12 of my top vintage fashion wish list items

Hard as it may be to believe some days, we're more than half way through the year at this point. I don't know about you, but it sure does feel like it's been a busy, sometimes tumultuous, sometimes wonderful, frequently action packed first half of 2013 with more than its fair share of twists and turns too. It's not what I expected it would be in some regards, though to be perfectly honest, unlike last year, I didn't kick this one off with too many specific long terms plans in the works, so it's been both fun and fascinating to watch how it's unfolded thus far.

Every now and then, I'd say one to three times a year, I like to take serious stock of my wardrobe as well as my short and long-term fashion related purchasing goals (a topic we last delved into early last January in Thoughts on my wardrobe for the year ahead). By doing so, I often spot areas where I need to focus my attention more, can cross things off my shopping list that I've purchased in recent months, and revamp my vintage clothing and accessory wish list as needed.

It was on the latter that I was focusing last night, so I thought it would be fun to share some of the items that are on this list with all of you. This is not the list in full (that would probably fill a hefty sized book at this point!), but instead a selection of twelve of the items that are currently coming out near the top and which I hope, at some point in time (be it throughout the second half of 2013 or beyond) to add to my closet.

Back in February, I wrote about Ten investment worthy vintage wardrobe items, some of which I already own, others that I hope to welcome into my closet in the future. A few things on there (such as an awesome 1940s pinafore dress) are definitely wish list entries for me (as is this fabulous Canadiana themed vintage bathing suit), but there several that I haven't chatted too much about here over the years, and it's a selection of these that we're going to be focusing on today.

Come along with me, won't you, as we take a gander at some of the vintage wardrobe items that have been filling my daydreams for ages, and which continue - for whatever reason (price, sizing, rarity, etc) to elude me. Most stop, to my mind, shy of being "holy grail" items (aka, an original Dior Bar Suit) that may never happen (even if I had a millionaire's bank roll) though, and are, at least in theory pieces that I should eventually be able to find in my size and budget eventually.

{1940s or 50s prom dress}

{The more layers of tulle and or lace the better! I've seen scores of great vintage prom dresses over the years, but most have been for those with super slender waists (oh, you lucky gals who can fit into a 24" waist!) and of those that were the right size, I've either been outbid or unable to wrap my head around their sky high prices enough to purchase one. I keep hoping the thrift store gods will here my plea and lead me to find one in my size for a total song one of these days.}


 

{Italian themed novelty print circle skirt}

{While I certainly wouldn't say no to any vintage hand painted or printed Mexican, or novelty print, circle skirt that worked for me, I would especially love to find an Italian/Mediterranean themed one, of which I've seen a few here and there over the years, in honour of Tony, who was born and raised in Italy.}

{1930s, 40s or 50s winter boots}

{Hailing from Canada, a land famous the world over for its snow, it's high time I finally hat a pair of genuine (or very authentic looking repro like the gorgeous Miss L Fire pair pictured above) mid-century winter boots (if only they were easier to find in a medium to wide width modern size 8/8.5!). All the better if they happen to be fur trimmed (real or faux), a look that I just adore.}


 

{Vintage or repro high-waisted trousers}

{This is one of those items where fit has kept me from finding my dream pair time and time again (I'm both short in terms of height and relatively short waisted with lots of curves). While I've had great success with my Freddies of Pinewood Jeans, when it comes to trousers made out of fabrics other than denim, I've had rotten luck finding a pair that fit even remotely well, and have ended up selling or giving away those that I have bought over the years. The quest continues though - even if I have to commission someone to tailor make a pair for me!}


 

{Carved floral bangle bracelet}

{There are some breath-takingly lovely 1930s/40s carved floral bangles (often made from Bakelite or celluloid) to be had, and it is precisely that which I'm hoping to add to my bracelet collection a whole lot sooner than later.}

 

{Quilted 1950s dress}

{Having lucked out found one of my previous wish list items – a classic 1950s quilted circle skirt - for a steal of a deal the winter before last, I’ve been on the prowl ever since for a quilted dress from the same era ever since.}

 

{Equestrian/top hat inspired tilt hat}

{It's scarcely a secret that I adore vintage tilt hats of all kinds, but did you know that I've been hankering for an equestrian/Victorian top hat inspired one for as long as I can recall? And on the subject of wish list top hats, I certainly wouldn't say no to one adorned with dramatic bird wings or whole millinery birds either.}

 

{Black Bettie Page Clothing circle skirt jumper}

{Have you ever had one of those times when, after swooning over (and/or saving up for) an item for weeks or even months, you're finally in a position to buy it at long last only to discover it's no longer (or at least not currently) available?

