Vintage earth tones, a cute fox brooch, and a fab swing skirt sported on my parent’s driveway

Outfit details

C. 1930s/1940s black felt and cream faux pearl hat: Unknown, had for many years
Black stud earrings: Claire's
1950s (or early 60s) muted green floral print blouse: Used House of Vintage
Cute vintage black plastic fox brooch: Broesj
C. 1980s brown woven belt: Thrifted (Value Village, if memory serves me right)
1940s/1950s style black circle “Paula” skirt: Hell Bunny (purchased via Blame Betty)
Black plastic rose stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
Faux pearl stretch bracelet: Real Canadian Superstore
Brown faux leather handbag with white top stitching: eBay
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Brown 1940s style round toe pumps: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Party Line
Nail colour: Sally Hansen Golden-I

Photography by Tony Cangiano  

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Before we delve into the heart of today's post, I must say for the record, that this outfit had gloves - elegant olive green gloves, to be exact - but after a very long day of driving (these snaps were taken right after we got back to Penticton on the day we returned home from our recent trip to the Kootenays), I completely forgot to put them on before the camera made an appearance. C'est la vie!

This outfit is very, very characteristic of the type that I tend to wear when reaching for separates while on a holiday, road trip, or other jaunt away from home - as well, naturally, as while I'm on local turf, too. It's comprised of a fabulous 1940s/1950s style “Paula Skirt” from Hell Bunny that I picked up in early 2015, I believe it was, from Blame Betty, one of Canada's few online vintage/pinup girl/rockabilly clothing sellers.

From the first wearing onward, it became one of my favourite skirts I've ever owned and I absolutely live in it now any time I want a fuller black skirt (as opposed, to more of a pencil or a-line style). It's comfortable, swishy and can be partnered with a crinoline of the correct length, if so desired, but I tend to let it hang au naturel, which generally helps to lend it even more of a forties vibe.

My love of muted vintage colours, which I've touched on in a couple of posts here recently, is only growing stronger with each passing day. Thus, I packed a wardrobe largely comprised of such for our fun long weekend getaway in April and opted to sport this charming dark earth toned blouse for the day that we headed back to Penticton from Nelson.

It's one of three vintage blouses that I bought (along with some other items, including an amazing mid-century vintage red winter coat, that I haven't debuted here yet, but plan to next fall or winter) from Used House of Vintage in Vancouver, while we were in that gorgeous city at the end of last autumn.

Though my collection of such might not win any awards for the biggest size ever, I actually have an incredibly huge love for vintage blouses and have been diligently working to expand the selection in my wardrobe in recent years. Adding three to it in one fell swoop a few months ago definitely helped big time and I'm sure that the other two - one of which is an original c. 1950s Levi Straus paisley print blouse - will appear here on the blog as time goes on, too.

When vintage blouses pair with muted hues, as they do here, well, let's just say it's all I can to to keep my legs from turning to complete and total Jell-O!

I was in a major mood for all things wilderness related, too, while we were bopping around the gorgeous evergreen bedecked Kootenays, so I decided to pair this darling mid-century blouse with a very cute little vintage black fox brooch that I picked up a few months ago from Dutch Etsy seller Broesj.

It's such a fun, sweet piece of costume jewelry and I just love that its combination of black plastic and clear rhinestones will make it a snap to sport the whole year through (much, really, like this 3/4 sleeve vintage blouse itself).

These snaps were taken, as mentioned above, right after we got back to Penticton on one of the sunnier days that we've had this (rainy/windy/often usually nippy) spring. We wanted to share the highlights of our travels with my folks while they were still bracingly fresh in our minds, so we quite literally drove straight to their house after returning to our town.

Over the years, you've seen outfit shoots taken in my parents backyard and on their deck (also on the back of the house), but I don't believe we've done one in their driveway before and in the interest of keeping the background scenery here fresh on a frequent basis, it seemed like a lovely spot to grab some snaps.

And you know, even though I forgot to slip on my olive hued gloves, I still love the the over all look of this outfit - perhaps even, given the sunny weather that day, all the more so - without them.

It's hard to believe that nearly two months have passed since these photos were taken. It's fitting that they were nabbed in mid-spring, as this will be last outfit post of the season before we jump head first into an exciting bevy of summertime outfits starting next week.

