Vintage Link Love for July 2015

Perhaps it comes as no surprise to most folks, but July whizzed by at the speed of light! I know that I begin many Vintage Link Love posts with similar sentiments about the pace at which the month that we just enjoyed whipped past at, but at perhaps no other time of the year does time seem to vanish more quickly than during the summer.

Though I'm in no rush to see the glorious warm weather disappear, the passing of time does mean that it won't be too long (the first week of September, to be exact) until Tony gets home from working in the States this summer, and that's certainly something that we're both massively looking forward to.

{This early twentieth century beach photo sums up July so well for me this year. Full speed ahead, with a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and sand underfoot - at least once or twice!}

This month I was a seriously busy little bee! Between my birthday celebration, listing over 190 brand new antique and vintage items in the shop (including oodles of adorable vintage novelty brooches), returning to YouTube after a nearly eleven month (unplanned!) break there, thrifting up a storm (I've got a video in the works with some of my exciting recent thrift finds, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that), penning plenty of blog posts, and - no word of a lie - already beginning to think heavily about Halloween (giant shocker to those who know me, I'm sure! :D), plus all the other usual bits and bobs of life, I've been on my toes nearly none stop this month.

Ooohhh, plus, in the last few days of July, Chronically Vintage's Facebook page hit a new milestone: over 4,000 likes - thank you so much to everyone for your support there!

In amidst of burning the candle at both ends, I still found time to read many of my favourite blogs and websites. Amongst them I gleaned the following selection of twelve posts that captured my attention for one reason or another. I hope that you'll enjoy and/or be inspired by all of them as well!

♥ 42 glamorous wedding dresses from the 1920s and 30s: Though I don't know anyone tying the knot here locally this summer, wedding season has been out in full force for a while now and this selection of more than 40 photos of vintage gowns more than helps to make up for the lack of nuptials I've been attending lately. Prepare to swoon!!!


♥ What to know when getting your hair bobbed: Recently the always marvelously stylish Jenny Frances chopped over several inches of hair and is now sporting a very becoming bob. To help those who might want the skinny on what to know if you're considering this classic haircut, too, she put together a stellar, image filled post all about the ins and outs of getting a bob (that's definitely worth bookmarking even if you have no plans to chop your hair anytime soon - you just never know when a great post like this might come in handy).


♥ Crinolinemania: the sexy fashion trend that killed 3,000 women: The heart of this story from Mashable/Retronaut may not come as shocking news to those who study historical fashions, but the concept that so many people perished as the result of an elaborate undergarment is still more than enough to give anyone reason to pause and think.

♥ 21 post ideas for bloggers: I've thought about penning a similar post to this one myself many times before, but haven't yet had the chance, so in the meantime, I thought that I would share this lovely, helpful list of twenty-one blog post ideas from, fittingly, the fun contemporary fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog N°.20 - because, really, who amongst us bloggers can't use a little post prompt help every now and then?


♥ DIY Miriam Haskell Necklace: My good friend and fellow vintage blogger Bianca from The Closet Historian is not only a lovely writer, but an incredible talented milliner, seamstress, and jewelry maker. It is the latter skill that comes to foreground in this recent how-to post of hers in which she takes us through the easy to follow steps involved with make a show stoppingly gorgeous vintage looking, Miriam Haskell inspired statement necklace. Believe me, you'll want to reach for your round nose pliers, pronto!


♥ The Great British Heatwave In 32 Photos: 1911-1976 (WARNING: MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK OR SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS/VIEWERS DUE TO NUDITY): Heat waves are anything but new, however the act of capturing them on camera has obviously only been possible since the invention of this world changing device. This recent post from the site Flashback rounds up over 30 photos taken in the UK during the early to mid-twentieth century during various heatwaves. Anyone who has ever experienced this common summer occurrence will be able to instantly relate to these memorable photos.




♥ How to pack a trunk in 1870: I find the topic of vintage travel and how people packed for it in the days of ocean liners, long railway journeys, and even the early days of aviation to be wildly interesting, so when Aimee shared this post about how to pack one's trunks for a voyage Victorian style, I couldn’t lap up each word quickly enough!


