An Everyday Style

Nicole outfits

The 1940’s is one of the easiest era’s to wear everyday.

When I used to work in a hardware store, I consistently wore early 1940’s style clothing, so I could get that vintage look without the delicate fussiness of the 30’s and 50’s getting in my way. I think this style is so easy to wear, because the workwear of the war years was designed to be hardwearing, simple, and not get in the way of your work- whether it was efficiently typing out reports, planting a victory garden or welding together a ship! There was a war to win, and it was not the time to fuss about full ruffled petticoat!

So, for day to day, 1940’s it is.

This is a mildly vintage 40’s casual look I wore the other day to town. I say mildly vintage because none of it is actually vintage, but is inspired by, and makes me feel like I am in the era:  A printed rayon dress I got at a flea market, which started out as a ghastly 90’s housedress, transformed with some darts and shorter hem (make do and mend?), layered with a puffed sleeve cardigan (for the strong shouldered 40’s silhouette), a utilitarian trench coat, a no nonsense cross body purse (it reminds me of a binocular case, which are perhaps needed to spot enemy invasion), low heeled boots for ease of walking, and a leopard print beret (the requisite winter toque, but with a bit more flair).

Practicing the fierce model look.

Please excuse the lint. I think it came from the scarf. 🙁

Sunday Style: 1960’s Swing

Nicole outfits

On Sunday I decided to curl my hair with a flat iron in order to get carefree and tousled waves for a fresh, modern look. Instead I ended up with 1960’s bouffant hair. What can I say? Even when I try to do modern I end up with vintage. So, I decided to go with it and pulled out the swing coat and shift dress.

This is one of my favourite coats. OK. I say that about every coat, but this really is a lovely one. It is a Peggy French Couture swing coat, which I am guessing to be 1960’s by the style and limited internet research I have conducted. I love the unique collar it has, with the front snap hidden under the collar tie detail. It is teal coloured wool, and I think it was custom made, since it has measurements on the tag. I found it at Goodwill, back in the day when they used to have great finds. Sigh, those were the days.

Anyways, I paired it with an East Indian tunic I wear as a shift dress, a snakeskin patterned clutch and some sparkly rhinestone earrings. Oh, and of course, with a look this 60’s inspired, the white sunglasses were a must.

Sunday Style: Valentines

Nicole outfits

Happy Valentine’s Day!

When contemplating what to wear on Sunday, which happily this year coincides with Valentine’s, I realized that I do not own very much red or pink clothing. Actually this blouse represents the sum total of garments that I own in those shades. (This obviously means that my wardrobe is seriously lacking, and should be remedied as soon as possible.) So, this top was the “only” choice for what to wear.

However, the only problem was that this blouse started out as one of those horrible peasant style blouses with an elasticized hem that, instead of falling on the waistline, falls on the hip. As all women know, it is obviously a very flattering silhouette to have a loose, and pouffy top end on the widest part of your body. I decided that the top was worth trying to save though, so earlier this week, I removed the elasticized part and re-smocked it with new elastic at my natural waistline. Fortunately it was a quick fix, taking me only about an hour to do, and the end result is a comfortable and flattering top, that I can easily wear over or tucked in to skirts.

I paired the skirt with my new favourite black floral skirt. I was searching for the longest time for a long 90’s floral skirt- the kind that are prolific in thrift stores- right up until the time I decided that I would like to get one, in which case they suddenly became extinct. So, when I came across this cotton, I decided to sew one up myself. Long skirts are just so fun to wear.

The floral paired perfectly with the pink lace and couldn’t be more Valentine’s appropriate if it tried.

Hope your Valentine’s Day was sweet, however you chose to spend it!

That Girl

Nicole outfits

Sometimes I struggle with being that girl.

The girl who wears high heels and dresses daily. The girl who wears fur coats and hats. The girl who wears cat eye liner and bleaches her hair blonde, or perhaps dyes it pink. The girl who stands out from pretty much everyone else around her, because she wears vintage. And lets face it- in Alberta that is not really as common a sight as other areas of the world.

Usually I don’t notice it. I just wear what I want and don’t take a second thought. But then sometimes I wonder to myself- what do other people think?

Sometimes when I go out, especially with my friends or family, my first instinct is to grab my vintage fur, or my widest brimmed hat, but then I end up backing out and wearing something relatively “normal” and unobtrusive. None of my friends wear vintage; most of them live in jeans and a t-shirt (and there’s nothing wrong with that!), and so I sometimes think that I will stand out from them and look strange. It’s not like anyone actually thinks that- that’s just my own self consciousness and doubt, but it’s kind of hard to be different sometimes.

But, I am coming to realize that vintage fashion is my “thing”. Fashion is supposed to be fun. And fun for me is a ridiculously full skirted dress or a fluffy feathery fascinator. Just because that’s not everyone else’s thing, doesn’t mean it can’t be mine. And, whenever I do dress up, I enjoy it so much more.

So on days like that, when I doubt, I instead decide to wrap my hair up in a turban and pull out my best fur coat. And I do love it. It’s my thing. I’m just that girl.