016 - for this handy, stylish vintage inspired accessory.

As many a fellow hourglass and/or pear shaped lady will tell you, finding pants that fit both your hips and your waist can be trickier than tracking down that proverbial needle in a haystack, and this pair of 1950s/1960s black velour pedal pushers is no exception. But that's okay - with the help of a big safety pin and a Hell Bunny stretch belt, it's fairly easy to wrangle the excess inches in the waist, and no one who sees me fully dressed is the wiser.

I picked these classic pedal pushers up two or three years ago from my favourite vintage store in the Okanagan, Frugal Frocks. This is the first time they've appeared here on my blog though, and I'm delighted that I finally got the chance to share them with all of you. Though a very summery garment, the fact that these pants are made from black velour makes them a great choice for balmy spring and autumn days as well (you could even layer them over tights, if need be, for added warmth).

I own very few pairs of pants and of those, not many are genuine vintage, so this pair - even if they're too big in the waist - are a firm favourite. They're super comfy and go with a zillion different tops, including this vintage appropriate punchy pink and white sleeveless button front skirt.

Camping isn't the time for a ton of accessories or delicate pieces, but that doesn't mean I skip jewelry or pretty shoes (I also had black flats in my purse that day for walking on rougher terrain) when the Coleman stove and sleeping bags come out.

Classic black hoop earrings, various bangle bracelets, the aforementioned white stretch belt, my beloved 50s/60s white tile purse, and a pair of recently thrifted (this past spring) coral peep toe pumps (plus a black cropped shrug) round out the mix - and helped to keep the wind at bay.

We had a wonderful holiday long weekend - eating al fresco, soaking up the moments of sun we did receive, and filling our lungs with fresh air. Relaxing and thoroughly welcome after a rocky June, it was also a ton of fun - just like this outfit itself - and hopefully it will be one of many sunny days we'll get, interspersed amongst the rain, as summer continues to unfold.

No matter what Mother Nature gets up to though, there's always vivid colours and tropical themes like the flamingos on this lovely Inkabilly headscarf to keep one in the summertime spirit, and that is well worth cheering about as well.

Happiest Victoria Day wishes, my fellow Canadians!

✯ Day 143 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The history of today's celebration dates back to the time of Queen Victoria of England, whose name lends itself to this May holiday, however for most Canadians Victoria Day is less about the monarchs of Britain and more about kicking off the immensely long awaited beginning of summer.

Now, granted we're still about a month away from technically hitting summer (on the calendar at least), but in many places across the country, the weather has finally perked up to the point where barbequing, picnicking, boating, strolling on the beach, and oodles of other delightful outdoor activities are enjoyably doable once more.

Canada has a relatively low number of national holidays (let alone ones that take place in the warmer months), so as the May long weekend draws near, it's not uncommon to find a general spirit of happiness has washed over canucks in every corner of the country. Usually spring is in full swing, the risk of snow is just about gone (does it ever really leave for us here though? ), and folks have slipped back into their warm weather threads.

Traditionally this wonderful long weekend, which - with a little luck - will be a splendidly toasty one - is a favourite amongst those who love to camp and can get the time away from work to spend two or three days under the stars, a tent as their roof, s'mores as diner, and plenty of merriment on the bill for the whole trip.

 

{Whether you like to bring everything and the kitchen sink on your Victoria Day outdoor adventures - like this charming 1950s family - or prefer to simply slip down to the lake with a single picnic basket in hand, few things compare to finally being able to spend time under the Canadian sun again! Vintage photo via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding on Flickr.}

For some, Victoria Day might be the first time of the year they've fired up the grill, ready to fill their backyard (if not the whole street) with the intoxicatingly delicious scent of food cooking over a flame in the great outdoors.

Others still may head off to their cabins/cottages (particularly here in Ontario, where there's a large number of cottage owners), take a quick road trip, visit a favourite national park, catch up on DIY projects around the house, throw a block party, or simply kick back in their favourite lawn chair (or hammock) and savour the simple joy of having three marvelous days off from the grind of work.

The mister and I fall into the later group this year (much as I wish I could have been out camping, it just wasn't in the cards), and we're spending this weekend embracing the immensely welcome warmth of late May, a cool drink in our hands, the kitty napping angelically in the vibrant morning light, and a selection of our favourite Canadian songs (vintage, retro and present) wafting around the room as we celebrate the unofficial start of summer 2011.

Whatever you've got on your itinerary for today, I wish you an utterly fantastic Victoria Day (or simply a marvelous Monday, if you're not in Canada) filled with equal measures of relaxing tranquility and sunshine covered excitement!

Pretty Link Roundup {July 19th}

Happy Sunday, my lovely readers, how are you all on this sizzling July day? On this end the weather has momentarily mellowed a tad. Chalk dust grey skies are awash with powder puff-esque clouds and the mercury is sitting at 20° instead closer to 30°, as it has been for some time now.