♥ Nine myths about dressing vintage: From fellow Canadian vintage fan, wearer, and blogger Kirstie, comes this spot on post that delves deeper, IMO, than many similar entries I've seen over the years and dispels some of the persistent myths that exist regarding the wearing of vintage.


♥ Decked Out-Nautical Fashion through the Ages: Whether you live a stone's through from the ocean or hundreds of miles away from the nearest seashore, summertime calls for nautical inspired fashions in spades and it's always fun to see examples of them from decades past, such as the lovely roundup in this recent post from Blue Velvet Vintage's delightful blog.




♥ What do you want to be when you grow up?: This post from Gemma's always engaging blog Retro Chick spoke to me a great deal.  I constantly find areas of my life, very much including the running of my blog, where my own assorted childhood career aspirations come to the surface and are realized, at least some of the time, through the work that I actually do for a living these days, much as Gemma finds that to be true for her as well.


♥ 29 of the most delicious things you can do with zucchini: With zuc season upon us again, the fine folks at BuzzFeed have rounded some thoroughly scrumptious looking recipes that make good use of the vegetable, which frequently grows in copious quantities for those who plant it and which always seems to be easy to come by in spades during mid-summer (no matter if you have a garden or not). The Pizza Boats, Chocolate Muffins, and Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Buttercream in particular really jumped out me. Which zucchini recipes there call your name the most?


♥ Remembering the Apollo 11 Moon Landing With the Woman Who Made It Happen: July 20th marked the 46th anniversary since Neil Armstrong famously took his first steps on the moon, but as this intriguing Time Life piece details, such may not have been possible were it not for the pioneering software development work of Margaret Hamilton (pictured below).

{To learn more a specific image used in this post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

♥ ♥ ♥

August, the eight month of the year and final full month of the summer, is a unique one. The dog days of summer are often behind us (or very nearly so), but autumn's chill hasn't yet returned. The beaches are full still, but at the same time, the first Halloween decorations are starting to grace the shelves of various shops (Walmart, Michaels, Hallmark, and Marshalls are usually amongst the first to bring in seasonal decor here in our neck of the woods).

Those who enjoy the summer are usually still flushed and happy about the heat and spirits are high in general. However, I think that many of our minds are already starting to look ahead to fall and the changes that it brings back into our lives, be it a fresh school year, unpacking our cold weather threads, or coaxing our ovens out of hibernation when comfort food season strikes once more.



{August is a fascinating month. We often bound into it in a bathing suit and leave sporting trousers and cardigans again - or at least starting to think about introducing them into our closets and daily ensembles once more. It's fun, sunny, and usually over far too quickly - much like this July was!}


I think that August, just as with early September, is a wonderful transition filled time between the two chapters of the year and I love that it lets us enjoy summer proper for a little while longer.

In the coming weeks, I plan to continue thrifting and yard saling up a storm, cooking and baking (peach pies made with local fruit, you guys, oh my gosh, I can't even - they're always sensational!) with local produce, enjoying the fact that the sun still sets fairly late in the day, and yet at the same time, thinking more and more about autumn and all my ideas and blog posts for that season.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you each a sunny, fun filled, awesome August and hope that it will be a terrific month for all of us!

Reviewing my (fabulous!) new Dot Dash Dress from Love Ur Look

Outfit details

Vintage royal blue nylon hair scarf: (Probably) eBay
White plastic rose earrings: Claire's
1980s does 1940s/50s red plastic beaded necklace: Gift with purchase years ago
Vintage inspired Dot Dash A-line Dress c/o: Love Ur Look
Royal blue cardigan: Garage Clothing
Red plastic bangle bracelet: Forever 21
Vintage wide yellow bangle bracelet: Thrifted
Vintage white plastic bangle bracelet: Thrifted
Red faux leather cross body bag: eBay
1950s white embroidered wrist length gloves: Unknown, had for years (likely eBay or Etsy)
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Dark blue patent pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

There are a substantial number of vintage reproduction and vintage inspired clothing lines that I've had massive crushes on for years now, but which - often because of pesky things like a weak Canadian dollar, shipping and import costs, and/or the items I love most from said brands selling out before I can get to them - I've not yet had the pleasure of adding any of their fine offerings to my closet.

