15 elegantly beautiful 1940s autumn looks

From between the slats in the Venetian blinds in our living room, I can see delicate little goldenrod hued leaves fluttering about like wind chimes in the breeze - their rich, Midas approved shade symbolic of so much of what I adore about late September through early December.

From my earlier childhood memories right up until today, there has never been a time when I didn't love fall, and over the years the reasons why the second-to-last season of the year gets pride-of-place in my heart have only continued to mount.

One of my favourite elements of autumn always been the evocative, captivating colour palette it brings with it, like the best dressed lady in the world arriving at a hotel and opening her grand trucks, sensual velvets, nubby tweeds, diaphanous silks, hearty wools, and versatile thick cottons spilling forth from every angle.

While summer can sometimes seem a touch manic, autumn is calm and collected, yet by no means devoid of pep and spirit. More brazen then winter, yet less innocent than spring, it is the sophisticate of the year and surely knows it, for fall has no qualms with painting her palette of style and beauty across the land - if only for a few brief weeks.

Chalk it up to the 1980s classic Colour Me Beautiful (my mother's copy of which I actually read so many times as a youngster that pages started to fall out of it) if you will, but I've long known that autumn time colours often work well on me, and indeed a scan of my closet would quickly reveal a penchant for burgundy, teal, rust, brown, grey, muted green, copper, and burnished gold.

I'm certainly not alone in this regard, as fall's wardrobe (or at least certain shades from it) looks wonderful on a great many people, and there are few amongst us who can't avail of at least a couple of this season's sublimely lovely, subtly dramatic colours.

With that thought planted firmly in mind, may I present a selection of classy, timeless, dizzyingly beautiful 1940s fashions, each one of which conjures up a sense of the autumn and all that is enchanting about this resplendent season.

{All images via the incomparably terrific stream of dovima_is_devine_II on Flickr.}

Like the rainbow of earthy hues in a harvest time cornucopia, these vintage fashions are both visually appealing and thought provoking – not to mention more than a little bit inspiring. They celebrate much of what is marvelous about fall, while also serving as a sartorial jumping off point for other times of the year, especially if this is a palette that suits you well.

And speaking of cornucopias, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in Canada, and I'm elated about that fact that Tony and I will be sharing it together with some of my relatives for the first time ever (prior to this year we always lived thousands of miles away from them). Thus adding yet another point to the lengthy list of reasons why, now and forever, autumn - and the timelessly stylish fashions it brings with it - will always be my most beloved time of the year.