Flickr Favourites: January 31, 2011

 
♥ ♥ ♥  
{Vintage winter in the city ~ Tobyotter}
 {January 24/365 ~ Lisa Jane Brown}   {Untitled (snowflake) ~ A bunch of beans}  
{Marie Doro ~ Captain Geoffrey Spaulding}  
{Vintage winter wedding ~ loretoidas}  
{Mickey with an icy beard ~ sarasocke}  
{deerinhere ~ danske}    {Mom at the window ~ sythia_c}  
{Vintage winter wedding (2) ~ loretoidas}  
{Winter rose (tribute) ~ Marti Coma}
♥ ♥ ♥
  

I strongly believe that vintage magazines are one of the most important links to the past that we have. They were generally created to perfectly capture the "here and now" of a given moment in time, highlighting the topics, fashions, foods, lifestyles, decor, technology and myriad other elements that made up life as as the world knew it right then and there.

 

Old magazines are definitely a passion of mine. I have a modest selection of (mostly women's lifestyle and fashion) titles from the late 30s through to the 50s, which I cherish and never tire of rereading. However, it's not always a walk in the park (nor easy on the wallet) to find vintage magazines, which makes have websites that are devoted to this fascinating subject all the more important.

 

{1. On campus - Maureen O'Sullivan, 2. L'Officiel-December 1950, 3. Vogue-September 1948, 4. Junoir Clique 1946. All image via the Retro/Vintage Magazines Flickr group.}

One great Flickr group devoted solely to the topic is Retro/Vintage Magazines. Don't let the word "retro" put you off. This group includes images spanning the forties through the seventies, and amidst the mod 60s and swinging 70s entries, there's a hefty dose of terrific images (scans) of 1940s and 50s magazine covers, pages and ads (such as the selection highlighted above).

 

Whether you join this Flickr group and start adding your own old school magazine photos or prefer just to browse its achieves (which presently have over 3,900 uploads), you're bound to find an array of magazine images that catch your eye and capture your vintage loving imagination.

♥ ♥ ♥

 

 

My word, can it really be that we've wrapped up an entire month of 2011 already? At once drearily long (for which the tediously grey, freezing cold weather is largely to fault) and yet also so very rapid, this January will not be one that goes down in the "most memorable month" hall of fame for me. It certainly wasn't awful - just ordinary. Grey as poplar bark and teaming with the commonplace going-ons of life.

 

The optimism for 2011 that I carried into this month back during its fledgling moments is still with me, still going strong. I want this year to be better than the last on so many levels and will hold onto the hope that it will be able to accomplish that for many months more still to come.

 

I hope that January has been as pleasant and beautiful each of you as possible, and that as we launch into February tomorrow, you'll be blessed with a month ahead that teams with happiness, excitement, and oodles of vintage inspiration around every corner!

Vintage 365: Absolutely darling 1940s children's snow suit pattern

✯ Day 31 of Vintage 365 ✯

Though I have neither a sewing machine of my own at the moment, nor easy access to anyone else's, I can't seem to curb my habit of occasionally buying vintage sewing patterns. Knowing that one day I will most likely acquire a machine, and that when I do I’ll want to sew up a massive storm of 40s and 50s clothes, I can't help but purchase beautiful vintage patterns from time to time.

However, while it's one thing to nab a fantastic pattern in my size when I come across one that really beckons to me, I can't in all good conscience spend money on patterns for children, given that I don't have any kids of my own yet (trust me though, sometimes I'm very tempted - there are such so many awesome, absolutely darling vintage patterns for kids clothing out there!).

However, just because I can't justify buying a pattern for a child I don't even have yet, doesn't mean I have to forget about said pattern entirely. On the contrary, thanks to this spiffy lil' blog, I can share my vintage pattern finds with all of you (many of whom I know are avid sewers who do have kids).

Recently while "pattern window shopping" (as I like to call it) on etsy, I came across this terrifically cute Advance children's snow suit pattern from the 1940s, and knew that it was too special a find not post about.

