Showing posts with label rainbow dress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rainbow dress. Show all posts

June 16, 2015

Sporting a vintage rainbow in downtown Penticton (plus an important note about my summer)





Outfit details

Red crochet snood: eBay seller tina.g-2008
Gold tone stud earrings: Either Payless or Claire's
Coral/orange cardigan: Thrifted
C. 1960s blue berry and gold tone metal brooch: Jardin Antiquesin Okanagan Falls
Mid-century vintage "rainbow" dress: Now So LA
Gold tone metal bangles: Payless
Vintage red plastic bangle: Thrifted
Blue cross body purse: eBay
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Red patent pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano














































In the last month or so, we have had numerous rainy days, many of which were accompanied by thunder and lightning storms, and which inevitably - and much to our viewing pleasure - resulted in tons of flat out stunning rainbows. In fact, at one point, Tony and I started sarcastically joking each time one popped up by saying, "Ooooh, how original Penticton, another rainbow!" :D Of course we were totally kidding and adored seeing all of these majestic meteorological phenomena added an incredible vibrancy to our skies.

Inspired by the plethora of 'bows, I felt that it was high time I shared one of my very favourite warm weather dresses with all of you, as its palette takes a serious cue from rainbows everywhere and also suits the sizzling hot season that we're heading into so nicely.

This is, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it, a boldly hued frock and as such, it’s wise to keep accessory colours both in the same tonal range and to something of a minimum. One red and two gold bangles on my wrists, a cute c. 1960s berry brooch, a red snood, and a blue cross body/shoulder bag, plus red patent heels were it, save for my coral hued cardigan.

As a massive fan of celebrating the importance of colour in your wardrobe, this is a fun, cheerful outfit that embraces that concept head on, and while it might brighten the day big time, it would be  apt to feel rather out of place in the fall, winter, or early spring. It screams late spring or summer and is instantly reminiscent of not only a rainbow's symphony of hues, but of those found in the sort of glorious, heat baked sunrises and sets that usually only appear during this chapter of the year as well.

These snaps were taken right here in downtown Penticton on a small foot bridge that connects Ellis Street with the back of Main Street. As two of the oldest and most historically riches streets in the town, this is spot that always seems especially natural to me for a vintage outfit photo shoot (we've shot here once before, as you may recall from this 2013 outfit post), even if the wee bridge itself is quite modern.

As I'd touched on briefly in this post earlier in the month, Tony is going to the States for work this summer. In fact, he left yesterday and will be gone until the first week of September. That means it's just me and the adorable pets for the next few weeks and as such, this summer is going to be very different in some respects.

All though the prospect of Tony heading south for the summer came about relatively quickly, in a matter of just a few weeks during the second half of the spring, in that time, as much as my health would permit, we scrambled to get as many outfit photo shoots in as we could before he left.

While I may have posted a few more between June and September had Tony been here all summer like usual, over all we were still, fortunately, able to nab several and thus I'll be able to continue to share new vintage outfits with you all summer long (yippee!), even though my darling photographer will be over 1,500 kilometers away.

Without Tony home to help with certain aspects of daily life, and because I don't drive (though thankfully my parents do and can give me lifts sometimes for things like grocery shopping and doctors appointments; I'll use a taxi or public transportation for those when they're not able to), I know that his absence will have a deep impact not only on my heart (as in, I'll miss him dearly!), but significantly on the state of my health at times throughout the next 2.5 months, too.

I can only guess as to how big of an impact that will be and how it will play into my day-to-day life, including blogging and running my Etsy shop, but as always, I'll hope for the best, think positively, and do as much as I realistically can. Though this time apart will be a hard on both of us (prior to this, the longest we've ever been apart since tying the knot in 2004, was 8 or 9 days), thanks to the fact that summer passes at the speed of light no matter what, I bet it won't feel like long until we're back in each other's arms again.

In the meantime though, there will be lots keeping me busy this summer on top of work. From my birthday next month on the 10th to Peachfest in August, time spent with family and friends to hitting as many yard sales on foot as I possibly can, I know I'll be on my toes all summer long and I think that's a very good thing when one is missing the love of their life something fierce.

So, my dears, while this summer isn't likely to unfold quite how I'd envisioned earlier in the year, I have no doubt that it will still be plenty of fun, full of hard work, and perhaps, who knows, maybe even include another rainbow or two. If not, there's always this fab sunrise hued dress to keep me covered in that department! :)




June 3, 2012

Discovering the community of Ellison while wearing a rainbow

There's a certain duality at work in my spirit that's always been there. On the one hand (due in no small part to being a massive introvert) I'm a very happy homebody, yet at the same time there’s a side of me that perpetually yearns to venture forth and see the world.

