My Vintage Year

2011: A year filled with personal introspection, transition, revitalization, relocation, re-direction, and now retrospection!  Outfit-wise, a peek back at my year in vintage.

WINTER

30s Schia inspired snowsuit

30s Persian Lamb jacket +  30s plaid scarf & 30s knitted skirt and crocheted cap, outside Whitehern House, Hamilton, ON (scarf, skirt from Top Tottie)

30s plaid scarf again (this time with matching cap), at the Bronte Creek Maple Syrup festival

SPRING

30s flutter sleeved dress and green re-mix shoes for St. Patrick's Day Social at my dance school

30s pale blue gown + capelet set at Casa Loma Big Band Dance Night

30s knit/crochet-wear (hat, flutter sleeved top) + 30s skirt and shoes for the spring cherry blossom season

SUMMER

30s navy & white dress at Palais Royale (also wore this for the ADSLA Cocktails in Historic Places in L.A. in Nov)

Punchy 30s floral dress from Dorothea's Closet Vintage for the Niagara New Vintage Wine Fest

Ethereal 20s chiffon floral dress + straw cloche for Spadina House's 20s Garden Party

My summer go to ensemble: 30s peasant blouse, 30s style skirt by nudeedudee

Feigning Deauville in the early 30s with Nudeedudee striped top and wide legged trousers from Heyday

More 30s resortwear: cute gingham 30s beach pajamas

Faked a 20s bathing belle bathing suit to go with real 20s bathing shoes 

FALL

Amazing 30s crocheted dress

Glammed up for the Queen Mary Cocktail PJ Party with Trashy Diva evening jacket and repro 30s lounging pjs from Time Machine Vintage

30s sailor collared floral organdy day dress

Cocktail sparkle with my gorgeous friend Patricia Lynn of Lady By Choice (I'm shown here in a 20s Schiaparelli-inspired black velvet illusion bow dress which I'm actually selling along!)

MORE 30s knitwear, worn whilst enjoying the "Roaring 20s" shoe exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

Once again living it up in L.A.; 30s cotton floral dress from Denise Brain

Back to winter with my fave 30s Persian lamb jacket + skirt set, accessorized with 30s dickie, 30s hat, and 30s galoshes.

Looking forward to more adventures in vintage for 2012. Stay tuned!!!

St. Tropez at the Palais

Last night, I finally got to see inside a Toronto landmark, the Palais Royale, during an evening of St. Tropez- inspired cuisine and jazz music on the famous ballroom's waterfront patio.  All kinds of famous musicians, from Duke Ellington to Glenn Miller, once played in this venue, so it was pretty great to see it!

Outer front of venue

This way to the waterfront patio! 30s dress, Wildfell Hall Vintage; 30s crocheted purse, Dear Golden; 30s shoes, ebay forever ago

Dapper jazz band (gotta get their name), with fedora-sporting frontman crooning Sinatra tunes.

The mister edging into vintage style, with Gatsby pink and seersucker driving cap. :)

Inside the Palais itself, the walls are lined with old photos. I loved these huge prints of 1920s Canadian bathing beauties.

Moment of reflection with Oscar Peterson

Ballroom floor (apparently, there WILL be dancing here. We WILL be back).

 For my dad: ocular evidence that Sarah Vaughan may have once played here?

And...that's a wrap!

Dreamy Deco in Toronto: Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion and the Palais Royale

I still have not had the pleasure of enjoying deco high tea at the Windsor Arms in Toronto (as previously blogged about) and so that may be what I would like to do for Valentine's Day. However, I'm now thinking an even more amazing and romantic Art Deco venue for this lovey-dovey occasion would be Toronto's Palais Royale. Before I get to more on the Palais, however, I wanted to mention another Art Deco structure that sort of led me to discover the Palais Royale. Briefly, while driving into Toronto last weekend to sleuth some vintage, I caught a glimpse of this amazing building on the lakeshore which I have since discovered is a 1920s Bathing Pavilion. Oh boy am I going back there this summer, vintage suit and parasol in tow, for some pics. In the mean-time, here's a little peek at this astounding structure.






Okay, back to the Palais Royale. As I was researching the Bathing Pavilion, I discovered that there used to be a whole amusement park down at the lake front known as Sunny Side Amusement Park. In conjunction with the construction of the Park, the Palais Royale Ballroom had been erected. Apparently, it was THE place for amazing ballroom dancing in the 1920s and 30s. ALL the big names in Big Bands played there in the 1930s (including the Count Basie Orchestra---see below for a 1930s photo of his bus backed up to the door of the Palais for set up or tear down).






Anyway, I read that the Palais went through a period of disrepair, but it is now a swank deco venue for dinner and dancing (note: I hate the music on their website, though). Hello, Cupid!









I leave you with a video clip of the best lindy hopping EVER, from the movie Hellzapoppin', set to Count Basie's "Jumpin' at the Woodside." WOW!