I'm not one to shrug off November

...instead I'll happily don a timeless navy blue shrug and welcome it with open arms!



Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
Navy Blue headband: unknown (possibly back from my Girl Guide days)
Pearl necklace: Birthday gift from Tony ♥
1950s plaid shirt: etsy seller Precious Garbage 
Navy blue shrug: Sears
Vintage style eyeglasses brooch: etsy
1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing
1950s navy blue pencil skirt: eBay
Yellow and purple bangles: Forever 21
Green bangle: Local swap meet (I think)
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
White eyelet sling-back flats: Payless
Lip colour: Red Apple Lipstick's Firstorm Lip Gloss over their Red Lipstick

Photography by Antonio Cangiano  











♥ ♥ ♥

Yes indeed, though November sometimes get a bad wrap, I can't help but enjoy it more often than not, especially when the weather wants to cooperate! November can be jam packed with pre-Christmas activity, but it also brings with a certain late autumn serenity that is a welcome treat after a highly busy summer and start of fall.

It's a month when I love to spend time at the library (loading up on wonderful reads - yes, mostly history books - shocker, I know!), predicting the first snowfall (I'm pegging it as November 25th this year, Tony's even more optimistic and is saying December 14th), cooking hearty stews, baking up rustic, heavenly scented pumpkin and fruit breads, hibernating more in my basement craft room, dusting off my heavy winter coat, and finalizing my holiday card list.

Though the temps have certainly swooped lower than they were earlier this fall now that we're into November, and while my heavy duty winter coat  is rearing to go, it hasn't been called up to the frontline quite yet. No, these days I've mostly been wearing medium weight skirts, my beloved Freddies jeans, knit cardigans, vintage gloves, and cute button front blouses (and umbrella to fend off the rain we've been getting often lately!).

This particular 1950s plaid shirt is quite big on me. I knew the sizing was a bit large when I bought it online, but I didn't realize until I tried it on just how much extra fabric there'd be around my midsection. I think its a darling top though - perfect for everything from camping trips to days, like this one, spent running errands or visiting relatives - and with a lot of tucking in of the extra material in the back, I can usually get it to look a bit more like it's actually the right size.

I'd been running around town for quite a while before these snaps were captured and didn't realize that some of the fabric had wiggled loose a tad in the front on the right side (so hence why it looks a little poofier there), but that's certainly not enough to deter me from sharing these photos with you.

The gloves, which you may recognize from this post last spring, are so sweet and lovely to wear. There's just something about looking down and seeing faded white crochet on a sea of elegant navy blue that makes me smile.

Plaid also makes me smile, and so does this adorable spectacle shaped brooch, and this 1950s pencil skirt (which I debuted here last month in this post), all of which seem like such a fun way to dress for a month that sometimes needs a bit of pepping up, due to the fading colour around us and the "in between-ness" of Halloween and Christmas (especially since those of us up here in Canada have already celebrated our Thanksgiving last month, so we don't have that to look forward to later in November).

Soon though, I know, these winter coat-less days will be completely behind us, and those few immensely hardy roses in our yard will vanish once and for all until spring's delicate return in 2013.

Hard to believe, isn't it, that we're less than two months away from the start of that year, a new year, and all the prospects and possibilities that another January holds in store for us all. Let's not jump ahead too much though. I still want to savour the moments of late autumn sunshine that remain, bake a few more pumpkin breads, and mail out those aforementioned Christmas cards first. :)