{Cloudy summer days (such as today) can provide respite from the heat and a chance to unwind with your thoughts, just as I like to imagine this lovely woman was doing as this photo was being snapped. Image from What Makes The Pie Shops Tick's Flickr stream.}


This week was one of those that brought with a series of somewhat odd occurrences, from a splitting migraine that would not let up for two days to the issues with the toilets in both of our loos occurring within a day of each other! Nevertheless, it wasn’t a completely bad week; I was still revelling in the jubilant spirit of my birthday the previous Friday, and have been having a simply wonderful time today playing with one of the b-day gifts my husband gave me (a “Simpsons” version of the classic board game Clue).

Between rounds of trying to determine “who did it, in what room, with what weapon”, I thought I’d take a break from sleuthing to compose this week’s Pretty Link Roundup. I’ve encountered so many fantastic blog posts this past week it’s almost hard to shortlist them! From a very useful diagram that you can take with you to the hairdresser’s salon of a “Middy” style cut to peek inside Sophia Loren’s stunning 1960s home, this week’s links are such to include something of interest for most everyone! Be sure to swing take a gander at the video clip in the limelight as well, it’s ten minute clip from a lovely gal who shows you how to achieve some absolutely gorgeous 1940s hairstyles.


♥ ♥ ♥


* A Jolly Good Show – The Chap Olympiad 2009: Fleur takes on a tour of the impossibly fashionable Chap Olympiad, a yearly event hosted by Chap Magazine in which participants gather to share in their mutual love of sophisticated style while participating in the most delightful grown-up version of a sports day one has ever encountered.


* How I found the wedding dress I will wear tomorrow: The impossibly lovely, sweeter than the day is long Solanah (who got married yesterday) shares the heart warming story of how she chanced upon her vintage wedding dress for a mere seventy five cents.


* Vintage camping themed week: This past week the Glamorous Housewife has featured a marvelous selection of posts centred around the theme of vintage related camping. As someone who has always enjoyed a good trek into the wilderness and who collects Girl Guide related items (which often pertain to camping), I really enjoyed all of her posts on the subject.


* One Bag’s Story: How To Restore Patent: Have you ever wondered how best to bring a patent pleather (not genuine leather) bag back to life? If so, be sure to check out this post from Christa over at Fashion Preserve on the subject.


* The “Middy” haircut: Common throughout the 1940s, the Middy style cut was a practical, layered look that allowed wearers to create a variety of styles. In this post from the Lisa Fremount Pages, you’ll find a diagram of the Middy which can be taken to your hairdresser, if you wish to replicate this timeless style on your own head :)


* What a way to go: Karyn highlights one of the absolute most beautiful vintage travel trailers I have ever seen! Done up (both inside and out) in a gorgeous shade of aquamarine, pulled by a classic card, and filled with old school pieces this stylish classic camper is out-of-this-world cool!


* Modern Fashionista Travel with Vintage Luggage: The Capital Fashionista has rounded up a delightful selection of vintage (and retro) pieces of luggage that are such to appeal to anyone who enjoys traveling in vintage style.


* It’s not all feathers and netting: Fascinators have gained in popularity greatly over the past few fashion seasons, but no everyone who admires these sophisticated little hats/hair accessories is a fan of nettings and/or feathers on you caps. If you prefer a different sort of fascinator, be sure to check out the lovely selection in this post.

* Vintage Nightwear: A history: Queens of Vintage peers into the history and glamour of old fashioned sleepwear.


* Madeleine Vionnet at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris: Daisy Fairbanks Vintage highlights some of the unbelievably stunning haute couture dresses and photos on display as part of the Madeleine Vionnet museum display which will run until January, 2010 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.


* Sophia Loren’s Vintage Italian Masterpiece: “Luxurious” seems like an understatement when it comes to describing the Time Life photos in this article of Italian actress Sophia Loren’s phenomenal villa from the 1960s.


This week’s Youtube clip comes via Nicandjethro, and is perfect for girls with longer hair as it features a very useful how-to that can help you master a detailed, beautiful forties updo. That said though, I think many of the general techniques can be applied to medium and shorter styles as well.

{Pinup hair tutorial for Victory Rolls and a 1940s updo}




Time to get back to the ever-stylish Ms. Peacock (played in this version by Marge Simpson), but not before I wish each of you the loveliest of weeks ahead – I hope that both my own, and yours, will be serene, enjoyable and worry-free!


*PS*


{The box from a 1949 version of Clue – or Cluedo as it was known then and is still called in some countries – from the pages of Pete’s Cluedo fan site.}

Did you know that Clue was first released in 1949? Wouldn’t it be positively amazing to come across an original version from sixty years ago?