This adorable vintage pattern is complete and comes with everything (sans fabric and notions, naturally) you need to whip up a winter jacket, pants, and a charming little cap, which all equate to one splendidly sweet vintage snow suit. Should you happen to have little ones of your own, or if you sew for kids, this classically lovely pattern (which is available for $6.95 from etsy seller YoursLovely) really is to wonderful to pass up

Vintage 365: Recipe request site stirs my passion for fascinating vintage foods

✯ Day 30 of Vintage 365 ✯

Would you like to know something about me, my dear readers? You would? Splendid! :) I love - and I really do mean adore with a ceaseless passion - reading and learning about new (or more accurately, new to me) recipes. For as long as I can recall I've relished pouring overcook books the way that some folks lose themselves in mystery novels or harlequin romances. I can easily devote hours to cookbooks, reading them cover to glistening food photo adorned cover, and find myself daydreaming about diner parties, holiday suppers, and everyday meals as I consume the marriage of wordsmithery and culinary creation that is a well written and/or intriguing recipe.
In fact, my passion adoration for reading (and also cooking from said) recipes extends beyond just books and culinary magazines however, I'm also rather fond of perusing the virtually endless array of recipes that are to be found online. Perhaps not all that surprisingly, I have a major soft spot in my heart (and endless love) for yesteryear recipes. From the the food that was cooked by pioneer settlers of the nineteenth century to the cocktail party spreads of 1950s homemakers, I practically eat up any sort of vintage recipe I come across.
Recently while scouting around for some WW2 ration era recipes (budget stretching and resourcefulness never go out of style in my books - or at my house), I chanced upon a wonderfully entertaining site with the witty name of Ask Uncle Phaedrus, Consulting Detective and Finder of Lost Recipes. This delightful site is a collection, compiled over the past eleven years, of requests for recipes (and in many cases the sought after recipes themselves, as provided by Uncle Phaedrus) by readers from around the world who are seeking help in tracking down a vast array of modern and vintage recipes alike.
As one might imagine, there are some rather eyebrow raising requests (such as recent one for lasagna made with celery instead of pasta, for example), though, in my opinion, a lot of the queries (and recipes that have been provided) run the gamut from quirky-but-possibly-delicious to flat out mouth-watering sounding.
With over a decade's worth of achieved immensely diverse requests (a fair number of which are for older/classic/heritage foods) and recipes to sift through, this site is a treasure trove of culinary knowledge, inspiration, and entertainment for anyone who enjoys learning around a broad range of wonderfully different foods that have been enjoyed (by at least some portion of the population) at one time or another. And I for one, cannot wait to spend many a chilly winter's evening pouring over a great many of them! :)

Vintage 365: 1940s ad reminds parents not to leave their babies alone aside while they go shopping

✯ Day 29 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

How often have you heard people of our grandparent's (or parents, depending on your own age) generation refer to the mid-20th century as "simpler times"? Despite the intense hardships our grandparents and great-grandparents enduring during the Great Depression, WW2, and the aftermath of rebuilding much of the globe and getting the economy back on track after the second world war, in my experience, many people that I've spoken to who were alive during these years found them to times that they looked back on with fondness and reverence.

Yes, life was complicated in many ways (hasn't it always been in one capacity or another though?), but it was also wonderful - and perhaps indeed, simpler. Back in the 30s, 40s, and 50s children were not only generally allowed to play outside sans adult supervision, they were expected to. Communities were often more tightly knit, folks knew and spent time with their neighbours, and as a whole society was a more trusting place.

However, even in these seemingly safe times, the (US) National Safety Council still felt it best to remind people periodically about certain practices that they felt were best to be avoided, such as leaving your baby outside in its stroller/pram when popping inside a shop (as the ad above, which comes via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding's Flickr stream shows). Lest your jaw drop at the mere thought, I can assure you that in talking to my grandparents and various elderly neighbours over the years, that this practise (which is still done in some parts of the world) was once very common (especially in smaller towns).

Today many would shudder at the notion of leaving their baby or young child unattended in public for even so much as one red second, and (for better or worse) that may indeed by far be the safest approach in these unpredictable times. Yet back in the 40s when this National Safety Council ad ran across America, such practises were viewed as completely normal. I think that people were more trusting of each other in those days; the unthinkable idea that someone could kidnap your baby from its stroller was simply not one that many dared to entertain.

