Flickr Favourites: February 22, 2015

{Vogue August 1942 ~ Amara}  


{Sparkling Silver ~ Joy Russell}  


{1954 winter fashion-skirt suit 2 ~ Mo}  


{February 1940, Jeanette MacDonald ~ Amy Jeanne}  


{Avondale Fabrics, February 1949 ~ The Bees Knees Daily}  


{Vintage winter ~ Svenia Schreiner}  


{Miss Marzie Brown - 2 ~ LLF archives2}  


{Our Siberian Husky Mishka, loving the snow! ~ Sheila Bobeldijk}  


{1951 ~ File Photo}  


{Coeds Enjoy Winter ~ University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives}  

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on its title to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}

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Does serenity have a colour? A season? A language all its own? I think that the answer to each of those questions is a resounding “yes!”. However, what classifies as such for me, may not be the same for you. The experiences you've lived, the part of the world you call home, the things that bring you peace, and myriad other elements will all factor in there.

I believe that serenity can be found in every season, though some, such as winter, do lend themselves more so to this powerful state of mind and being. February often gets a rather bad rap. Though the shortest month of the year, it can at times feel like the longest, and for many it's the last full month of winter weather, which makes us yearn for it to just be done and over with all the more.

Here in Canada, we're apt to experience wintry weather and temperatures until April (and for some, especially in more northerly locations, until May), but nevertheless, that almost palpable sense of longing for energetic new blooms, citrine hued sunshine, and open toed shoes start to kick in right about now all the same.

This is perfectly normal and okay, of course, but if even you're feeling “so done with winter” already, I encourage to stop and savour the ingrained serenity that February delivers all the same. There is a peaceful beauty to the way the world looks, smells and feels on a bracingly chilly winter's eve, just as there is to its colour palette of steely greys, powerful whites, gentle blues, and weathered browns.

As much as you may pine for spring and summer, take a moment and think about the last time you were melting faster than a crayon on hot pavement in July, when the whole world felt dizzyingly alive, pulsating with sticky electricity, and tell me you wouldn't have happily swapped at least one night of sleeping in front of the fan, in little more than your birthday suit, covers long kicked to the floor, for the chance to take a quiet walk in the snow on a frosting February morn?

It is human nature to want what we can't have and to long for the idyllic elements of life, but as we must take the seasons as they are dished out to us (save, of course, for hopping on a plan and embarking on a holiday somewhere warm, or conversely, chilly) and serve our spirits well by enjoying the best that each has to offer. Even if doing so can, admittedly, be a bit tricky when you're shoveling the driveway for the seventy-ninth consecutive day in a row or piling on so many layers you could practically stand on a street corner, undress, and have your own pop up clothing shop.

Do I miss summer? You better believe it, but I also long for certain aspects of winter, when June, July and August are here, so for now I'm content to put up with snow chains, steep heating bills, and short hours of daylight in order to enjoy and savour those elements of the season that I know I'll yearn for when I'm practically boiling on the beach in a sundress in half a year's time. Chief amongst which will always be, the immensely lovely serenity and stillness of winter.

Celebrating the importance of colour in your vintage wardrobe

Last November I discussed the process behind how I put together my vintage outfits, one key point of which is that colour is something I almost always keep in mind when getting dressed (in no small part because I adore a wide range of different hues). A lot of us do, and that's a great thing, as there's no limit to the number of possible colour combinations that stand to be put together. Today I'd like to share a few more thoughts with you relating to the importance of colour when it comes to our vintage wardrobes.

Various colours evoke thoughts of certain decades - or even years in some cases. The 1920s, for example, when pictured in one's mind is often on the light or the dark side of the spectrum (including hues such as creams, white, pearls, champagne and blush or, conversely, inky indigos, rusty reds, forest green, silver and midnight black). For the early forties, one often thinks of patriotic and military inspired hues, with blues and roses swirled through the palette, for example.




{On this page from 1931, we see a terrific array of neutral and darker shades that were in the fashion spotlight that year. While of course other hues were present and popular the time, too, a page like this is irrefutable proof of certain colours that helped make up the overall tapestry of early 1930s fashion. Image source.}


In fact, familiarizing yourself with the colours that were commonplace during a certain decade or block of years is a fantastic way to not only better date vintage garments, but to help you put together highly period appropriate ensembles (spots such as magazines, sewing pattern sleeves, fabric swatch cards, decor books, photos and movies can all be great sources when it comes to learning more about what colours were in vogue during a certain time frame).




