Flickr Favourites: March 22, 2015

{1945 Louis Philippe ad ~ Totally Mystified}


{Easter holiday eggs ~ Alvaro Dorsey}


{1944 jewelry ~ File Photo Digital Archive}


{Broadway Fashions 1947 ~ Classic Film}


{Cover of Judge magazine May 17, 1924 ~ Linda}


{Funny Easter Bunny ~ indria sari}


{Red Star Line postcard ~ Totally Mystified}


{Tableau in Green and Red ~ Tom Levold}


{1952 Avondale Fabrics ad ~ Totally Mystified}


{Cover of Woman And Home, August 1951 ~ Totally Mystified}  

{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.} 

♥ ♥ ♥


The beginning of spring, awash as it generally is in a sea of gentle greens, delicate browns, mild pastels, crisp whites, and cheerful blues (as in the sky and representative of rain), isn't exactly a time of the year that we generally associate with the colour red, and yet there are plenty of things popping back to life these days that feature this very hue.

Flowers - spanning the garden spectrum from carnations to roses to pansies - are but one, strawberries and raspberries a little later on, are two more. You'll also find red on rubber boots used to splash in puddles, traditional Ukrainian pysanky Easter eggs, blossoms on various trees, and red skinned spuds, to name but a few a more sources of springtime red.

A colour of vibrancy, passion, vitality, and immense beauty, red suits spring's mighty return well, for it helps to convey the sense of power from which the world wakes up from its icy slumber and is once again cloaked in a rainbow shades, weather conditions and possible vintage wardrobe choices. I often personally associate red with change as well, which is certainly something that's underway as we gleefully wave buh-bye to Old Man Winter and welcome Mother Nature, in her youthful maiden form, back into our lives again.

So don't pack all the red away with your Christmas or Valentine's Day decorations or save it for the sweltering dog days of summer. Instead slip into a ruby sundress, sport a garnet hued Easter bonnet, let your feet frolic around in a pair of cranberry coloured peep-toe sandals (and paint your toe nails cherry to match), or bring a massive bouquet of your favourite warm weather red blooms into the house.

You'll feel all the more energized, happy, and ready to embrace spring's rocky starts and stops, thunder storms, and ultimately beautiful return because of it!

Flickr Favourites: February 24, 2014

{Revlon Fashion Plate Makeup ~ BudCat14/Ross}  


{Yellow rose ~ KLMircea}  


{Learn to Bake (back cover) ~ estelle & ivy}  


{French 'For Sale' Sign ~ prettyshabby}  


{Winter ~ Clermont Camera Social }  


{Parsons Snow Chains - advert, 1956 ~ mikey ashworth}  


{Beautiful pair ~ totheforest}  


{Picture Post, Leslie Caron, 17th July, 1954 ~ Chez}  


{The warmth of winter ~ Thomas Rusling}  


{Abby - Artist Teddy Bear ~ P is for Paper}  

{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.}

♥ ♥ ♥


There are few scents that I love more in the whole vast, wonderful world than that of wood smoke. Be it from a campfire nestled in the woods, on the beach, in a backyard, or wafting out of a chimney. With a little less than a month to go until winter officially wraps up, and in reality, probably two or more months until spring really starts to burst to life again here, there is, thankfully, still plenty of time for me to continue getting my annual fix of wood smoke.

I woke up today on a snow covered, perfectly still morning in February thinking about this fact. We don't have a fireplace at our house, but many throughout town do, and I love that if I threw open the window right now, chances are, that cozy, fragrant, timeless aroma would come barreling in to the room within seconds.

This thought then set me thinking about the colours of the flames that are integral for producing a fire. Intense reds, glowing yellows, sizzling oranges, and the occasional flash of pale blue or icy white. This palette seems particularly well suited to winter, because so many of its key players are the polar opposite of the freezing weather, pale landscape, and ash hued skies above.

We bring fire into our homes during these long, frozen months to warm our room, hands, and souls alike, but I think we also flock to the flames because of the fact that they're rather redolent of the sun's surface, blinding summer light, and that half of the year when the potential for frostbite is the last thing on your mind.