One of those companies, whose offerings I've swooned up many a storm over for quite a while now, is the much adored European brand, Love Ur Look, who put out a modest sized, curated selection of beautiful offerings each year (and have some really commendable ethical business practises, as detailed on their About page).

Thus when I was contacted by them and kindly offered a choice of one of two of their latest warm weather frocks, I couldn't say yes quickly enough. I've been curious for ages now about the fit, quality, silhouette and other elements of this brand's products and let me just say, once I finally had one in my hands, I was impressed!

I opted for the Dot Dash A-line Dress, because it is both incredibly cute and also quite different than any other frock I currently own. Being short and curvy, I often steer clear of all, or predominately, white dresses and, really, garments in general, but I had a feeling that the cut and use of primary hues on this dress would help "save me", if you will, there and thankfully such was definitely the case.

You guys, seriously, I am ridiculously in love with this dress. Permit me then for a moment to extol some of its many, many virtues:


-Length: I just barely squeak in at 5'2" and where the hem hits here on me is my favourite length for a dress (or skirt). A little past mid-calf, but not quite ankle grazing - what is often called "tea length". It's long enough to add a crinoline underneath, though there is already a bit of one built into the skirt (as you can see in a couple of the snaps above), so you'd likely get a lot of fullness if you added more tulle beneath this relatively wide skirt. I could not be any happier with the length of this dress on me.

-Sleeveless: While I rarely bare my arms completely in public due to reasons of personal modesty, I flat out love it when dresses are sleeveless because it means less bulk when layering, something that I’m always conscious of given that my upper arms are not my best feature in the slightest.

-Matching fabric belt: Though there are no actual belt loops on this dress, it comes with a thin belt made out of matching fabric. If you didn't want to wear it around your waist, you could easily utilize it as a skinny hair tie/scarf instead, if so desired (or forgo using it entirely).

-It has pockets: I love, love, lovvvvvve it when dresses or skirts have pockets and this charmer includes two at a nice, natural hip height. So handy, so practical, soooo appreciated!
-Crisp colours: Though the fabric that this dress is made from is quite thin, thanks to the fact that it's 100% cotton, the colours on it are fabulously sharp, vibrant and beautiful.

-Awesome neckline: Seriously, this has to be one of my favourite necklines on any garment I've ever owned. From the wide shawl meets sailor shaded collar to the built in panel of red and white striped fabric, this neckline is fun, flattering, and fabulously unique.

-Fantastic nautical vibe: From the primarily colour palette of blue, red, and yellow set atop snow white to the mid-century modern-esque design of the pattern itself (which somewhat resembles highly stylized bunting flags) to the striped fabric at the neckline, there is such a charming, super vintage-y nautical vibe at work here that I just adore!

-Fit: I love the fit of this dress. From the bust to the waist to the arm holes, it fits me excellently and is quite true to size, in my opinion (plus its a-line shape is very becoming and would work well on most types of figures).

-Price: At £56.00, this dress is still within the reach of many folks and is what I'd call middle of the road in terms of price point for cotton vintage style dresses. Considering the built in tulle underskirt, awesome pattern, tea length skirt, exciting neckline, and warm weather versatility of the frock, I think its price is very fair and would genuinely have no problem paying that myself, had I purchased this dress, instead of receiving it as a review gift (thank you so much for it, Love Ur Look).


As you can no doubt gather, I am smitten with this dress. I wore it for a family get together at my sister's house on Mother's Day, to antiques & second hand auction last month, and am slipping it on more days than not when out running errands or just bopping around, as Tony and I were doing on the sunny afternoon recently when we captured these photos in the delightful little nearby town of Summerland (which, despite its proximity of less than 20 minutes from Penticton, we had somehow, entirely unintentionally, never done a shot in before).

