This summer, Mother's Nature's name is Marie (and I'm borrowing her colour palette!)

  Outfit details

Orchid hair flower: eBay
Gold toned hope earrings: Claire's
Green and white polka dot tee: Thrifted (Salvation Army)
Green crochet cardigan: Second Tyme Around consignment store
1940s gold toned name pin: eBay
Vintage beige button front skirt: etsy seller Have Mercy Vintage
Brown bow stretch belt: (An Asian clothing store at) Pacific Mall in Toronto
Bangle bracelets: Assorted sources
1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing
Brown leather wedge sandals: Yard sale find
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Antonio Cangiano

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Though I didn't set out to match my out to the landscape of our - suddenly verdant again – front yard, the moment I started uploading these snaps, I saw right away that I had and I rather loved it.

Though early May was unseasonably toasty here (much like Easter Sunday back in March), as a whole, spring was a bit late in returning - the sole tree (pictured here) on lawn didn't blossom until well into May, and it wasn't until early June that I started to feel like the last vestiges of winter were gone once and for all.

That they are now though for sure, and that means scads of sunny, gloriously lovely Okanagan summer days once more. Hurray! I don't have a ton of summer shoes, so it was with no small amount of glee that I found the pair I'm wearing here the very day before (these pics were taken) at a yard sale on the outskirts of the town.

They're real leather, were in perfect (I'd venture to say, never worn) condition, and had a five dollar price tag on them. I offered three and the seller said "for sure" without even batting an eye (which made me wish I'd offered two instead, but I'm not complaining three bucks is a total bargain for these classically styled beauties). They're super comfy, and I just know they're going to become one of my main warm weather footwear staples.

To help pick up the tawny brown of the shoes, I opted for a darling bow adorned belt, my beloved 1950s corduroy bucket bag, and some wood (veneer) bracelets mixed into my bangle stack.

Green continues to be my colour of the year, and as neither of these two garments have appeared here before, it felt like high time they both saw the business end of a camera lens. A timelessly pretty white and green orchid hair flower helped inject a further hit of earthy colour into this casual ensemble.

I love vintage wirework name pins. I've searched high and low for one featuring my first name, but alas Jessica was no where near as popular back in the 40s-50s as it became from the 1980s onward, and to date none have been forthcoming. Luckily however, I have two middle names, both of which are classic, popular girls names, and so far I've found a vintage name brooch for one of them: Marie.

It's probably been at least a couple of years since I bought this pin on eBay, but this is its first debut on my blog. I really like the name Marie (which I was given in honour of two of my great-grandmothers) and was thrilled when I found it (for a song to boot!). The classic cursive font and bright gold hue are eye-catchingly lovely, and help ensure it compliments everything from carefree polka dot tees to chic vintage suits.

One hears tell of Mother Nature - that fabled spirit who calls the great outdoors her own and who seems to have a serious hand in the shifting of the seasons, but have you ever stopped to wonder if she had a first name? I've pondered this occasionally over the years, and each time a different possible name comes to mind, depending on the season, my mood, or simply what girls name I'm smitten with at the moment.

This year however, as we kick off the start of another sublime summer, I cannot help but feel that she needs a timeless, sweet yet powerful name to match the plethora of warmth, beauty and strength she's bestowed upon the earth once more.

Thus, I'm (unofficially) dubbing her Marie - and she's welcome to borrow my vintage name pin anytime she wants (just as long as she promise to keep a gentle breeze blowing each night this season in return!).