The Little Gatsby Garden Party Get-Up that Gets Around!

Imagine my (pleasant) surprise to find that this little photo of me in a 20s dress & cloche hat (long since sold in my shop) appeared both in the wonderful 1920s issue of Hey, Doll! ezine, and at the front of an album of "Gatsby" garbed folks on People magazine's website this past week! What a trip! What a thrill! Normally, I'm most in love with the 30s, but I do so adore late 20s day wear fashions, too, and was really flattered the photo got selected for 'publication'!

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!!!

One Minute to Midnight

For kicks, I thought I would share two of the most magical 1920s dresses I've ever spied: if I had the means, I would gladly wear either for New Year's Eve.  What would your dream NYE ensemble look like?

Source of Images: Old Rags

Great Gatsby: Great Scott or Hot Mess?

Riding on the coat-tails of some discussions I've been engaging in on other social networking sites, I thought I would share some more stills that have emerged depicting the costumes for the upcoming Baz Lurhmann Great Gatsby movie.  My thought (without having seen the movie, of course) is that, at least sartorially speaking, Lurhmann seems to be more interesting in using the 1974 Mia Farrow-Robert Redford film as the "primary" source he is adapting for 2012 audiences, rather than offering a direct translation of the original Fitzgerald novel into a film.   This seems particularly evident when one compares Carey Mulligan's lavender ensemble with one worn by Mia Farrow (and of course Mulligan's hairstyle has often been compared to Farrow's [but in other films]).

Similar echoes of the '74 film are apparent when comparing DiCaprio's get-up with Redford's

Now, as for which era/text they are channelling with Tobey Macguire (as Nick Carraway, at right in second image, in a mishmashed sweater look) or Isla Fischer (as Myrtle, directly above), I have NO idea.  To be blunt, both looks seem a mess to me, and, on the whole, I find myself wishing the costumes had a more straightforward 1920s aesthetic.  What do you think?

She's So Unusual

While I hope we have a few more weeks (or months) of glorious sunshine, I'm not going to lie: I can't wait for the crispness of autumn.  Yes, you're probably thinking, "she's so unusual."  A key reason why I'm ready to FALL: the clothing! Longer sleeves, darker richer colour palettes, delicious outerwear.  Slowly, I'm working on getting my shop in gear for fall...which brings me to the dress below that I'm getting ready to list in the shop sometime soon.  I think it's a perfect example of that darling 1960s-does-1920s aesthetic that I occasionally wish I was still youthful enough to wear with any regularity. Still, who can resist channelling the college coed cuteness of the likes of 20s sweeties Helen Kane and Clara Bow now and then? Not I. Ah well, you can take the girl out of her 20s but who says you'll EVER take the 20s out of the girl!  For second image, I decided to try on a vintage 20s dress that is already in the shop (excuse the cord that appears to be coming out of my head).

1920s style Helmet Cloche Hat: Bonnie's Knitting on Etsy

Shoes: Re-mix Vintage (bought on sale on Etsy)

Frocks for Flappers

Speaking of flapper frocks, I just added a lot of five "fixerupper" 20s garments... to the shop.