Man has harnessed fire, but it's still raw, still primal, still tremendously powerful, and no matter how modernized we get, we'll likely never stop using it in some capacity. It's too integral to life on this planet itself, and that suits me just fine. I could scarcely imagine winter without the scent of wood smoke lingering heavily in the air, bringing back an avalanche of memories from years past, while also putting me in the mood to roast plenty of delicious marshmallows – undoubtedly one of the best uses ever discovered for the mighty force of an open flame. :)

12 vintage Marie Claire covers featuring fabulous hats

Though I joyfully wear vintage hats all year round, there is something about the unmistakable return of winter's first chill that tends to come part and parcel with November, which always puts me in the mood to shop for (even if that means just window shopping) yesteryear chapeaus.

Far more than just a wonderful fashion statement and accent (if not full-fledged focal point) to our daily vintage outfits, hats really come into their element as the mercury drops and once more they provide not just chic style, but physical warmth for heads and/or ears (depending on what style of hat you're sporting).

For those who live in colder climates, you may find yourself especially drawn to vintage hats made from materials such as felt, fur (real or faux), feathers, wool (including Persian lamb's wool, which is usually seen as being more of a fur), and thick, tightly woven straws (that lets to no air flow throw), as these are typically thicker and/or better at providing your lovely noggin with plenty of much needed warmth as Old Man Winter comes calling once more.

Just as certain materials find their way more into fall and winter hats, so too does the colour palette often shift. Out are the light straws, pastels, flower bedecked Easter bonnet styles, jaunty boater hats (traditionally, for chaps at least, they rarely stayed in rotation past Labour Day), and cute little half hats that look more like headbands than protection against the chilly elements. In come dark hues such as navy blue, black, camel, brown, forest green, burgundy, garnet, aborigine, grey, and wintry creams in substantial, head enshrining styles.

Though I do find myself reaching more for hats in such hues and materials as the seasons shift yet again, ultimately there aren't too many of my toppers that I won't at least try to weave into a winter ensemble (case in point my endlessly beloved dusty rose 1940s tilt hat - a hat some might see as being more in keeping with spring and summer - worn with black velvet and tights last February on a very snowy day). This same principle rings true across my wardrobe as a whole (that is to say, I rarely relegate pieces to just one half of the year), so it's no surprise that I keep sporting some of my more summery hats while silver bells and strings of festive lights pop out again.

Because I've got hats on the brain (even literally, if you think about it! :)) this nippy November morn, I wanted to share a selection of fantastic late 1930s and very early 1940s Marie Claire magazine covers with all of you, which come by way of a great Flickr user named Pilllpat.

Though not all of these hats scream autumn or winter, each is a beautiful, timelessly classic work of military art that would not be too tricky at all to partner with a cold weather ensemble, such a two-piece suit, heavy weight black cocktail dress, or pencil skirt and a thick knit twinset.

{All image via Pilllpat on Flickr.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Ohhhh, my wallet is in serious danger because it's all I can do not to go on the prowl for similar versions of some of these amazing vintage hat gems right this very moment! Good thing (for my wallet, though perhaps not quite as much for my hat collection) that Christmas is around the corner, and I'm already keeping an extra close watch on my spending, so that I can splash out on my loved ones. Still, winter isn't exactly famous for being short here in Canada, and there's always the new year to go hat hunting in!

As the last handful of leaves turns amber or crimson and comes tumbling to the cold, slate hued pavement below, what sorts of hats are you daydreaming about for this fall and winter? Do you have a beloved vintage topper (or ten!) that you reach for each year time and time again as the snow banks grow ever higher (this classic black felt number with two simple coloured bands is one of mine in that department) or are you are currently shopping for some suitable cold weather headgear?

Whatever the case may be (including if you're not much of a chapeau wearer at all, but instead just a devoted admirer), I hope that you enjoyed this selection of great vintage hats, any one of which would still be more than worthy of a magazine cover unto itself still these days!

Looking back at May 2013

The nineteenth century American poet and diplomat James Russell Lowell once said of the month we've just experienced that, "May is a pious fraud of the almanac". This strikes me as a bit harsh, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment and see where Mr. Lowell was coming from.

