Sometimes black and blue can be a very good thing

When it comes to fashion, that is.

Like many of us, my wardrobe has a decent sized chunk of black pieces in it, but I'm certainly not a colour shy person and can happily report that you'll find also veritable rainbow of hues on my hangers, too.

Perhaps it harkens back to the colours of my little brother's nursery when he was a wee newborn whippersnapper, or perhaps it's the association with a clear sky. Whatever the reason I've always been a big fan of shades that fall on the pale to bright baby blue side of the spectrum.

There's something so fresh, upbeat and timeless about a chipper, feminine shade of blue, so when I spied the 1950s skirt (in the images below) earlier this year (while in the midst of shopping to fill in some of my wardrobe gaps) on etsy, I just knew it was destined for my closet.

Though various boxes of clothing and accessories (so hence the lack of gloves and/or a hat and/or a handbag in these shots) still remain to be unpacked, I've pulled out enough items to have the basis of a good, workable vintage wardrobe while I plug away at getting to the others.

Last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting my maternal grandma, Bernice Schill, while she was briefly in town. This was, mind boggling as this fact is (for me), the first time we'd had the pleasure of seeing each other since my wedding back in October 2004, and I wanted to wear something sweet, girly, and not too formal (she was just popping in for a casual afternoon visit), so I decided it was high time I broke out my new (to me) baby blue skirt.

I've always enjoyed pairing pale blue with black, so that's the colour combo I went for with this outfit. Incidentally, I think it's a great set of hues for this time of the year, as we straddle the changing of the seasons - winter with its sombre, dark shades and spring with its airy, gentle colours.

Outfit details:

Blue hair flower: Ardene

Tiny black ribbon hair bow barrette (worn in the back): Dollar store

Black rhinestone earrings: Payless Shoes

Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from my husband ♥

Black cotton and lace top (worn under cardigan): Suzy Shier

Black cotton dolman sleeve cropped cardigan: Freddies of Pinewood

Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore

Deadstock blue 1950s buckle waist skirt: etsy seller Garnet Vintage

Seamed stockings: eBay

Black pumps: Payless Shoes

Lipstick colour: MAC Russian Red

Photography by Antonio Cangiano

As avid readers may recall from the post about my four fun goals for 2012 back in early January, I vowed to try and share more "what I wore" pictures with all of you once we moved into our new home in British Columbia (while I have technically posted a few outfit images over the last three years, they've been rather few and far between).

Now that we're beginning to settle in and those aforementioned boxes of vintage clothes are getting unpacked, I can begin to make good on my promise - a point which I'm pretty much giddy with excitement about.

These photos were taken in front of our new house (the porch railing needs a paint job, I know; come slightly better weather, it's going to get one), so you can expect to see many others featuring this location as their backdrop over time.

Earlier this month I announced that the mister and I recently purchased our first car ever, and as some of you expressed interest in knowing what kind it was, I couldn't help but include a shot of our gorgeous new four wheeled baby here (it's a Jaguar that Tony found for a truly stellar deal down in the Lower Mainland...yes, I am still pinching myself in disbelief over the fact that we own a Jag!).

I'm constantly, perpetually inspired, impressed, and encouraged by the photos of the outfits that many of you ultra stylish vintage fashionistas post on your blogs, and wholeheartedly hope that from here on out I'll be able to do the same with my fashion shots for you gals, too.

Have a richly beautiful Monday and week ahead, sweet friends!