It was a glorious late spring day - one of those days that you wish you could put it a jar and let out again come the dark evenings of January, when summer feels like it might as well be on another planet. To embrace the warm weather, I teamed this darling Love Ur Look dress with a vintage royal blue head nylon scarf, royal blue cardigan, a trio of plastic bangle bracelets, a red vintage necklace, my trusty white plastic rose earrings, wrist length white 1950s gloves, red cross body/shoulder bag, and dark blue pumps.

If I could only wear one vintage reproduction/inspired dress this summer, this gem from Love Ur Look would be it. It is perfect for the sun-kissed months and would come with me instantly, were I packing for a warm weather vacation anytime of the year. This is my first item from this popular UK line, and I wholeheartedly hope that it won't be my last - as I am beyond in love - quite fittingly give the brand's name - with this marvelously fun Dot Dash A-line Dress.

Do you own anything from Love Ur Look? How has your experience been with this wonderful brand's offerings?

My first photo shoot with the Pacific Ocean + thoughts on being recognized in public

Outfit details

White crochet snood: Handmade gift from a dear friend loving friend ♥
Hair flowers: Assorted sources
Gold bow earrings: Payless
1950s red plaid cropped shirt: eBay Vintage red and gold anchor brooch: eBay (I think)
Red vintage style faux leather cross body bag: eBay
1940s style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood
Gold tone metal bangle bracelets: Payless
Red and black vintage plastic bangles: Assorted sources
Black 1940s style oxford shoes: Thrifted (from Salvation Army)
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano  

♥ ♥ ♥

Fame is a funny thing. It can be fleeting, fickle, fantastic, funny, fabulous, and, for some, even infuriating. I don't have any firsthand (or even secondhand) experience with mainstream fame in in the slightest. As someone who is mind blowingly shy and uber introverted, I was definitely not the kind of child who longed for a career in that could project me in such a direction (say, like a singer or actress).

No, in my youngest days I wanted to be either a nurse or a doctor, then as my childhood progressed and straight on into my teens, I was 100% certain I wanted to be a chef (and I adamantly believe I would have gone on to be one had I not fallen severely chronically ill about a month after my 18th birthday).

It's theoretically possible that those career paths, particularly that of being a chef, could have led to fame, but it would not have been the driving reason behind why I wanted that job at all. My life, as you likely know, did not end up with me wearing a stethoscope nor (in a professional capacity) standing in front of a hot stove all day. It took many detours and was eerily silent some years, when I was too ill to bring home even so much as one piece of proverbial bacon.

I worked numerous jobs in my late teens, but from my 20s onward, I have been self-employed (a heading under which I include working, and drawing a wage from, being employed by the online media company that my husband and I run) for every job I've held, including during my mid-twenties when I was a part-time professional photographer (I job I loved with every fiber of my being, but unfortunately had to step back from because of the continued worsening of some of my medical conditions).

These days, on top of working for Netrich Media, I have the incredible pleasure and honour - which I do not take for granted for one tiny second - of being a professional vintage blogger and Etsy vintage shop owner. I get to spend my days writing about, photographing (thus indulging in that passion of mine in an awesome new way), wearing, discussing, shopping for, researching, and surrounding myself with vintage. It a job that I can do from home when my health permits and which I truly adore and feel grateful for.

Vintage has helped give me a career that is compatible with my circumstances and which I can hold my head up high when I tell people what I do for a living (believe me when I say that some folks, wrongly of course, judged me incredibly harshly during those periods in my life when I was chronically ill and didn't have a defined career at the time; it was as though they couldn't fathom someone in their 20s being so ill that they couldn't work, which for many stretches of time the last 12.5 years, I have been).

I mention all this to led to the point I begun this post with: fame. Over the years I have achieved a definite degree of notoriety amongst the vintage blogging world. I've being interviewed by numerous magazines, blogs and websites (and the BBC); have an active social media prescience, and blog prolifically, so it probably isn't a huge surprise that I'd stand to get recognized in public every now and then.