However, as time rolled on and (whether in reality or merely perception) the world began to be viewed as a less safe, more hostile environment, mothers stopped leaving their children outside when the went into shops (the advent of shopping carts with seats for children to sit in as mother shopped was also no doubt part of the reason less babies were left outdoors), and today the idea seeing an ad such as this one would surely seem comical to most.

Yet, as my grandmother is fond of saying - and I really do believe - those were simpler, better times when men still tipped their hats to ladies, borrowing a cup of sugar from the family next door was commonplace, and babies really did wait outside stores as their mother's did the weekly shopping.

(Vintage 365) Found: affordable vintage style seamed stockings

✯ Day 28 of Vintage 365 ✯

If, like me, you happen to live in a climate that gets mighty chilly in the winter, you may find yourself sporting more hosiery during this nippy season that at other times of the year. From knee highs to opaque tights to sheer nylons, for those who wish to don skirts and dresses no matter the weather, stockings of some capacity are often on the bill.

Perhaps because I don't have the biggest of winter wardrobes, I often wear clothing intended for other seasons (think summer dresses, autumn cardigans, spring skirts) that I make winter-appropriate by adding items such as sweaters, blouses and hosiery (as I'm sure many of my fellow vintageistas do, too). There's much to be said for creating a four season wardrobe, and the time-honoured stocking can go a long way to helping you achieve that.

I love the look and feel of wearing stockings and tights, especially when the mercy drops and my toes suddenly feel colder than an icicle. Like many vintage loving gals, seamed stockings are a perpetual favourite of mine. There is something so deeply, immortally timeless about the elegant, sweetly alluring beauty of a thin seem running up the back of one's legs that instantly invokes thoughts of yesteryear dames, pin-ups, and everyday women alike.

With winter still very much in progress around these parts, I'll definitely be keeping my legwear in heavy rotation for a few more weeks at least! (Truth be told, I'll wear stockings on even the hottest of days, but generally I don't mind forgoing hosiery when the humid summer months come barrelling into town.) As such I thought I'd go poking around the internet to see if I could find a fairly good price on seamed stockings, and came across a fabulous UK based seller (of vintage inspired clothing and accessories) called Lady Jojo's Boutique which sells classically styled black (see photo above) and nude seamed stockings for a reasonable £5.00 a pair.

According to the description on the site these affordable, vintage inspired beauties are "as hard-wearing as they are comfortable, and as practical as they are glamorous." Say no more, I'm sold! :) Boasting a Cuban heel, slightly raised seam, and made from 100% nylon, these great seamed stockings are just the thing to stock up (pun intended) on to see you, me, and all our fellow old school fashion lovers through the rest of this freezing winter - and well beyond!

Vintage 365: Warm up to a delightful 1950s fashion video clip about sweaters

✯ Day 27 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Here in the urban wilds of Toronto, this month has been a rather bone chilling one for the most part. Though some days were "warm” enough to see icy rain instead of snow, others dipped down as low as a rather toe-numbing -24C, which certainly called for cozy, heavy-duty winter wear.

Our apartment building isn't the best heated of abodes (though we do have an electric heater my husband bought last year that helps significantly), which means that long sleeves are a definite must whether indoors or out. As such I've been reaching for sweaters or cardigans most days to help keep winter's icy breath at bay (not that I mind really, both garments are longstanding favourites of mine).

Naturally I prefer my sweaters to be - or look as though they could be - vintage. Charming 1950s sweaters in particular have always captivated my fashion loving mind, so I went looking for some images of mid-century sweaters for an added dose of wardrobe inspiration and chanced upon a darling little video clip on Youtube that shows some of the most fetching sweater styles of the 50s.

Entitled 1952 Sweater Girls, this short and sweet video is ripe with style inspiration - not only when it comes to sweaters, but also overall ensembles, hairstyles and make-up looks. I adore fashions from the early 50s (they were, by and large, so incredibly feminine and elegantly tailored), and couldn't help but swoon over the beautiful styles the models in this video are wearing .

I hope that this fun, fashion filled clip will help inspire your own styles as we battle our way through the rest of this frosty season that is so perfectly suited to all manner of vintage sweaters.