May, that month in which we've been led to believe April's showers will give way to boundless fields of flowers and picturesque sunny days in not always the case. Or, conversely, sometimes it is - but in such abundance that you wonder if you overshot your alarm clock and woke up in August.

For the first half or so of the month, that was precisely the case here, as we slogged our way through numerous days of +31C temps and sunshine so brazenly bright you could all but get a tan just by thinking about.

The second half of the month proved more in keeping with the seasonal norm, and included a handful of much needed rainy days which helped welcome an abundance of greenery - as well as the beginning of tourist season - once more.

In many respects, it felt like a quick month as each day ticked by, yet as a whole it was a somewhat lengthy at times, too. Overall though, it was a pleasant enough month - certainly less stressful than the previous one and towards the end, I even felt well enough (following last month's surgery) to venture out a couple of times, one of which I blogged about here two days ago.

While I wouldn't say May was the most action packed month (phew!) on the home front, here in blog land things were buzzing up a storm (that reminds me of the immensely charming magazine cover from June 1954 pictured below), which was spurred on in no small part by the necessitated two week blogging hiatus after my surgery in April and my zeal to throw myself back into blogging big time!

{Image source}

Some of the highlights of this past month for me included the return (after more than two years) of the popular Vintage Fashionista Friday series, an exploration of the role that nostalgia has played on my life and wardrobe, a fresh edition of Vintage This and That, a peak at the history of Cutex nail polish, and the super easy (and dirt cheap) way in which I store my stud earrings.

On the wardrobe front, I reviewed the latest dress I received from eShakti (it fared much better, I'm happy to say, than the previous two), sported an outfit comprised of numerous vintage pieces (including my dress itself) that I've received from treasured online friends, and traversed a wildly dangerous and incredibly narrow road to enjoy the view from Skaha Bluffs in my beloved Freddies of Pinewood overalls (a snap from which post appears below).




May ushered in an extremely exciting new chapter in Chronically Vintage's life when, mid-month, I put out my first ever official call for blog sponsors.

The response to this post has been wholly positive and very encouraging, and I'm pleased as punch to announce that I'll be collaborating with some seriously stellar sponsors in June and beyond. I'm always looking for further and/or future sponsors, so if you've been considering blog sponsorship here, I would absolutely love to hear from you anytime.

As we embark on the very last morning of May, I'm not entirely sure what June - the final month of spring - will entail for my day-to-day life. I don't have too many big plans, especially as I'm still recouping (and am in the midst of a massive flare-up of my one of my conditions right now, too), but I sense that barbeques, yard sales, walks on the beach, sundresses, and capri pants will be on the agenda for sure.



{Beautiful as a vintage bride, sweet as a popsicle, and as invigorating as the first late springtime dip in lake or sea, June has the potential to be a glorious month from start to finish, and I really hope that such will be the case this year. Image source.}


Much as with May, I've got a bevy of fun post ideas just bursting to appear here in June. Throughout the coming month, we'll be getting to know some of my new blog sponsors, chatting about 1950s eye make-up, taking a gander at some classic menswear pieces (in celebration of Father's Day), talking about how to throw a great ice cream sundae party, and I'll debut my first ever garment from Jitterbuggin, amongst numerous other topics.
 
James R. Lowell was right about May in that it can often be hard to predict, the weather unreliable (just ask most of Europe, where temps have been well below the seasonal norm in many countries as of late), and it's appearance a bit more of an idyllic mirage of how spring is supposed to look than what reality often serves up, but it is - and was - also a gorgeous, pleasurable, lighthearted month that smells of honeysuckle, lilacs and freshly mowed grass.

It's bare toes, the first bonfire of the season, camping trip filled weekends, picnics on the beach, and the making of joyful plans and dreams for the coming summer, which we'll hit before next month comes to a close. It might not always be the most reliable of months weather wise, but I love May and the one that we just experienced was certainly no exception.

Here's to the hope that June is every bit as lovely - if not more - for all of us!