That is precisely what happened to me with this terrific black circle skirt jumper from Bettie Page Clothing. I'd been pining after it for months, went to purchase it from their site mid way through the spring, and they were sold out of my size and the next one up. I've tried looking for it elsewhere online from a North American source, but no one seemed to have the black jumper in stock any more, so for now I'll just hold tight and cross my fingers in the hope that they'll restock it again in my size.}


 

{Elegant 1930s or 40s cape with a hood}

{I absolutely, flat out adore vintage jackets, coats (especially opera coats), cloaks and capes with hoods, yet own nary a one. I'd happily pounce on any of these hooded outerwear options in a heartbeat, but would be especially tickled pink if I could find a vintage hooded cape - ideally in a fabric other than wool, which I'm allergic to - for when the chilly weather returns.}


 

{Western wear suit}

{Though you might not know this about me, I've always had an inner cowgirl and love of Western culture and history. In honour of this fact, it would be a dream come true one to own an authentic vintage western suit (dress, skirt or pants and jacket), and in turn to then head on out to Alberta one July and wear it for a day spent at the Calgary Stampede.}


 

{Classic brown loafers}

{Of all the items on these list, these certainly seem like they'd be one of the easiest to find, and generally speaking, they certainly are. However, as you may have heard me mention in past posts, I have rather hard to fit feet, and have yet to find a pair of classic brown loafers that fit me well. Hopefully this will be the year I finally do!}


 

{1950s style fitted blouse from Big Beautiful Barbara Brown}

{This incredibly charming 1950s inspired blouse from UK vintage reproduction clothing seller is me and my feminine style to an absolute tee. I just wish the exchange rate between Canadian dollars and UK pounds was friendlier (that's the only thing stopping me from ordering it right now!).}


{To learn more about a specific item shown here, including pricing and sizing where applicable, please click on a photo to be taken to its respective link.} 

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As I started putting together this list, it struck me that twelve would be a good number of entries because there are twelve months in the year. I highly doubt all of these items will find their merry way into my dresser drawers and closet racks by June 2014, but in the spirit of wish lists everywhere, it never hurts to hope and continue to daydream.

In just about every case, I'd seen and bid on at least one such item that would have fit the bill perfectly. For some pieces, it's almost become a personal running joke how I've often been outbid (or had some one else purchase an item that was on my etsy wish list before I was able to do so myself) time and time again on them. No matter though, I'm not one to be easily deterred (even by last minute eBay snipers!) - plus, a part of me genuinely adore the hunt, so I'll remain on the prowl for each and every one of these pieces until, all things willing, I find them.

If one was going to try and score these twelve pieces in the following year, that would mean six of them could potentially be mine before this year is up! What a marvelous thought! Though I'm doubtful such will prove to be the case there's no harm in imaging such at all - not to mention looking for, and jumping on, any potential opportunities do so just that which might come my way in the second half of 2013.

I'll be sure to keep you posted down the road of how fruitful (or not) July right on through to the last day of December proves to be on the vintage wardrobe wish list front, and really hope that by this time next year, at least a couple of these beauties will have found their way into my life and closet.

You can't put a price tag on nostalgia

 It will likely not come as a shock to anyone who has known me for at least five or so seconds, that I am a nostalgist. I can (and on plenty of occasions, have) wax poetically about the past - be it experiences from my own life or memories of a world long before I ever entered it - and as a lover of history and yesteryear fashion, it's safe to say that I live, so to speak, in days gone by a fair bit of the time.

This doesn’t mean that I see the past as some kind of glorious safe haven of an escape from the modern world or that I eschew the present, not in the slightest, but rather that my heart has a tendency to get very sentimental and attached to things I remember (or wish I'd been there to live firsthand and then later recall) and hold dear or meaningful.