Vintage 365: Crushing on Burgon & Ball's darling vintage inspired canning products

✯ Day 26 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Some of my fondest childhood summer memories involve times spent helping my mom and grandmother can fresh fruit (especially peaches) and vegetables, whip up (seemingly) endless batches of jam, and tuck away enough preserves and tomato sauce to see us through until spring arrival heralded the return of life in our garden once again. I loved canning. Loved the repetitive joy of peeling, coring, paring, slicing and pureeing food that I knew would go onto last for many months, filling our bellies with wholesome goodness.

Though (being the apartment dweller that I am) I don't have a garden waiting at my backdoor these days, I still delight in making (albeit typically smaller) batches of jam, jelly, fruit curds, apple sauce, chutneys, and preserves when I come upon a great produce sale. There is something as timeless and beautiful as the sunrise about knowing that you're creating your own food supply, and I feel fortunate that I was exposed to this wonderful art as a child.

Whether you've been canning since you were too short see over the tomato plants or you're a complete a total canning beginner, today's vintage inspired find is sure to get you in the mood to put up a few batches of your favourite jarred treat.

Based out of the UK, Burgon & Ball is a garden and kitchen accessory retailer with a slew of elegant, understatedly pretty items - many of which have a decidedly old fashioned charm to them. I'm especially taken with the various canning (or storage/decorative, as you wish) jars such as the "Delicious Jam" one above (which are available for £2.25 each from Burgon & Ball).

It's the darling, vintage feeling font in white text on these jars (which are also available with cute sayings for herbs, pickles, marmalade, chutney, and home-infused olive oil), that instantly made me fall in love with them. I can just imagine how gorgeous any number of these classically styled jars would look on a counter while canning, lined up in a pantry during the winter (in a subtle nod to our foremothers, for many of whom canning was an integral part of life), or on the kitchen table (teaming with homemade jam) at breakfast time, can't you?

Vintage 365: Beautiful Firefox skin melds vintage style with modern technology

✯ Day 25 of Vintage 365 ✯

{The classic grey version of the top-of-the-browser header that’s featured in the "Retro Chic" Firefox theme, which I added a black border to so as to help it stand out against the background of this post.}

 

Generally speaking, I'm not a minimalist. While I wouldn’t say my style is exceedingly flamboyant or over-the-top, if I know that something can be dressed or jazzed up a tad, I'm usually game (sorry, stark white Swedish interiors, you just don't do it for me - give my sweet hubby a ring though, he loves you to pieces :D). As such I always like it when I can add an unexpected hit of vintage style to something that might otherwise veer on the ordinary side of thing.

Case in point, the melding of modern with old school that I've been using to beautify my internet browser for a number of months now. Like many of us, I've been a devoted Firefox fan for a few years (I use a Windows based PC), and for much of that time I've enjoyed sporting the wonderfully pretty skins (aka, themes - or as Firefox calls their themes, "Personas") that Firefox provides (delightfully for free) to their users.

Last year while browsing for a new theme (I like to switch themes every now and then, if only to give my eyes something new to look at when staring at my browser's internet scene each day), I chanced upon a particularly elegant number called "Retro Chic", whose name sound more fitting be "Vintage chic" (note that this skin is available in several colours including pink, purple, gold, black, and light grey).

Featuring the illustrated image of a sophisticated, deeply lovely looking 1920s woman holding a crimson rose (this image is credited by the skin's designer as being one of Alberto Varga's early works) this engaging Firefox skin is a charmingly fun way to add a splash of vintage style to the time I spend online (even when I'm not visiting a vintage site or writing a CV post).

If you use Firefox, I totally suggest checking out the thousands upon thousands of options that they have available in their personas gallery. While many of the themes have a modern spin, a quick search for keywords like “retro”, “pin up”, and "vintage" shows that there numerous personas with a wonderful old school vibe to them - which is especially great if you share my passion for guising up everything – including your internet browser - in your environment. :)

Vintage 365: 1922 Standard Plumbing ad bursts with heartwarming charm

✯ Day 24 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

One of my favourite themes when it comes to vintage ads are immensely lovely domestic scenes - you know the ones that look as though they could have been plucked from the "to paint" file of Norman Rockwell. Life rarely mimics the idealistic world portrayed by such yesteryear advertisements, yet somehow that only makes me love them more. There's something almost magical about the notion of having a house and family with which such moments of perfect homespun happiness were possible.

