Sporting the palette of early spring

Though the area of B.C. that we now call home is renowned for its sublime weather (for most of the year, at least), spring has been a bit late in arriving this year. Snow appeared well into March and few buds, flowers, or signs of greenery (save for pussy willows and the occasional crocus) have yet to even attempt to reappear. That said, as we all know, spring always returns, back from the other side of the world, to grace us with its sweet, elegant warmth and sense of renewal.

Recently however, while things were still on the washed out, grey, subtly wintry side, I donned one of my favourite 1950s dresses and partnered it with hues that made it fairly easy to camouflage in with last week's end of March colour scheme.

Outfit details:

Brown velvet Frank Palma vintage hat: etsy seller Nostalgia Vintage

Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from my husband ♥

1950s Mocha and maroon floral print dress: etsy seller The Vintage Studio

Olive green cotton cardigan: a little mall boutique in Scarborough, ON, that’s no longer in business

Creamy ivory hued lace hemmed crinoline: Pettiskirt Style

Vintage maroon gloves with buttons: etsy seller Antiqueelegance

Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore

Nude seamed stockings: eBay

1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing

Straw hued heels: Anne Klein

Lip colour: MAC Diva

Photography by Antonio Cangiano 

My hair - bone straight, ultra fine, thin creature that it is - has never, not for one single day of my life, taken well to being heat set in any way. After dozens of attempts during my high school years in which I'd spend sixty, sometimes even ninety minutes trying to coax my hair into conforming to the shape a curling iron barrel (getting frustrated at the results to the point of tears), I accepted the fact that I'm just not one of those people who can get beautiful, bouncy, totally 1980s worthy curls from a heated source. No, I need to start with damp hair, curl tightly (be it with rags, curls, foam rollers, etc), and wait several hours for my hair to dry naturally (as I don't have a bonnet dryer).

That said, however, some days I still bust out the hot rollers and let the (subtle) waves fall where they may. The morning of these shots were taken was one such day. While not curly or even super wavy, I do like the sense of body and movement that hot rollers impart to my hair, as well as how easy it is to get a nice swooping piece to drape over across my forehead.

I knew I was going to add a cute little cocoa brown hued hat to my outfit, so I was fine with the causal, gamine feel of my hair. It's nice to have made peace some years back with the fact that my hair will likely never fully curl with a curling iron or hot rollers. It will get gently wavy, tousled, and feminine however - and creates a look that my husband fancies, so we both end up being happy campers.

An interesting titbit of information relating to this dress. One day my mother was looking at my vintage frocks and I asked her which one she'd pick if she wanted to wear one for a day of running errands or having a causal get together at home. After a bit of consideration, out of all of my dresses, she selected this one, which instantly endeared it to my heart even more. Naturally, it's hers to borrow should she ever want to give a vintage look a spin.

Before we know it, spring proper will show up and one's wardrobe palette - as well as mother nature's attire - will naturally shift back towards lighter, fresh, brighter hues. There's something to be said for the muted tones of the colder months, too, though - especially for those with red hair and/or fair colouring, for whom some of the bolder, punchier hues can sometimes wash us out.

Luckily though, we can always sport such shades in the form of embellishments and accessories, much like the (beloved) vintage crimsony-maroon gloves - with their darling little buttons - in this ensemble.
Happy start of April wishes, sweet friends - here's to the riot of chipper hues that will soon fill our worlds once more.