I believe that many of us in the vintage community are the same way, and it's no doubt a substantial part of why we adore embodying so many yesteryear elements in our daily lives right here and now in 2013. Nostalgia is a powerful force and one that has been with humankind since the dawn of time, whether helping us to recount tales of earlier times around the fire's glow at night when were just beginning our journey towards civilization or accounting for the reason why so many people find themselves enthralled with the study of their own family's genealogy.

The word nostalgia sometimes tends to carry a bittersweet connotation, and indeed one can feel a powerful longing in our heart for moments and faces once near and dear to us that now exist only, at least in that precise form, in the halls of our memory.

When I think of the word nostalgia, I'm often reminded of the beautiful lyrics from John Lennon's classic song In My Life, which say…

There are places I'll remember all my life,

though some have changed

Some forever, not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments

With lovers and friends, I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living In my life,

I've loved them all

For me, no other lines I've ever read so succinctly summed up or expressed my relationship with nostalgia. Yes, it can be bittersweet at times, but ultimately it's a far more positive feeling than a negative one for me, and I'm truly grateful that my past experiences continue to play such a roll in my everyday life right here and now and in the present.

Like many, I have a special fondness for my youth - a point which some may find a touch fascinating because my childhood was often a million miles away from being an idyllic bed of roses, and there's a great many things I wish I could forget about those formative years, too. That said, glass half full kind of gal that I am, I tend to like to focus on the elements of my upbringing that I enjoyed and adored, and it is these that I most often feel a longing in my soul for.

Thusly, every now and then I come across a garment that really reminds me of an item of clothing I had as a little girl. From my earliest memories onward, I've loved fashion with an unending passion, and even as a youngster, there were certain pieces of clothing that I held in the highest regard, favouring and treasuring them most amongst all those in my dresser drawers.

Once such piece was a solid Cerulean blue summer dress with a swingy a-line skirt and a row of purply-blue buttons up the front that I had around the time when I was six years old. I went hunting through my childhood photos for an image of me in this particular frock, but none were forthcoming unfortunately (hopefully one will surface some day).

I adored this dress and wore it often, including one time when my little brother and I turned part of our backyard into a giant mud puddle, splashing around and digging for worms in it for hours one overcast afternoon. I can recall vividly in my mind how spackled and stained that dress looked when we emerged, but my mom - laundress extraordinair - was unphased and delighted in how much fun her kids had been having. Clothes, she asserted, could always be cleaned, and indeed she was able to bring my cheerful blue dress back to it's former glory with a good sudsying.

As with all of my favourite childhood garments, I'm sure I wore that dress until it was simply impossible to fit into any more. Some of my clothes we saved for my little sister, and some were either binned if they were threadbare or passed on for others to enjoy, and no doubt one of these things happened to that particular summertime frock.

I've recalled my vibrant tropical ocean hued dress often over the years, and thought on numerous occasions how absolutely lovely it would be to find a vintage or vintage appropriate frock in the same colour and a similar cut. Much to my absolute delight last month, while perusing some vintage listings on eBay, I did just that when I spied the following frock.

{Image via eBay seller Bohochick's auction listing.}

Though it was a bit big for me (size wise) and a bidding war drove the price up far more than I'd usually have paid for a similar 1980s does 1950s style dress in another hue, the fact that this garment was the exact same shade of Cerulean blue and in a strikingly similar cut (complete with almost identical buttons) as the dress from my youth, meant that I was going give winning it my fighting best.

I have an annual tradition of buying a new dress as a birthday present to myself. Even though my actual birthday falls in July, it's not uncommon for me to pick up my lovely gift earlier on in the spring if I find one that sets my heart on fire. I usually set a generous cap of $100 to spend on this treat to myself, though I never feel obliged to actually max out that budget.

Seeing that the auction price was quickly skyrocketing on this dress, I justified it's (potential) ding on my pocketbook by telling myself that if I won, it would be my birthday present to myself this year. As you may have already guessed, I'm pleased as punch to say that I did indeed come out as the lucky winner of this sweetly pretty dress, and I didn't even have to use up my whole budget (the winning price, before shipping, was $68.99 US) to do so!

