Looking back at September 2013

In the wee hours of the morning two days ago, I sat there, kitty and husband sleeping like peaceful little angels beside me on the bed, and wondered just what exactly this month had been. At once it seemed agonizingly long and mind blowingly quick. I know the reasons for both: my dear mother-in-law's recent passing being the chief reason for the first, the whirlwind of activity and unbridled fun of our trip to Calgary explaining the latter.

Throughout September Tony and I rode a proverbial rollercoaster of emotions, bracing for tsunamis of sorrow, and yet also being reminded of the profound power of happiness, change (of pace and scenery, that is), and the importance of moving forward.

I am both worn out and uniquely uplifted as we peer towards October, but I believe that the happiness instilled in my soul from our time in Calgary will help set the coming month off on a good note, solid footing, and with plenty to feel excited amount as we barrel through the awesomeness that is autumn.



{No matter what may be transpiring in my life, autumn's return - and the cold weather fashions it entails - always brings me joy, makes me yearn to spend as much time outside as possible, and is cause for celebration in my books. Image source.} 



There are mountains of crispy, brittle leaves in a jewelry shop's worth of regal hues to kick merrily into the air and crunch on underfoot. Pumpkin pies, muffins, cakes, cookies, breads, and soups to whip up. Family gatherings to cherish and delight in, very much including Canadian Thanksgiving on the 14th, and of course my endlessly beloved Halloween to look forward to. In fact, ever since I was the tiniest of sprouts, October has been my favorite month of the year.

So much so, in fact, that I made sure it was the month Tony and I were married in, and this year, as it does every few years, our wedding anniversary, just happens to fall on the 14th. I can think of nothing in the world that I'm more grateful for than my husband and our incredible relationship, so when this occurs, it always feels especially fitting.

Though there was much turbulence in our life throughout September, I didn't waiver much from my usual course of posting here on the blog. There are times when life calls for such interruptions, certainly, but in my heart of hearts, I didn't feel like this month was, ultimately, one of them, and actually found quite a lot of solace, and I so often do, in writing posts recently and thinking ahead to those for October and autumn as a whole.

We launched September by taking an in depth look at the especially clean cut cousins of saddle shoes, white bucks, an image packed alphabet filled The ABCs of Vintage Fashion, then this month's edition of Flickr Favourites was all about the return of the school year, classic plaid, and the changing of the seasons, plus I reviewed the awe-inspiring tome that is 1940s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook by Emmanuelle Dirix.

As well the first comfort food recipe of autumn was dished up care of some delicious 1950s Zesty Baked Beans; we chatted about the importance of Sourcing blog post ideas and inspiration from those around you, celebrated the wondrous beauty of the harvest moon in September's edition of Vintage Fashionista Friday, I sang the praises of autumn's return, and was delighted to receive and continue passing along the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, amongst other fun posts this month.

On the vintage fashion front, there were three outfits to blogged about in September, all shot during the tail end of summer, when the light was golden, the days still toasty, and multiple layers hadn't become an absolute must again.




First off it was 1920s yellow, 1940s peach, and plenty of cute feathered friends at Lion's Park (a snap from which appears above here), followed by one of my absolute favourite 1940s housedresses (in an autumn perfect palette) partnered with a caramel hued snood, and most recently, I had the great pleasure of receiving, wearing, and reviewing an awesome rainbow crinoline from Pettiskirt Style (don't forget, my dears, you can save 20% off your entire purchase from Pettiskirt Style anytime up until October 30, 2013 when you use the coupon code Jessica20 at the checkout).

A big shout out and thank you to all those who sponsored Chronically Vintage in September. If you haven't swung by these marvelous sites and shops yet, be sure to do so, you won't be disappointed in the slightest!

-Blue Velvet Vintage

-Bloomers & Frocks

-Little Netties Vintage (new to CV sponsor family this month)

-Lucky Lucille

-Maejean Vintage

-Vintage Frills


This month also welcomed author Stephanie Lehmann and her latest, thoroughly engaging and highly enjoyable sounding (I haven't read it yet, so I can't review it personally at this stage) novel Astor Place Vintage, as a new sponsor.

Just as September itself wraps up today, so too did we recently (officially) say good bye to all the warmth and loveliness of summer. It seems, somewhat uncharacteristically for this neck of the woods, that summer couldn't make a beeline out of town fast enough here. Almost as though someone flicked a switch, summer disappeared and a rather chilly autumn rolled into town. I'm hoping that the temps perk back up a bit this month, as I'd like to feel like we had at least a few days between the extremes of summer and another long Canadian winter.

As I reflect back on the past month, I cannot help but also think about the entire season that just passed. The lofty highs and painful lows, the good and the not-so-good, the smiles, the memories and the things that didn't get to happen in the end. There were some posts, all relating to things that we did, that I didn't get a chance to write and which now seem as though the moment has long past and they'd be a bit out of place in October. I shall not forget them though, and chances are, at one point or another, I'll still get the opportunity to talk about them here (likely after visiting/doing said place/experience again next year).

The summer of 2013, as with the rest of the year so far, didn't play out (for the most part) how I'd envisioned it at all. Life rarely does though, I've long come to learn, and there's little sense in dwelling on the negatives or fretting about what didn't happen (or happen the way you wanted it to). There were some outstanding points throughout the season, don't get me wrong for a moment, undoubtedly the most awesome of which was our trip to Calgary this month. For a week we got to escape the daily grind, step away from our worries, and just have a blast in a different city.

Throughout October I'll be blogging multiple times about our trip (including where we went, what I bought, and all the cool dets about my first ever blogger meet-up!), as well as jumping head first in the all things Halloween (my very favourite holiday), rounding up a number of my must-have vintage fashion essentials, answering your questions about how Tony and I do outfit photo shoots, and bringing you a great new blog giveaway from beloved Canadian production company, Sullivan Entertainment - plus plenty of other diverse, enjoyable topics throughout the coming thirty-one days.



{Much like actress Pier Angeli in this charming 1950s photo, I get wide eyed with excitement and happiness about both October's return and All Hallow Eve, the star attraction for many of us in the coming month. Image source.} 


Yes, September was a strange month, filled as with its mix of snail and warp speed days, as well as summer's almost unbelievably quick departure. It was hard, it was fun, it saw tears, and it built character. It's not a month I'll soon forget, nor that I would want to, but ultimately, I'm relieved that it's wrapping up. Time feels like it needs to move on, and so do I, which is all the more reason I'm profoundly glad that October will be here tomorrow.

Whatever the coming month holds in store, I hope that it abounds with merriment, beauty, autumn time pleasures a plenty, and the start of a marvelous third season of the year for all of us.

Happy October, everyone!!!