{This charming page of fabric swatches from the 1930s is a fantastic example of some of both the colours and patterns that were popular during the time. Do you have a favourite? I'm especially drawn to the purple, white and orange pattern on the left – that's such a cool, fun trio of colours. Image source.}


In a era when so many photographs (and movies) were black and white, it can be all too easy at times to forget that, then as now, the fashion world was alive with vibrancy (a point that I touched on in this post) and wonderfully creative colour combos.

Certain pairings and compilations of hues can definitely speak for various years and decades, but most colours that we have today (and a few that are rarely seen any more, save perhaps outside of paint swatches) have existed since at least the 1910s (and many date far further back in time), and many have enjoyed at least a moderate degree of popularity at once point or another.

There's a bit of a misconception amongst the general population that vintage fashion (that is to say, the clothing and accessories of the 1920s-50s) was drab and comprised mostly of neutrals. As us vintage loving folks know, nothing could be further from the truth! (Just take a look at this list of imaginative, inspiring colour combos from 1922 that Kate posted this past June for proof that there was no shortage of creative colour pairing at work in that decade!)




{A wide range of lively, beautiful hues are alive in this 1920s springtime ad for ladies hats - which even reminded shoppers of the many colour choices they had. Image source.}


In some respects, if we exclude the current fad for neons once more, it could almost be argued that those (especially women) who lived during our beloved mid-century decades wore even more colour than most folks do today. One peak at a rack full of 1940s novelty print rayon dresses or 1950s swimsuits (like those pictured below), for example will quickly dish up more fun colours than you'll find in a candy store.




{You practically need shades to look at this wildly energetic highlighter yellow Jantzen suit from the fab fifties. Image source.}


This isn't to say of course, that every yesteryear gal's wardrobe was a riot of bright colours or that she sported five hues in each ensemble, of course not. Then as now, neutrals were an important part of most people's' closets, and few folks wore eye-popping shades all the time.

Most however, especially those who had their pulse on the trends of the day, were keen to inject colour into their ensembles, be it in small doses or big splashes, and the majority of people had favourite colour combos that they reached for time and time again, thus helping to definite the palette of an era.

I think that as vintage lovers, many of us enjoy making a statement with our clothing, and colour is certainly a surefire way to do just that. It is a powerful tool that we have at our disposal to channel the sartorial essence of a time long gone, yet still fantastically alive in our hearts and closet.

One can stick closely to the exact palette of a certain decade, or put to use pieces that look the part (be they vintage, reproduction, handmade, or vintage appropriate) yet were perhaps less popular at the time. I'd venture to say that many of us (myself very much included) do both, and our wardrobe are brightened up - both literally and figuratively - for the better because of it.

Flickr Favourites: July 20, 2013

{Camille Norma Talmadge 1927 ~ Captain Geoffrey Spaulding} 



{A taste of vintage ~ hanthomas}

{Pink and green ~ saltycotton}

{52/52 pink rose ~ Clicking Mad}

{The Majestic ~ Paul Malone}
 
{Pink powder tin ~ gathering spriggs}

{White Swimsuit, pink lounge chair, green hat 1956 ~ Genibee} 

{Dina ~ Yelena Nash}

 

{Easy holiday meals ~ totallymystified}

{Pink and Green Swap ~ Rue LeClaire}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on its title to be taken to its respective Flickr page.} 

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From rose bushes to the vegetables patch, the dinner table to the hues swirling through swimsuits at the beach, there has always been something about punchy shades of green and pink that seem so splendidly interlocked with July.

Now, given that I was born during this month and that pink is my favourite colour, one might think I was just being biased. Yet all it takes is a quick glance around during this sizzling time of the year to see that nature combined these two long before I arrived on the scene.

There is something wonderfully preppy - in an "Oh, why yes, we are summering in The Keys this year" sort of way - about this vibrant colour combination as well (which fashion and fabric designer Lilly Pulitzer certainly took note of early on). As I mentioned in this post about the many personalities of my wardrobe last September, though I don't necessarily dress in a full on preppy kind of style all that often, I have long adored the general look a great deal and find that it can go especially well with summertime, what with all of its inherent boating, deck chair lounging, and garden parties.

Of course the preppy set doesn't have the market on this inviting colour combo cornered, and it can be put to work with great success for a myriad of styles and vintage looks - not the mention in various recipes, too. Just think of a delicate salad of summer greens with a handful of (food grade safe) pink rose petals sprinkled over top, strawberry margaritas with lime wedges teetering on the rims of their glasses, and of course big bowls of fabulously refreshing rainbow sorbet.

It's a thoroughly fun colour pairing and one, I'd venture to say, that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's bubbly and youthful, sweet, passionate and joyful, much like the very month of July itself - all the more reason why I adore it!