While I have done a little travelling throughout my life, for the most part of health keeps me from being able to travel very far from home, so it probably works out well that most of the time I love sticking close my nest. Just because I can't be a world traveller very often though doesn't mean I can't be an explorer.

On the contrary, knowing that breadth of the territory I'll be visiting anytime soon is quite small, I look upon that fact as a challenge of sorts to get to know my own town and its neighbours inside and out. Whether main streets or dusty mountain roads, I believe that most locations offer up a wealth of sights and destinations to visit and discover, without the need for one's passport or even a suitcase.

Sometimes we'll set out with a location squarely in mind, other days we'll hop out onto the open road and let the day dictate where we end up. After a trip to get Tony some new workout clothes recently in the nearby city of Kelowna, as the day's sun rapidly turned as golden as freshly churned butter, we did just that.

Neither of us wanted to go home quite yet, so we headed towards Rutland in the north of the city, yet instead of following the main route after a certain point, we veered onto a charming street called Old Vernon Road that lead to an area comprised mostly of farmland, orchards, and homes.

Neither of us had ever been on that road (despite going past it on the main nearby street many times), and were delighted by the fact that within a minute or two it felt like we'd left Kelowna entirely and entered a new town.

Turns out that, in a way, we'd done precisely that. Old Vernon Road, you see, leads to a thoroughly lovely little community called Ellison, that I had never (even having grown up about an hour away) heard of before that day.

We wanted to grab some wardrobe snaps before the sun set, so when I spied a beautiful old building, standing out amongst the verdant surrounding thanks to its baby chick yellow hue, I knew instantly that it was destined to be our backdrop that lovely day.

 

Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_5

Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_3
 
 
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_11
 
 
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_4


Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_14


Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_7


Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_6


Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_2


Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_13
 
 
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_10
 
 
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_12
 
 
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_1

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12

Blue hair flowers: Arden

Faux pearl stud earrings: Claire's

Vintage rainbow madras plaid dress: etsy seller NowSoLA

Coral cropped tie waist cardigan: Forever 21

Rainbow bangle bracelets: Forever 21

Light aqua bangle bracelets: Claire's
Red vintage purse: etsy seller I Love Vintage Stuff

Denim slip-on flats: Payless

Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Antonio Cangiano
 




Presently serving as that area's community hall, an informative plaque near the small parking lot informs visitors that in its earlier days, this wonderful building was the local school house (a point which made me fall in love with it all the more). Located right next door in a matching (in terms of style and colours) little fire hall which still services the community.
 
Ellison, the plaque went on to explain was one of the first areas in Kelowna to be settled during the 19th century, and it has been populated ever since. Today it's a darling little corner of north Kelowna (nestled behind the airport) that’s filled with acreages, hobby farms, fruit tress, and this fantastic old community hall that was such a blast to pose with.
 
If you think there's a familiar vibe to the dress I'm wear here, that's because it bears a bit of a resemblance to the red and turquoise vintage dress that I was wearing in one of my outfit posts last month. This frock however, has even more colours in its palette and I was pleased with how they seemed to really pop against the soft, cheerful yellow walls of this historical building.
 
I adore wearing colour and so when dressing that day, felt that the dress and coral hued cropped cardi could even more vibrancy so I grabbed my stack of Forever 21 rainbow bangles and divvied it up between both wrists. With so much colour going on in this outfit, I opted for a classic denim summer shoe to help balance out all the vibrancy.
 
Due to spring being so late in coming this year, this day was actually the first I ventured beyond our yard without stockings on. It wasn't the toastiest day ever, but I was spared the goose bumps that have accompanied a few other recent shots (such as the one in Rutland on May 1st), and enjoyed feeling the breeze dance across the bare skin on my calves.
 
Ellison was a serious joy to discover! I've always loved areas with a both an old-fashioned and a pastoral feel to them and this little corner of northern Kelowna more than delivered on those fronts. In fact, parked right near the community centre, we even spied a vintage farm truck that stood as a great reminder that this area had been around for quite some time.
Ellison school house vintage photo shoot, Jessica Cangiano, image_15


Mere moments after snapping that pic, two coyotes wove there way through the trees on that property, bobbing their grey heads between the tall grass so quickly we couldn't even grab a photo.
 
Ellison might only be a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but sights like the coyotes, old truck, and historical buildings make you feel like you've stepped back in time and that you've driven for hours or even days to have reached such a quaint, picturesque location.
 
Fortunately for us however, it's only about an hour away - proving that terrific destination and previously unexplored locations abound right in our very own backyard. A point which wholeheartedly satisfies both sides of my spirit and gives me so much to look forward when it comes to future expeditions to nearby locations.