There are many memories that are priceless to each of us, and which - as the title of this post says - you really cannot put a price tag on, but I rather love when you find something that reminds of your past which you can afford, and my new frock falls squarely into that camp. I have no qualms with saying I would have spent the whole hundred - and perhaps in a little bit more - on this dress, because I knew it would be a good long time in all likelihood before another one like it came along and the flood of memories it brought rushing back the moment I saw it made it more than worth every last penny.

This dress is so classic and endlessly summertime perfect. Its swingy, generously sized circle skirt helps turn a single item into a whole outfit, especially if you tuck a crinoline underneath.

It's safe to say that I love my new blue summer dress every bit as much as the one I wore day in and day out as a child, and that I'm eagerly looking forward to making scores of new memories in this frock as well - many of which, I'm sure, I'll look back on in the years to come with that familiar, important feeling: nostalgia.

A Canadian in Omak, Washington

Outfit details

All hair flowers: Arden
White rose stud earrings: Claire's
Red shrug: Fairweather
1980s does 1940s Karin Stevens novelty print dress: eBay
White skinny belt: eBay
Cute vintage wreath brooch: eBay
Bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
Red vintage purse: etsy seller I Love Vintage Stuff
Nude and black seamed stockings: eBay
Black pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red  
Photography by Antonio Cangiano

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Travel, even relatively short distances, is extremely challenging for me due to many of my chronic health problems. It bodes well for me then that I'm a natural homebody in a lot of ways. However, I've also always had a spirit of wanderlust and this duality, I believe, will forever exist in my soul. Much as I'd love to take to the open road on a lark whenever the urge strikes, such is, point blank, absolutely out of the question most of the time.

Every now and then, one in a very blue moon, a day comes along though where I sense that in the moment I'll be able to handle a little bit of driving. Kelowna, an hour away, or Osoyoos (also about an hour away) in the opposite direction, is usually the limit of what I'll push myself to, but occasionally I’ll go a little further still. I know full well that I'll pay for this decision with weeks of being bedridden and racked with flare-ups afterwards, but sometimes that's ok. My health can have nearly full reign of my life most of the time, but once in a while I get to still have fun and go on a little adventure, too.

Hard as it may be to believe (considering that I've often lived an hour or less from the border), I went the first twenty-eight and a half years of my life without ever visiting the US. One day a few weeks ago (right around the start of February), sensing that I could probably handle a quick road trip that day, Tony and I decided it was high time we hightailed it to good old US of A.

He - of Italian birth and upbringing - had already been to the States before a couple of times with my parents, but again, never once in my life had I stepped foot below the 49th. Doing so was something I'd longed to accomplish for ages, so on a very chilly weekend day we set out for America. After dealing with US customs (who wanted to check our car for some unknown reason and then made us fill out some pretty standard forms before letting us continue on our way), we cruised over the border and into Washington state.

We headed to the town of Omak with the purpose of grocery shopping (oh, the marvelous array of gluten-free foods that exist in US stores that we don't have here in Canada) and did just that. The whole day was bitingly cold and very, very overcast, but before night fell completely, we quickly grabbed a few shots on (what I'd call) the main stress in Omak, standing in front of a great old vintage movie theater.

The decision to go to the States was made that very morning (that's how my health rolls - advance plans, out, on the fly, in!) and as soon as it was, I knew that I wanted to sport a red, white and blue vintage outfit in honour of the US flag and my first time on American soil.

A few mad dash outfit changes later (cue closet that looks like a tornado hit it!), and this ensemble is what I settled on. Other than the fact that my arms were a touch nippy (I had white gloves in my purse, but forgot to slip them on before we took these snaps) when I wasn't wearing my jacket (not pictured), this was a great choice of outfit for the day (so comfy - a must for any kind of travel) and one which, I was touched to receive plenty of compliments on from folks on both sides of the border (including one of the female US customs agents we were dealing with on our way to the States).

Our whole trip was quick - about five hours spent in the US - but a total blast. Between the epically big Wal-Mart, seeing various US business in person for the first time (Bank of America, Rite Aid, Prince's, etc), and simply spending time in a brand-new-to-me country, it was one of the best days I've had in years.