This wonderfully charming Standard Plumping ad from 1922 (which comes via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding's Flickr stream) simply stole my heart. From the matching pink dresses mother and daughter are sporting, to the incredibly cute miniature toy sink (does anyone know if such teeny-tiny sinks were really manufactured?) this simple scene of time-honoured home life can't help but make you smile and yearn for a 1920s kitchen so that you can wash dishes alongside your adorable, bob haired daughter.

And the winner of the Worn Fashion Journal prize pack is...

Mondays isn't exactly famous for being the best day of the week, and when you open your eyes to a thick layer of shimmery frost on the inside of your windows and howling winds blowing -22C temps outside, it can take giving yourself quite a mental pep talk to emerge from the snuggly, toasty cocoon of your bed. However, brushing these points aside, I was definitely excited to get up today (despite the near arctic weather), bright and early, so that I could draw the winner of the Worn Fashion Journal prize pack giveaway.

 

The post about this giveaway received twenty nine comments, amongst which a random number generator selected number 26 as the winner. This comment belongs to none other than Liz from the serenely pretty blog Liz Secret Rendezvous. Joyful congrats on winning, Liz! I'll be contacting you this morning with further details about your lovely prize pack.

I want to thank each of your sweet dears who took part in this wonderful giveaway. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time reading your comments regarding what your favourite kind of fashion magazines are, and have to say that by and large, I share many of the same sentiments and taste in glossies that you gals do.

Many sincere thanks go out to the awesome team at Worn Fashion Journal as well, for collaborating with Chronically Vintage on this contest. It was a pleasure to work with you, and to share my passion for your absolutely stellar, highly interesting magazine with my readers (again).

Oodles of congrats again to our lucky winner, Liz! I hope that your magazine prize pack (consisting of five issues of Worn and a couple of adorable pin-back buttons), will help bring a marvelous dose of warm, happy feelings and scads of fashion inspiration your way!

Vintage 365: Delightful vintage inspired airmail make-up bag

✯ Day 23 of Vintage 365 ✯

There are few things more enjoyable and touching than receiving a letter in the mail - especially if it's one you weren't expecting. I recently received just such a letter from a pen pal of mine on the other side of the county. It brought such a depth of happiness to my week that not even the -24C temps we've been waking up to some mornings here in Toronto recently could shake the warm sense of joy I felt from my soul.

It's scarcely a secret that letters are not written with the same frequency that they once were. Of course we have methods such as email and blogs to help stay in contact with our nearest and dearest, but so long as their is a postal system to carry them, I will always continue to write (and I very hope also receive) good old fashioned ink on paper letters.

Whether you pen ten letters a week or two year, you can always fill your home with vintage letter inspired decor, thus giving you a postal mail-like object to admire anytime you please (if you'd like to write more, but often find yourself putting it off, perhaps such an item would help motivate you to sit down and zip off a cheery note to a friend).

With that thought in mind, I went search for a lovely vintage letter themed item and come upon a beautifully charming PVC make-up bag from UK seller Aspire Style that is designed to look like an envelope on one side and a postcard on the other. Soft hues, a darling pair of birds, vintage style stamps and postal cancelations, and embroidered detailing on the front, all add up to make this Air Mail make-up pouch (which measures 17cm x 12cm and sells for £14.95) nearly as wonderful as real piece of mail.

Looking at it, I was suddenly struck with the idea that this marvelous cosmetic bag would also make a whimsically pretty place in which to store stamps, thus ensuring you'd have the correct postage ready and waiting any time you want to bring a hefty dose of happiness someone's way and mail them a handwritten letter.

Vintage 365: Library of Congress to steam 200,000 vintage songs from Universal online

✯ Day 22 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

{Talented songstress trio the Andrews Sisters, seen here, are among the many wonderful artists whose work will appear in the upcoming Library of Congress release of over 200,000 classic Universal song recordings. Vintage photo of the Andrews Sisters via last.fm.}

 

 

One of the fascinating perks of being married to someone whose personal and professional interests often differ significantly from your own is that it provides your with a window into sources of knowledge and inspiration you might not otherwise encounter. Case in point, because of my husband's involvement in the tech community, I've come to follow a fair number of sites that cover exciting news pertaining in some way to technology.