There's just something about August

...That seems to ensure I fall ill during some part, or all of, the month each year.

The causes and culprits are often different (or at least a bit variable from year-to-year), but after being quite sick with a bad flare-up of one of my GI conditions for nearly two weeks straight now, I woke up this morning and was struck my how many Augusts pasts I've been in a similar boat (which might be a coincidence, but worth noting nevertheless).

Interestingly, my next thought (and please don't read anything morbid or foretelling into this, I'm not implying such) was how, in a roundabout way, that reminds me of an interesting point I discovered quite early on in my life as a family genealogist. It seems, I found, that when adding names and dates of death to my tree, if the person was middle aged or older, and lived prior to about 100 years ago, there was an exceedingly high chance they passed away during the winter.

At first I thought this much just be a bit of a string of coincidental dates of death, but time and time again, with names (from various bloodlines and folks hailing from different areas of Europe and North America) spanning centuries back, it became very obvious that that a much larger percentage of people passed away during the winter than throughout the rest of the year.

I've tried researching this point to see if others have noticed in their own trees, too, but haven't yet found too much out there on the topic. Of course not everyone in my tree perished at the first sign of snow, but if we think back to the world as it was two or three (or more) hundred years ago, it makes sense that those who might have already been weakened by illness or age succumbed during the coldest, roughest months of the year (when, to boot, their diet was often less healthy and/or plentiful than during the warmer seasons).

Extreme temperatures, no matter which side of the scale they fall on, can be hard on even the most rugged, healthy, and able-bodied amongst us, and are certainly trying on many with weak immune systems and/or serious health problems.

For those who are curious, I noticed that the season in which one passes away has become more varied (at least within my own family tree) over the past hundred to a hundred and twenty-five years ago, no doubt a point that coincides with advances in medicine, as well with other improvements (better indoor heating systems, plumbing, etc) that society has undergone in recent years.

There are many, many beautiful elements of summer and August that I adore, some of which you've certainly seen me wax poetically about in posts here over the years, but the fact that August tends to me I'll put out of commission for a hefty chunk of it, is not one I'm keen to sing praises about!




{Beautiful flowers, bright days, outdoor excursions, warm weather fashions – all points to adore about August. It’s odd propensity to make feel ill, not so much! Vintage 1940s Woman and Home magazine cover via totallymystified on Flickr.}


Oh well, it's Friday, and I’m hoping (though I strongly suspect it's a pipedream this week) that I might wake up feeling oodles better tomorrow and be up for some garage saling this weekend. That sure would be great, as I haven't gotten to nearly as many over the last two months as we did throughout May and June, and I’ve have been missing it fiercely.

Today though, I'll just ride out another day of feeling less than stellar, enjoy the sunshine that's flooding through the window, and look forward rather eagerly to September's return!

School is now in session

✯ Day 249 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

"The object of education is to prepare the young to

educate themselves throughout their lives." ~ Robert Maynard Hutchins

{Endearingly sweet 1950s first day of school image via paul.malon on Flickr.}

 

As discussed in yesterday's Labour Day post, it's scarcely a secret that today can be a very busy and harried one for many. Whether you have little ones to get off to their first day of school or are taking up a desk seat yourself, for those starting a new school year today, it's can be a massively action packed twenty-four hours.

Therefore this post isn't going to be a lengthy one. You've already got oodles to see and do today, and I don't want to take up much of your time.

In the spirit of charming vintage art and the act of new school years commencing everywhere, I hope that you'll spare a moment though to enjoy this tug-at-your-heartstrings 1950s illustration of a youngster's first day of school, and the insightful quote about education which comes by way of a former Dean at Yale Law.

To all those who are - of have loved ones who're - heading back to class today, I wish you a happy, fulfilling, fun, completely fantastic school year!

Welcoming August with open arms

✯ Day 213 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

A new week, a new month. There is much to take comfort in from the start of something fresh, unmarred by days and weeks of events perhaps left best forgotten. Of course a new beginning doesn't have to erase or replace negative events, it can be a continuation of something fantastic or the last chapter in a saga of awesomeness. Yet, whatever today means to you, the fact remains that it's a new beginning, if only on the calendar.