I've greatly enjoyed the fun assortment of looks that I was able to share with you guys here this spring and am genuinely excited to launch into another summer's worth of diverse vintage, reproduction, and vintage appropriate looks - including (hopefully!) what I'll be sporting for Canada Day, my birthday, Tony's birthday, the August long weekend, Labour Day, and plenty of other fun events and delightful everyday outfits alike.

Here's to the last lovely week of spring 2016 and everything - fashion related and otherwise - that summer promises to hold in store for each of us, my dear friends!

Lilacs, lime, and Luxulite in the early spring sunshine

Outfit details

C. 1950s lilac purple sheer nylon/chiffon scarf: Unknown, had for years (possibly a gift)
1950s style iridescent rhinestone earrings: Claire's
Lime green 1980s does 1950s shirtwaist dress: (probably) eBay
1940s style iridescent purple beaded brooch: Luxulite
Vintage lilac flower print scarf (worn as a belt): Thrifted
1950s purple wrist length gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably eBay)
C. 1950s navy blue kiss lock handbag: Frugal Frocks in Armstrong
Vintage frosted clear bangle bracelets with clear rhinestones: Thrifted
Clear bangle bracelet: Gift from a lovely online friend
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Navy blue patent faux leather pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Partyline


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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As far back as I have memories of being old enough to have a say in what I wore, colour has played an immensely important role in my wardrobe (a topic that I delved into here). There is an energy, a depth, and a language all its own both to colour in general, as well as to how it interacts with our fashion choices.

Some people give relatively little thought to the hues that they don, perhaps leaning just towards favourites, dressing as their peers do, or wearing only certain shades because of their job or lifestyle. And that's okay, of course, to each their own on all style related fronts. Yet for many of us, especially if we're fashion bloggers, colour is so much more than a secondary aspect to the functionality of clothing.

Colour can whisper or shout, sing melodically or gently hum. It says so much without actually uttering an audible word and can both evoke strong memories and make a powerful stance in the moment.

As someone who is staggeringly shy and introverted, colour also gives me a way to express myself that might not always come through when I do actually speak. Besides that, colour is a joy! As most any artist will tell you, it holds limitless possibilities and can be most anything you want it to (be).

Naturally some colours work better together than others, but I firmly believe that just about any two hues can be married, so long as their tones compliment one another (in fact, that rings true even when three, four or sometimes more different colours are involved).

Last fall, in the context of a vintage Halloween themed outfit, I debuted this fun lime green 1980s does 1950s shirtwaist dress of mine here for the first time (though I'd owned it for ages and sported it previously - just not online) and in amidst the lovely comments that arrived for that post, the notion was formed for me to try and and style it in a way that suited each of the four seasons.

These (four posts) didn't have to happen all back-to-back (and indeed, this dress did not appear here during the past winter), but the general premise was that when each new lime green centered look popped up, it would work with some of the colours of the season to help make it more at home in that chapter of the year.

Bright lime green might not be the first colour that one thinks of as a blank canvass to base this kind of just-for-fun idea off of, but that is actually all the more reason why it appealed to me so strongly. I liked the idea of ensuring this dress (just about the only electric green piece in my wardrobe at present), got plenty of wear and knew even before spring officially arrived, that I'd be reaching for it again this season.

The inspiration for this particular outfit comes from both the beautiful little floral print scarf that I opted to use for a belt, as well as from this recently purchased Luxulite vintage style novelty brooch - on top of the fact that, as touched on here, I'm currently off-the-charts in love with all things purple!

I opted to wear the printed scarf, which stars a pretty pattern of lilacs – one of the most iconic blooms of the season – as my belt. I used the little hit of navy blue that it includes as the inspiration for the dark neutral used in this look, and wove it into the ensemble via my shoe and vintage handbag choices (both of which are solid navy blue).

Lime green is a bold, exciting colour and doesn't generally need a ton of embellishment, but I virtually never go jewelry-less, so to pick up the purple in the scarf around my waist, as well as my sheer vintage hair scarf, I reached for this darling Luxulite brooch with its enchanting soap bubble style plastic beads and lilac hued elements.

Vintage purple gloves, iridescent rhinestone earrings (to compliment the beads on the brooch), and clear plastic bangle bracelets round out the look and help keep the colour palette established in the belt scarf’s design going strong.

These colours are punchy and enjoyable. They're perfect for daytime wear, but could easily see you through a multitude of casual evening events as well. Bathed in early springtime sunlight (at one of our favourite parks in the nearby city of Kelowna) they come alive all the more and instantly remind me why colour is such an awesomely versatile, bold, creative way to make one's outfit all their own.