Recently a story (including a press release) on one such site, called engadget.com, caught both my vintage and music loving eye. In order to help preserve and ensure that in this modern era of digital media classic music recordings do not potentially go the way of the dinosaur, Universal Music Group recently announced that they'll soon be donating more than 200,000 master recordings of early 20th century music (specifically songs that were recorded during the years spanning the 1920s through the late 40s) to the Library of Congress.

Amongst the works that will be uploaded and streamed online by the Library of Congress in the not-too-distant future are many original copies (some of which are out of print or have never been released before) by legendary vintage artists like Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, and Billie Holiday.

This amazing roundup of songs, which is has been dubbed The Universal Music Collection, consists of Universal's best existing copies, all of which are going to be digitized and catalogued at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation, before this stellar plethora of vintage tunes is released to the public on a (thus far undisclosed) website this coming spring.

I think this is superb, important project that will benefit many, many generations to come, and I sincerely appreciate what Universal has decided to do for the sake of preserving some of the most wonderful music of all time.

You can bet I'm going to be keeping my eyes - and ears - peeled for the launch of that website (or link on the Library of Congress website, if they decide to go that route), and will definitely keep you informed of any updates on this story that I come across (perhaps on another one of those fascinating tech news centered sites I have my sweet hubby to thank for introducing me to).

Vintage 365: Darling vintage inspired, handmade Valentine's Day card is sure to warm hearts

✯ Day 21 of Vintage 365 ✯

With about three weeks left to go until Valentine's Day, it hit me this morning that time is running out to buy (or make) and send cards to your secret crush, BBF, beloved relative, favourite sorority sister, high school lab partner, or anyone else you'd like. In fact, I think Valentine's Day is a stellar - and very poignant - time to let (or remind) a lot of different people in your life that your care about/love them.

While the mainstream emphasis behind February 14th may be on romantic love, I've always seen this day, tucked away in the middle of a chilly winter's month, as a time to spread a general message of adoration and happiness, friendship and care amongst those you hold dear (after all, who doesn't love that special feeling that comes from receiving a beautiful card, complete with a thoughtful message written by friend or relative, any time of the year?).

With that thought in mind, I went searching on etsy for a card that would convey a sense of the Valentine's Day spirit - yet not necessarily be geared towards those who are knee deep in romantic amour. Of course said Feb. 14th destined card would also have to be delightfully old school inspired, too. After a fair bit of hunting around, I came upon exactly the type of vintage Valentine's Day card I had in mind amongst the delightful handmade creations offered up by etsy seller Sunny Skye Creations.

Bursting with splashes of red and pink (definitely enough to fulfill any Valentine's Day quota), charming doily lace inspired border work, a hint of sparkle, and an incredibly cute vintage inspired hand stamped image of a little girl holding a heart with with the letters "X" and "O" in it, this beautiful card (which sells for $4.00) would surely bring a generous dose of warm, fuzzy feelings to whomever you sent (or handed) it to!

Vintage 365: CV post inspires vintage blogger's beautiful 1940s looped braid hairstyle

✯ Day 20 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

The response to the Vintage 365 daily post here on CV has been tremendously positive so far, and I believe that as the year progresses things will continue to shine. Though the project is less than a month old at this point, I've already had a some people contact me to say that they blogged about one of the Vintage 365 posts that really caught their eye (thank you, sweet dears!).

One such person is the immensely lovely Tasha of By gum by golly! , a delightful vintage and craft centred blog, who wrote to say that the vintage magazine cover image I used for the January 13th Vintage 365 post Slide show celebrates 125 years of Ladies Home Journal magazine, inspired her to recreate the darling 1940s looped braid pigtails the the mother and daughter are sporting on that cover.

Not only did Tasha recreate this charming, seriously adorable hairstyle with immense success (see image above), she detailed the steps she took to do so on her blog, so that she could inspire her readers to try this playful style on their own locks.

