Bathing Beauties

Good morning, lovelies!  I did not end up taking the 30s dress I found at the antique show this weekend out for its first airing due to a cracking headache caused by what I now think was mild heatstroke combined with mild hysteria brought on by the sight of such amazing antiquities on Saturday, so pictures will be forthcoming at a later date ;). Feeling almost back to normal today, but wish I could be frolicking on a beach somewhere like these lovely gals below (I've scored a pair of 1920s white beach shoes that I'm dying to try out)! Images from RhiannonMars on Flickr.

Antiques Roadshow, Baronial Edition

Mmmm, I love the smell of vintage in the morning!  If you needed further proof that I have a serious vintage obsession, you should know that  I barely slept a wink last night, as I knew we were heading to one of the largest antique shows in Canada this morning (it had 300 vendors).  Basically, last night was like my Christmas eve, except instead of visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, whirling images of undiscovered frocks and swoony bric-a-brac (for me and for the shop) waltzed inside my brain until the wee hours.  Five AM rolled around and the pooch was ready to get out and about, so I sprang out of bed, threw together my outfit (1930s bakelite sunglasses from eBay; 1930s feedsack blouse from Etsy; nudeedudee belt and bespoke 1930s skirt from my two-piece dress set, 1950s basket purse from 13bees), did some emailing, and before I knew it, it was GO TIME.  The show started at 8:00AM. We left at 7 AM, stopped for breakfast, and reached the grounds at 7:30AM.  The parking area was already half filled and people were lined up outside the circus-like area where the vendors were set up.  By the time 8 AM came around, I was like a race horse out of the gate.  Good thing, too because I KID YOU NOT, just inside the gates was the first of only a few stalls with vintage clothing and HONEST TO GOODNESS, guess what my first (and best) find of the day was: YEP, a 1930s cotton dress...in my size.  SPOOKY, I tell you...and very very lucky.  Why can't I have this sort of luck with lotteries and such? Anyway, I'll show you the dress in another post (maybe tomorrow's, depending on what we end up doing).  Back to the show.  Although it started to get incredibly warm very quickly and I now feel a bit sunburned and dehydrated, I got a couple of lovely things for the shop, saw a ton of amazing antique items, and got to try on a $700 Alphonse Mucha-esque Egyptian Revival headpiece.  Believe me, it wasn't my idea to even dream of asking to slip that thing on my head. The seller was the sweetest lady ever and she told me to come over and get some photos with it on.  SWOON!  Enough chitchat: see below for images of the sights today.

Early bird ready for action

Think pink (depression glassware)

Game face on, Baroness springs into action.  Considering I was in my own little slice of heaven here, it is fitting that the sun's rays were cascading down in such ethereal prismatic beams.  SWOON!  I wish that carpet bag in my hand had been more affordable and in better condition.  Alas, it had tons of smudges and stains on it and was therefore not worth $40 to me, so I had to leave it behind.  

I just LOVED the black and white scheme in this booth filled with Victorian and Edwardian amazingness.  I was so happy that the vendors at this show were so amazingly friendly. I snapped tons a pictures without anyone getting grumpy.

THE $700 Egyptian Revival headpiece the seller begged ME to try on. Tempting, but it did NOT come home with me.

LOVE this little scenario. I think the Hobo Clown is exasperatedly but unsuccessfully attempting to convince his French doll wife not to send him packing after it was discovered Hobo clown had been stepping out with Boudoir Doll in next stall. 

One last look at the swarming hive of antique goodness.  What a day!!