Whether it happens this year or at a later date, you can bet that I'll be aiming to let this cute vintage lime green shirtwaist dress star in both a summer and wintertime look, respectively, too, and am excited to see what hues will speak to me when those days each arrive.

Velvet, eyelet, and wrought iron in Kelowna

British Columbia is a fascinating and gorgeous place to reside. Few corners are even remotely the same and a great many beg to be explored and admired. One interesting fact about the western most Canadian province is that, outside of Lower Mainland (the region including and immediately surrounding Vancouver) there are few large cities.

Everyone's definition of what constitutes a large city is different, but I tend to feel that by Canadian standards, a large city is one that has a population of 100,000 or more. The further you travel from Vancouver and its neighbours, the less of these generously populated places you run into. That is until you reach the lakefront Okanagan city of Kelowna.

Compared to bustling metropolises like New York, London, Tokyo, Sáo Paulo, or Paris, Kelowna's population (presently about 117,000) may make it seem like a quaint neighbourhood, however it's enough to rank this sunny destination as the 22nd metropolitan area in Canada.

Situated less than an hour away from Penticton (where we live now), Kelowna was the closest big town when I was growing up here years ago. It didn't hold the glittering, noisy, worldly appeal of Vancouver or the elegant, artsy, upscale vibe of Victoria, but it even as a very young child, I knew it was considerably bigger than humble little Penticton.

Kelowna, whose name derives from a local First Nation's name for grizzly bear, was founded in the mid-nineteenth century. Then, as now, agriculture in the form of fruit orchards was an import part of the area's economy. These days, tourism and the wine industry also go a long way to keeping Kelowna going strong.
Though it's expanded substantially over the past few decades in particular (it's certainly larger and busier than when I was a child), with new homes and businesses springing up constantly, Kelowna still retains a certain small town charm and appeal.

Perhaps that stems from its inclusion in the Okanagan Valley, a generally friendly place that owes a lot to those who flock to its beaches, campsites, and golf courses each year. Or maybe it's because the beautiful weather that Kelowna sees for a substantial chunk of the year can't help but put locals in a good mood. Whatever the case, I've always liked Kelowna a lot.

Though I've only ever lived there for briefly for a couple of months, I know it's main core quite well and always love taking a trip up the highway from Penticton to visit the biggest city for miles and miles around.
Recently Tony and I popped in on good, ol' Kelowna for a day of errand running and visiting my sister and her boyfriend (who recently got their first home together there, and which I hadn't seen yet because we'd been living back east). The weather wasn't warm, but luckily it was pleasantly sunny and we were able to bop about without the need for heavy duty winter coats.

Kelowna, though relatively old (by British Columbia standards), does not have a huge amount of older buildings and houses left anymore. Some definitely exist, but it seems that as the years tick by, more and more go the way of the dinosaur. While we were driving around various streets, just having fun, I spied a distinctly elegant brick house that I'd peg to be at least 90 years old.

I knew I wanted to take some outfit snaps while in Kelowna, so I suggested we do so in front of the stately wrought iron fence that surrounded the home's perimeter. The street was quiet and quaint, the breeze light, the sun sweet, so we hopped out and quickly grabbed some snaps.

Outfit details:

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

Faux pearl earrings: Clare’s

Black velvet blazer: Smart Set

Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from my husband ♥

1950s white eyelet (short sleeve) blouse: etsy seller Jet Set Vintage

Black velvet 1950s pencil skirt: thrifted

Black vintage gloves: etsy seller I Love Vintage Stuff

Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue black patent purse: etsy seller MK Retro

Gold toned and enamel red rose brooch: eBay

Lip colour: Cover Girl Outlast lipstain in 440 (with the lightest whisper of MAC's Russian Red on top)

Photography by Antonio Cangiano

I adore classic architecture, brick walls, strong fences that still allow glimpses of the buildings behind them, and days like this, when you have plans, but nothing so pressing it causes you stress. It was first time we'd driven Kelowna together in our new car, and was, we agreed, a thoroughly lovely outing.

With Kelowna being so nearby, you can expect many future posts with streets, sights, and skylines of this charming Okanagan city as the backdrop. I hope you'll all enjoy seeing it as much as I do once again - further proof that the dream of living in my home province of  British Columbia again really has come true. ♥