For me one of the best elements of being a vintage blogger is the continual inspiration I gather from both yesteryear images and my fellow old school bloggers, and I was touched deeply to know that Tasha drew such stylish inspiration from one of my posts. Though my own hair is far to thin to pull off this immensely cute 1940s hairdo with any degree of success, I adore the how Tasha tied cheerful ruby hued ribbons around the tops of her pigtail braids, and I'm now inspired to dig into my craft stash and start wearing more ribbons in my hair (and should I have ever a daughter one day, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be trying the looped pigtail look on her!).

Thank you very much, Tasha, for sharing how an edition of Vintage 365 inspired you; I absolutely loved seeing your wonderful hairstyle and am sure you'll inspire scores of vintage loving gals to copy this super fun look!

Vintage 365: Channel your inner pin-up girl with these gorgeous satin peep-toe heels

✯ Day 19 of Vintage 365 ✯

Wednesdays aren't exactly famous for being the most exhilarating day of the week. Trapped between the newness of Monday and the sigh of relief that Fridays often bring, they're the sort of twenty four hour period that can seem to drag on for eons.

All the more reason, in my books, to perk up this midway day with some gorgeous vintage footwear alla this drop-dead stunning pair of ruby hued satin peep-toe, bow adorned  mules. Fit for a vintage - or modern - pin-up goddess, these elegant, alluring heels are spicier than a habanero pepper and as timelessly lovely  as any full-bodied rose.

Perfect to pair with everything from evening gowns to swimsuits, sundresses to pencil skirts, these show-stopping heels are made all the more fantastic by the fact that they're currently on sale for a fairly wallet-friendly $31.99 (down from $112.99) from RetroCuties.com, where you can find this stunning pair of shoes in ladies sizes 6-12.

Is it just me, or did merely looking at this chic pair of pin-up inspired heels suddenly help make this dreary, snow-kissed Wednesday a million times more enjoyable?

Vintage 365: Wonderful slice-of-life photo compilation of 1940s New York

✯ Day 18 of Vintage 365 ✯

{This lively black and white image of Times Square in New York City on a rain soaked day was captured in 1940, and is similar to many of the photos in the Youtube clip featured in this morning’s post. Vintage photo from straatis on Flick.}

 

There is something almost intrinsically alluring - one might say downright magical - about New York City. Even if you've never stepped foot in the Big Apple yourself, you can't help feel as though on some level you know it intimately. It's woven into our collective conscious through the plethora of movies, television shows, iconic landmarks, and excellent photos about, and from, the city that never sleeps.

Today's post pays homage to NYC with a collection of deeply lovely vintage photos from the early 1940s. These beautiful and engaging shots were compiled into a video clip by Youtube user JDProducts5, and feature photos of New York that come via the vast collection of images held by the Library of Congress. Though embedding of this video has been disabled (thus I wasn't able to include the video itself directly in this post), you can watch it here.

In this four minute compilation we get to glance at the familiar landscape that we’ve all come to know so well - yet in a way it's different, no less busy but somehow simpler, more earnest, warmer and inviting perhaps. From iconic landmarks to fleeting street scenes this collection offers up a heart-warming, fascinating look back at New York as it (and the US as a whole) teetered on the edge of brink of entering WW2.

If like me, you discovered yourself lost is a yesteryear daydream by the end of this clip, you'll find that watching it but once is not enough, and that before you know if you'll have bookmarked this excellent vintage photo filled clip for future viewing, when that siren's call to see NYC in the flesh (that nearly all of are beckoned by at some point) takes hold of your heart and mind.

Vintage 365: Keep Calm and Carry On bandages apply plenty of vintage charm to any wound

✯ Day 17 of Vintage 365 ✯

By this point, I think it's pretty fair to say that (unless you've been living under an internet-less rock and/or don't recall seeing the original version in your history books as a youngster), you've noticed the "Keep Calm and Carry On Poster" lately. Actually, over the past few years you've probably seen its iconic message scores of times, printed onto everything from traditional posters to coasters, t-shirts to cupcake flags.

While once a morale booster and reminder to the citizens of World War 2 era London to remain level-headed in times of trouble (such as during blitzes), this simple yet impactful slogan was resurrected and brought back to the mainstream conscious in the early years of the 21st century. Interestingly "Keep Calm and Carry On" has turned into a rather deeply apt slogan for our present generation, too (fraught as the last few years have been economic crisis and other major issues of all sorts that are sure to ruffle even the steeliest of nerves from time to time).