Trunk loaded with delicious US foods (why, oh why, aren't all the Jet-Puffed marshmallow varieties - such as pumpkin pie, chocolate, coconut, and gingerbread - that you have there available in Canada, too?), photos snapped, and memories made, as a dense fog washed over the road, we carefully (we honestly could not see more than a few feet in front of us) made our way home, sailing over the Canadian border sans any issues.

As I knew would be the case, this delightful dalliance with America left me wrecked, health wise, for a few weeks afterwards, but I don't regret the choice to go one iota. I can now say that I've been to the States for the first time - and what I'm sure will not be the last - time, and that's worth feeling extra crummy for a while. Big time.

Now...where'd I put that bag of pumpkin pie marshmallows? :)

A new dress is a bit like a great wine

Despite what a couple people I know might have you believe, my wardrobe is – by modern standards – definitely not massive. It’s wonderful, beloved, and filled with well curated pieces, the overwhelming majority of which are vintage, repro, or vintage appropriate, but it isn’t Hollywood starlet sized by any stretch of the imagination.

It’s not every day that I add a new piece to my closet, be it something as small as a pair of lace gloves or as hefty as a winter wool coat, and new dresses are certainly not an item that comes my way all the time. This isn’t uncommon of course for many of us, but because dresses are (as a whole) my favourite type of garment, I’m prone to really savouring the experience when I do get a new (to me) one.

This past summer my mom and step-dad very sweetly wanted to give me a dress for my birthday (how awesome is that?) and so, knowing the budget I had to work with, I spent an evening searching for a summery vintage frock that would absolutely take my breath away.





I was thrilled to find such a garment, pictured above (from UK based etsy reproduction seller Oh Sew Vintage), in just one night and couldn’t order it fast enough. The dress arrived in good time and shortly after it got here, my mom asked if she could see it in person (she'd already seen the listing photos).

I ran to get it right away, beaming with happiness over the fact that it was even lovelier in real life than in the online shots. She asked me if I was going to wear it for a certain event we had coming up, and I said that while I’d thought about it, there were more reasons not to, than to do so, and as such I wouldn’t be wearing it that day. No worries, I assured her though, I’d be christening it very soon (and indeed I did).

Sometimes however, even when I love a dress madly, I hold off on wearing it right off the bat. I let it gather a little more age on the bar in my closet. I pull it out and look at it, admiring the fabric, cut, details, darling vintage buttons, and imagine how I’ll style it the first time, where I might sport it to, and if I’ll end up adoring it even more once I’ve taken it out for an inaugural spin.

I like having a dress or two in the wings, frocks that haven’t yet been worn, just waiting for a big event like the Christmas holidays, an anniversary or birthday, or perhaps simply something marvelous and fresh to don on an evening out on the town with Tony.

And so, later that night after my mom asked to see my new dress, it struck me that in a way that I see the garments I purchase as each being akin to an excellent bottle of wine, gathered and stored lovingly in a cellar for just the right meal, event, or random Tuesday that needs perking up when they'll be wholeheartedly relished and fully experienced for the first time.

Though I do not have a closet's worth of unworn pieces by any means, I generally do have a dress, skirt, or other piece (or two) that has yet to be uncorked (aka, worn) and which I’m thrilled to know is waiting for just the right moment, when I’ll bring it out of the dark (of my closet) and enjoy it for the first time in all its pleasurable, wonderful glory.

And to that fact I cannot help but raise a glass and voice a resounding "cheers"! 

Building a rainbow of vintage dresses

 

Perhaps it's because I'm a child of the 80s, a decade bedecked with Lisa Frank stickers, that I find myself drawn towards rainbows, or maybe it's because I spent a part of my life living in Ireland, the country that all but claims to have invented this meteorological phenomenon. Or it could be the fact I've always adored the fascinating world of colours. Whatever the case, I've long found myself drawn toward  broad array of colours and love arranging items around my house in rainbow patterns, where applicable.

Take my closet for example, each item of clothing in it is arranged by type, and some further by subtype, and each of those categories is arranged in a rainbow inspired order starting with pale pink and ending in midnight black.