From Hello, Bluebird, To Hello, Blue Dress and Straight Bob: The Effects of Hobo Jazz on a Gal

Who knew listening to the likes of Janet Klein and her Parlour Boys all day would uncurl a gal's hair? Couldn't resist trying on a beautiful frock I'm readying for the shop (I believe it's from the later teens to early 20s, probably 1918 to 1920? Fashion history experts, feel free to give me your thoughts here...my own sense is that it is pretty much identical in length and style to the pink dress I've got in the shop that I also think seems to date from this same era [my money is on 1919) and thought I'd go for a straighter hairdo today (darn humidity kept making the waves come back).  I'm hoping to have the dress listed some time this weekend. Convo me through the shop if you like what you see and want to know more (or want to call DIBS).  Shoes, which are 1960s does Edwardian-1920s, are also for sale.  Isn't it funny how clothing can make a person not only look, but FEEL and act/carry oneself completely differently?  This dress reminds me of a dolly's dress, which made me feel kinda sassy and youthful when wearing it.  Same with the hair.  After a year of experimenting, I know I feel most ME in 1930s garb (clothes from 1932-36 to be precise...yes, I am THAT much of a vintage fashion nerd), but I never tire of dress up.  What era/vintage style makes you feel most like your (best) self?

Hello, Bluebird!

Thanks to Kim over at nudeedudee for introducing me to the music of Janet Klein.  You Californians are SOOOO lucky to have such amazing Art Deco events and vintage artists in such abundance!!!

1930s Fashion Video

The Baroness cannot come to the blog right now, as she is lost inside another one of Glamour Daze's amazing video clips, this one showing early 1930s fashion in color!!!!  Also, I am working on getting my office redecorated now that the epic painting job is complete.  Next step: listing a pile of new frocks for my Etsy shop (can't photograph 'em till a certain husb. gets me my camera back....hint hint).  I also have a pretty action-packed weekend planned. Saturday is going to involve getting up early for an antique show. Sunday = possible visit to another key setting from the Anne of Green Gables movies. What are your plans for the weekend?

Brideshead Revisited, Spiderman Vanquished

Sorry for being scarce of late, but I am knee deep in white paint due to home office renovations.  For those of you who missed my post last year, here is a link to pictures showing what I am having to paint over: a red and blue Spiderman themed room (yes, it's taken me almost a year to get around to tackling this task. Blech).  I'm 3/4 of the way done but it has been so scorchingly hot out, I've felt almost completely without energy.  All I want to do is lie around in my lounging pjs and watch movies, like Brideshead Revisited, which I got in the bargain bin at the video store yesterday.  Okay, back to painting for me.... Aren't these costumes divine?

Lilac Jelly

Oh my goodness, lilac jelly is the most divine sounding recipe I've ever come across...had to share the link:

 This Homemade Life: Capture Spring in a Jar! (A Recipe for Lilac Jelly)

Victoria Day Weekend 2: Croquet!

Here in the former colonies, Victoria Day is sort of a low-key holiday in the sense that there are surprisingly few Victorian activities planned by the local villages and cities.  Much to my chagrin, around these parts, what IS popular is "Fire Cracker" exploding and beer drinking (in certain parts of Canada, this is known as the May "two-four" weekend, which is a slang term for a 24 pack/case of beer).  Drunk people operating explosives: BAD IDEA.  I almost went batty due to a whole weekend of sleeplessness caused by my need to calm my poor doggy every night until the wee hours. He is deathly afraid of fireworks.  Sleeplessness aside, yesterday was spent in the backyard playing that oh-so-Victorian game, CROQUET.  I love how this game is both so civilized and ruthless at the same (I'm thinking of the rule that allows you to knock an opponent's ball to somewhere impossible once your ball hits theirs---I'm suddenly reminded of the famous croquet scene in the opener of that nasty little 80s teen movie, Heathers).  I'm a wee bit sunburned and freckly in the face and have some very bizarre tan lines on the tops of my feet after a scorching weekend in the sun (I should have worn a hat to Avonlea), but all in all, a fabulous time was had.

"Is this how you hold the croquet mallet?" Ours is a travel set so we had to modify the techniques to get the ball to roll.  Although I've got some Edwardian vintage to be added to the shop in a while, I personally don't own any dresses from this era, so I wore my light and airy dotted swiss 1930s "Letty Lynton" inspired dress instead (thanks, Retrogal!)