August can be a challenging month. Easy to both love and hate (adore in the icy depth of January, loath in the moment), to praise and complain about in nearly equal measures. It's a strong month (which, perhaps, is part of the reason those born during much of it get to have a lion as their zodiac mascot) that makes no bones about its power and summertime prowess. Yet like a battle hardened warrior encountering a fair maiden, it can also show its gentle side when presented with the right circumstances.

This month makes me think back the sunny-kissed days of my youth, spent in a town that boasted not one, but two rather large lakes. Swimming until it would have seemed natural if I suddenly sprouted fins, eating sandwiches and bags of potato chips sprinkled with the distinct texture of taupe hued sand, falling asleep under a cloudless sky, the buzz of a thousand water frolickers resonating in my suntanned ears.

The eighth chapter of the year is resilient and beguiling. Few months can even come close to presenting the world with the beauty it houses. Think of a glistening sunrise, a sublimely warm, silken soft evening breeze. Fields of proud sunflowers, gardens teaming with hearty produce. Light that can be glaring one moment and tame as a lamb the next.

{Cute vintage garb, a fun book, time spent outdoors, those are the simple, beloved pleasures of this sultry month, as seen in this marvelous August 1956 cover of Redbook magaine. Image via CapricornOneVintage on Flickr.}

August is rarely the time for massive new projects, but is very well suited to adventures of all magnitudes. From travel to parties, planning for the new school year to putting up preserves, August works well when we balance dog-eared knowledge with a dusting of the unknown.

I'm grateful that this month is here, able to take July and throw it into the storage closet of the past with its arrival. Was July unmentionable? No, thankfully, but it had some points that I won't be chatting about anytime soon and a heat wave that would make a desert dwelling lizard melt.

No one knows what August holds in store, but my husband's upcoming birthday on the 6th gives me something extra special to look forward to. I hope for a month of tranquility and possibility, of answers and time to daydream. Of corn-on-the-cob eaten while practically too hot to hold, and nearly tooth-numbingly cold beverages sipped under the wise sun of summer's last truly full month.

As we launch into August and this glistening new week, I wish you each a month ahead that is precisely as you hope it will be. If you want to see the open road, may you be able to do so. If all you long for is evenings spent curled up in a hammock, your favourite reads by your side, so be it.

August is a splendid, exciting, incomparable month, and I hope deeply that is treats you all to a fabulous thirty-one days of summery bliss!

Vintage 365: Slide show celebrates 125 years of Ladies Home Journal magazine

✯ Day 13 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Ladies Home Journal is a rather venerable American magazine that has been gracing everything from Victorian parlours to flour-covered kitchen tables since it emerged on the scene in 1883 (back when it had the lengthier name of "The Ladies Home Journal and Practical Housekeeper"). Though I can't honestly say that I frequently read this magazine in its modern form, in my vintage journeys over the years, I have chanced upon a number of mid-twentieth century copies that always struck a resounding cord with me (old school women's magazines as a whole are something that I adore!) - a few have even found their way onto my vintage magazine shelf.

Yesteryear magazines are one of the most effective and splendid ways to get a quick snapshot of an exact moment in time, especially those that span a range of topics like fashion, lifestyle tips, home decor, parenting and cooking, such as Ladies Home Journal. Even a magazine cover alone can tell you a great deal, while at the same time often being a beautiful piece of art. To that extent Ladies Home Journal has a wonderful slideshow on their website that shows thirty different covers that span the first several decades of the magazine’s nearly thirteen decades of life.

From the timeworn black and white (now elegantly cream with age) cover from 1883 to the highly colourful illustrations of the 1930s Depression years that were intended to inspire hope and happiness in readers, these magazine images are an engaging look at at the history and social relevance of Ladies Home Journal.

Naturally, I'm partial to those spanning the 30s and 40s (such as the stellar March 1943 "girl power" cover above that depicts a mom and daughter hard at work repairing a car), but each cover is deeply intriguing and lovely in its own terrific right, and I enjoyed viewing these magazines so much that I wished they'd included far more than just 30!