Just when you think you've seen this great vintage message on everything, it pops up someplace else new and brings a smile to your face. Case in point, while meandering through the pages of Urban Outfitter's site recently, I chanced upon this utterly charming metal tin of Keep Calm and Carry On bandages, which feature the famous slogan print on them in white set against various colourful backgrounds (20 bandages packaged in a darling red tin will run you $8.00).

You'd be hard pressed to find a more fitting saying to print on a bandage (something that one tends to turn to in moments of unexpected distress) than this! I love that you can now carry this classic British message with you, ready and waiting at all times to help tend to a minor wound – and make, no doubt, your ability to remain claim, and then efficiently carry on with your normal routine, much easier after your next scrapped knee or paper cut.  

We’re giving away a fabulous Worn Fashion Journal prize pack

The new year is here, which means it's time to kick off another stellar round of giveaways! To celebrate January and the vast amount of uncharted territory that this year still eagerly holds in store for us, Chronically Vintage has teamed up with the wonderful folks at Worn Fashion Journal to offer you the chance to win a prize pack consisting of five different issues (specifically issue numbers 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9) of this deeply wonderful magazine, as well as a couple of super fun (pin back) buttons (see photos below).

I first fell head-over-heels in love with Worn Fashion Journal at the tail end of 2009, and have been enchantingly smitten with it ever since. For those who haven't had the opportunity to spend time with this creative, immensely cool magazine yet, let me tell you a bit about it.

Worn is an independent fashion magazine for those who like more than just unfathomably expensive haute couture and endless ads in their glossies. (They also have a frequently updated website that is equally rich in fascinating fashion related content, and can be found all over the interwebs in place like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and etsy – the later of which you can purchase subscriptions to,  and pass issues of, Worn from.)

 

{I don't know who this lovely woman holding the Worn Journal prize pack is, but I absolutely love her ruby red coat and delightfully vintage looking brown shoes.}

This magazine, which is produced biannually and based out of Toronto, is rich in stories and images about all manner of modern and vintage, highly creative fashion related topics that are not the same old, same old we've all become mind-numblingly accustomed to in most mainstream women's publications.

For a more detailed look at why Worn won my heart over the first time I opened its crisp pages up, be sure to swing by this post from December 2009 in which I gush passionately about the marvelous qualities of this creative magazine.

~*~ How to enter ~*~

If you'd like to try your hand at winning this stellar prize pack (and trust me, you do! :) ), entering couldn't be easier. Please do one or more of the following things to gain up to four entries for this fashion filled giveaway.

1.) Post a comment below telling me about your favourite type of fashion magazine and/or what you'd like to see covered more in the pages of today's glossies.

2.) Post about this giveaway, including a link back to this announcement post, on your own blog, telling your readers about this contest (if you'd like to use the photos above - which come via the staff at Worn, please right click and save them to your desktop). Once you’ve written about the giveaway, come back here and let me know you’ve done so by leaving a comment with a link back to your post.

3.) Subscribe to Worn's newsletter (the sign-up box to do so is located on the left hand side of their homepage), then let me post a comment saying that you've signed up.

4.) Spread the good word about this contest via Twitter or Facebook (you can find Worn on Twitter or Facebook). Again, be sure to jot down a comment letting me know you’ve done so.

Please feel free to enter the contest however many of the four ways you’d like, just be sure that you let me know about each entry in a separate comment, to better enhance your chances of winning (four comments for example, would give you four entries into the contest, thus four potential chances to win!). Please remember to post a separate comment for each entry!

 

This contest starts today, is open to readers from the around the world, and will run until 11:59pm on Sunday January 23, 2011. Be sure to swing by Chronically Vintage on Monday the 24th to find out if your entry landed you in the winner’s seat for this awesome five magazine set of Worn Fashion Journals.

January can be a tough month. The thrill and joy of the holiday season are behind us and spring seems about a century away. Anything and everything that can perk up this freezing month is a huge plus in my books, and it's my sincere hope that this fun contest will help bring a dose of sunshine to your day and give you something (the potential of winning) to look forward to.

Thank you very much - and the very best of luck - to everyone who enters!