Assessing the playing field

Queen Victoria had her tricolor Cavalier, Dash. I have my boy, Chance.  He served as sort of a croquet caddy...also, he kept throwing his ball onto the field, so we had to play fetch and croquet at the same time.

Hullo, bloggers! May I kiss you?

Le Baron won both rounds. "Off with your head!" shrieked the Baroness

Beware the sign of the x.  Good game, chap, but are you sure you should have crossed the Red Queen?

B. doesn't wear vintage (YET) but I applaud his Gatsby pink polo (and hilarious golfer's tan lines on his feet). He'll be wearing 1930s linen suits by the end of the summer if I have my way. Next year, a full wardrobe ;)

After-croquet refreshments: homebrewed iced tea and egg salad on baguettes.

Already scheming how to win next round (and how to address these foot tanlines)....

Victoria Day Weekend 1: Following in the footsteps of "the Anne Girl"

Okay, Anne of Green Gables fans, hold onto your boaters and your carpet bags because I'm about to show you where much of the Anne movies were actually filmed!!  Since it is Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, I thought a perfect outing would be the Westfield Village, home to several places that served as  buildings in the town of Avonlea for the Sullivan films and literally only 20 km from my own Victorian village home.  

First of all, these buildings below served as the main part of Avonlea. You may recall Anne getting a buggy ride with a certain Gilbert Blythe around these parts?

Key setting for the film: the General store where Matthew asks for a rake and some hayseed (in winter), buys 20 lbs of brown sugar, and the item he was trying to purchase all along: a dress with PUFFED SLEEVES for Anne. 

The General store is now a candy shop and place where folks can buy light lunch items, but the darling shopkeeper excitedly told me the places where Anne and Matthew actually stood during the scenes filmed here.

Even the sweets were sweeter in the past...

The fabulous shop-keeper and sodas at distinctly un-historical prices

Both Matthew and Anne stood where I was standing to take this photo in front of the cash register: Matthew did while ordering the shop-keeper to get him the rake and the sugar and the puffed sleeves; Anne later did while getting some organdy for the dress she would later wear for her "Highwayman" recital at the White Sands Hotel.

Refueling for the next leg of the Anne extravanganza...

Okay, so although the "puffed sleeves" scene was in the General store, it is in the next building over where the amazing fabrics and ready to wear vintage fashions are housed.  Notice the dress in the window is a replica of Anne's own puffed sleeves dress!!!! Okay, now, hang on to your (vintage) hats, bloggers: this shop was filled to the rafters with authentic clothing, fabrics, sewing notions, hats, shoes, the works.  Can you imagine if this was actually a vintage shop where you could buy up every last thing?  Alas, these were for display only...but what a gloriously meticulous display it was...

Hello Edwardian lovelies!! Swoon!

Oh! Chapeaux!

While now a treasure trove of antique dresses, this room was used for the asylum scenes in Anne of Green Gables, where Anne would talk to her reflection.

One last loving look at the "Anne" dress

Next stop is the train station where Matthew picks up Anne for the first time (remember? He expects a boy but finds the little red haired girl instead?)

LOVE this Gibson Girl/New Woman outfit!  Is it just me or doesn't 1930s fashion echo Edwardian styles quite a bit?

Lilacs blooming near the platform! Could this BE a dreamier place??

We interrupted the station master having his afternoon pipe and coffee, but I had to stand where Anne once sat on the bench at Bright River station (now called Jerseyville). Cheshire grin!!

THE bench and THE Bright River sign from the movie

And that concludes our epic Anne journey...for now. Stay tuned for future Anne posts as we visit the other places used in the Anne movies (and possibly settings from Road to Avonlea). Also, I've got OODLES more pics from the day at this amazing historical site, but will save them for another post.  xoxo

Outfit: 1930s dress from thirteeneightyfive on Etsy; 1930s shoes from eBay.