Organizing my wardrobe in such away makes finding the garments I'm looking for when I get dressed an absolute breeze and also helps me to quickly know where gaps in my wardrobe exist (e.g., if I'm missing wardrobe staple like a white button down blouse or black pair of pumps).

Like many of us, I've been building up my vintage dress collection gradually over the years. As each new (technically "old") dress found its journey had landed it in my closet, it was placed in order of where it fell on the colour spectrum, sandwiched between a lighter and a darker hues (unless of course it was the palest or blackest piece in my dress collection).

Last week, in preparation for our upcoming cross country move, I began packing up a lot of my wardrobe. Leaving out only the pieces which I'll be wearing between then and now, and which will be travelling with me in my suitcase. It's always a little odd to suddenly open your closest and see the bulk of your wardrobe gone, but at the same time, I'm excited about the fact that I'll soon have a larger closet in my new house to hang all of those now packed items of clothing up in.

As I took each dress out of the closet, wrapping it in archival paper and fabric safe plastic, sandwiching layers of bubble wrap, where applicable, I was struck by just how much of the rainbow my humble dress collection has come to represent.

There are holes in the spectrum still for sure - dresses in shades of orange and yellow are sparse, and I could use more in the deep green and navy blue field, too - but overall I've got the makings of a delightful sartorial rainbow.

This process didn't happen over night by any means, and I believe that it will always be a work in progress. Even if every main colour was accounted for, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of possible shades that one could always expand the breadth of the rainbow with. A thought that can't help but make me smile!

Given that my own dress collection is carefully packed up right now and awaiting life in its new closet in British Columbia, I thought it would oodles of fun to put together a sampling of vintage dresses, all handpicked from etsy (which seems especially fitting, given that so many of my own frocks were found there), that span the classic Roy G. Biv colour spectrum for you to enjoy - and who knows, perhaps even grow your own wardrobe rainbow with.

{Sweet and cheerful as the cotton candy its hue resembles, this classic pale pink button front dress is such a charming way to help your wardrobe hop back into warm weather dressing once more. Fits 38" bust/27" waist; price $52.00; available from Bohemian Bisoux Vintage.}

{Elegantly lovely as the first blushing carnations of spring, this wonderful pink lace vintage frock would be perfect for everything from afternoon teas to PTA meetings. Fits 38" bust/32" waist; price $80.00; available from Vintage Frocks of Fancy.}

{Sporting a darling fluffy white angora collar, this medium (as in hue intensity) red wool jersey dress, with matching belt, calls to mind a bowl of fresh strawberries drizzled with milk, and would be equally fitting for Christmas or a sunny July day (thanks to the short sleeves). Fits 36" bust/27" waist; price $124.00; available from The Vintage Mistress.}

{Fresh, vibrant and timelessly tailored, this deep crimson 1940s rayon dress would be so fantastically well suited to Valentine's Day. Fits 40" bust/29" waist; price $98.00; available from The Greedy Seagull.}

{There is a certain lovely quaintness to this soft peach hued dress that draws you in. Perhaps it's the upbeat hue or the dainty lace collar, and of course one can't forget the sweet tie waist either. Whatever it is, this wonderful 1950s dress is just the sort I'd be on the prowl for if I needed a pale orange frock right now. Fits 32-34" bust/32" waist; price $38.00; available from VintageNsome.}

{Bursting with a sunflower field's hues and boasting a super cute Peter Pan collar, this wonderful 1950s yellow and orange floral print cotton sundress is the sort of garment that cannot help but lift your spirits every time you put it on it. Fits 34" bust/25-26" waist; price $205.00; available from Simplicity is Bliss.}

{Zesty, fiery, and fabulous, this deep, bright orange wiggle dress is a stellar way to wear a lot of bold colour, yet still be as classy and gorgeous as the day is long. Fits 35" bust/34" waist ; price $33.80; available from Atticville.}

{Beautifully redolent of a springtime chick's fuzzy, downy feather, this happily hued yellow dress is so sophisticated, youthful, and becoming. Perfect for fancier daytime events or for an evening of fun when the sun sets, this is the kind of solid coloured, but in absolutely no way boring, vintage dress that everyone's wardrobe needs. Fits 36" bust/25" waist; price $125.00; available from Vintage Frocks of Fancy.}