I think part of the reason why it always knocks my socks off when such happens is because I live in a small town in British Columbia, Canada. Penticton is beautiful and I love residing here, but it isn't exactly the sort of vintage Mecca that Portland, LA, New York, or London is and in fact, I haven't been recognized by a stranger on the street here yet. Each time it has happened, I've either been in a larger city in this province or in Alberta.

While on our stellar holiday to Vancouver Island earlier this fall, I was floored and very touched to be recognized by multiple people, both on the street and at the Victoria Vintage Expo that I attended (including, very sweetly, when I had three young ladies who were shopping together recognize, rush over to, and proceed to hang out with me for several minutes - it was the closest I think I've ever come to being on the receiving end of a fan girl experience :)).

One such encounter took place at a consignment store in the utterly charming seaside town of Sidney, which is the first place you'll see when you disembark the ferry upon reaching Vancouver Island (if you're headed to Victoria or any point in that general direction, I mean).

While sourcing a few pieces of jewelry for my Etsy shop, I was approached by a lovely lady who asked if I had a blog. I replied that I did and said who I was, and she very excitedly said that she thought it was me and had to come over and say hello. She too was in town on holiday (from Alberta) and we had a marvelous time chatting for a few minutes and latter ran into one another again on the same day when Tony and I made our way down to the wharf area in Sidney to do a shoot for the the photos that appear in today's post.

Never say never, of course, but objectively I doubt I'll ever be world famous in the context of mainstream society, and that's totally okay. Most of us will never walk that path, after all. But there is, I must tell you, something fabulously fun and rewarding about having a complete stranger know who you are and want to interact with you. I never take such experiences for granted and cherish every last one of them that happens to me - and all the more so because, again, I really don't live in a part of the world that is filled with fellow vintage lovers, wearers or bloggers.

Meeting that lady put a huge smile on my face, which was certainly a good thing when it came time to shoot photos. The fact that I finally, for the first time ever, got to a photo shoot for my blog with the majestic Pacific Ocean (others would also happen during our time on the Island, and I'll be posting about them in the near future as well), certainly helped to cement it there even further.

For a day of fun second hand shopping, sightseeing, and driving, I sported my trusty Freddies of Pinewood 1940s style side buttons jeans, a delightful 1950s cropped waist plaid shirt (if I could clone this shirt in a hundred other patterns and colours, I would in the quickest of heartbeats), a snood that I received as a gift from a dear friend last year, three hair flowers, an assortment of plastic and metal bangles, and an anchor shaped vintage brooch to tie into the nautical-ness of our location.

Though it wasn't gloriously golden, the sun was still out in full force that day, so – no surprise here - I was Squinty McSquinty again in some of these snaps, but I don't mind. I was just elated to capture the memory of that day on camera during one of the rare pauses in the rain while we were on Vancouver Island (it rained for some, or all of, nearly every day we were there).

This trip was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and I loved that it included so many fantastic experiences, very much including being recognized by several people throughout our time there. If any of you who did so should happen to be reading this post, thank you again for approaching me and saying hello. I loved getting to meet you and really appreciate your support of my blog, which, after all led you to know who I am in the first place. :)

Boatloads of glamour on the open seas

✯ Day 126 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The breeze was satisfyingly warm like a first bite of a just-baked cherry pie, the light so gorgeous a million painters would fail to adequately capture it's colour precisely. The day was akin to so many others in summers come by, yet also unique, unforgettable, perfect.

Or at least that's what I like to imagine the setting was like for the confident, immensely lovely young woman in this fantastic colour photo from 1948.

This image looks as though it could have been a movie still. The understated glamour of her whole look, the alluringly adventurous setting, and the instantly relatable slice of marine life element of this endearing image make it nothing short of  sublime.

Though we're still a few weeks away from the official start of summer, finding this marvelous vintage photo (which comes via ElectroSpark on Flickr) seems to have somehow switched on the summer light bulb for me. Now I’ll sit under it and wait for Mother Nature to catch up and keep me - and this unnamed, absolutely beautiful vintage woman – company all season long.