{Like an autumnal wheat field gleaming in the soothing sun of a warm October afternoon, this golden hued vintage dress and bolero combo is a sure fire way to garner compliments. Fits; 28-29" bust (with a little extra room due to the design of the dress)/24" waist; price $88.00; available from Adeline's Attic.}

{Serenely done up in a becoming shade of celadon, this beguiling 1940s evening dress and matching jacket almost look like a shimmering treasure plucked from a mermaid's closet, and would definitely ensure all eyes were on you. Fits 36" bust/28" waist; price $148.00; available from Blacklist Vintage.}

{Calling to mind the first new shoots and blades of grass that spring returns to the earth, this beautiful green floral dress from the 1940s is as classic and lovely as they possibly come. Fits 38-40" bust/30" waist; price $83.00; available from Very Vintage Store.}

{Medium to dark hues of green have always been a favourite of mine (especially hunter and pine), so naturally my attention was instantly drawn to this fetchingly pretty emerald coloured knit wiggle dress (which is actually a matching sweater and skirt) from the forties. Fits 36-38" bust (with some stretch)/28-30" waist; price $275.00; available from Timeless Vixen Vintage.}

{I think that blue is one of the best and most versatile of all colours, as many of its shades have a natural affinity to partner so well with other hues. This lovely soft baby blue belted, button front vintage frock, for example, would look terrific with everything from red to camel, chocolate to ivory - making it a terrific wardrobe staple for sure. Fits 36" bust/25" waist; price $62.00; available from Center Stage Vintage.}

 

{Inviting, wonderfully relaxing shades of blue that call to mind a tropical sea reside on this darling 1950s floral print dress, complete with matching belt. I love hues like this for the dog days of summer, when anything darker is out of the question, but you don't quite feel like wearing plain white either. Fits Bust 34"/waist 44"; price $64.00; available from Vint Condition.}

{A navy blue vintage dress, like this elegant embroidered cotton example, is one of the hues in the rainbow of my closet that is currently missing - a fact which I'd love to rectify at some point during 2012. Too bad this beauty isn't my size, or I would have swopped down on it in a flash! Fits 50" bust/40" waist; price $85.00; available from Honey Bear Vintage.}

{There is such a gentle, flattering appeal to this pale dusty lilac hued 1950s dress, that's further enhanced by its trio of plum coloured buttons and charming pleated pockets. Fits 42" bust/32" waist; price $68.00; available from Raleigh Vintage.}

{You'll feel regal and playful all at once in this fantastic purple party dress from the 1950s. Pair it with hues as diverse as gold, coral, mint, or silver for an outfit that's bursting with style and pizzazz. Fits 36" bust/26" waist; price $115.00; available from Small Earth Vintage.}

{Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved wearing velvet frocks come the holiday season, especially those in rich, captivating jewel tones like this gorgeous eggplant hued charmer from the 1950s. Fits 35" bust/25" waist; price $55.00; available from Nicola's Vintage.}

There are many perks to building a rainbow of vintage dresses. Far beyond how beautiful it looks unto itself, it means that you'll rarely, if ever, find yourself in need of a garment in a certain colour and not having at least one dress in that hue. This point is a constant source of fashion related comfort for me, the perpetual Girl Guide, who always likes to be prepared.

If you're the type who likes to dress up your frocks further by wearing cardigans, scarves, blouses (underneath jumpers or sheaths), coloured hosiery or shoes, having dresses in all manner of hues means that you can accessorize to the moon and back. You can also pick out your dress colour for the day based on your mood, the season, a holiday, or anything that inspires you.

And speaking of inspiration, having a good selection of different coloured vintage dresses makes it all the more easy to emulate a yesteryear look you happen see  and love (for example in an old movie or vintage magazine), without having to spend any money in the moment on a new frock.

It's exciting to think about how my vintage rainbow of dresses will continue to expand as the years continue, and I look forward to sharing many of my beloved frocks with all of you in future wardrobe posts once we're settled into our new home.

For the moment though, I hope today's spectrum of vintage dresses inspires you and your own colourful closet, and would love to hear about your own vintage wardrobe rainbows.