I heart vintage plaid, novelty brooches, and fab green hats

Oooh, and our absolutely awesome new full frame Canon EOS 6D camera, which shot all of today's snaps, as well.





Outfit details

1930s/40s green wide brimmed hat: Jardin Antiques in OK Falls
Vintage gold toned heart earrings and matching brooch: The Best Vintage Clothing
1950s plaid vest: eBay
White button front shirt: Reitman's
1940s red ruched gloves: Thrifted from Value Village (along with two other pairs of vintage gloves the same day, as seen here)
Faux pearl stretch bracelets: Real Canadian Superstore
Black vintage handbag: etsy seller A Vintage Revival
1950s black pencil skirt: either thrifted or eBay
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Black faux suede round toe pumps: Walmart
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Antonio Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

My husband is not the kind of person who is prone to buying a lot for himself. He has certain beloved hobbies and areas of interest of course, but compared to most folks in the twenty-first century, he is not a big shopper at all. No, he'll happily pass on purchasing numerous small items here and there on whim, to save up for an investment piece, something he wants, and often sincerely needs, no matter how long it takes. I admire this quality in him immensely, and think it's one we should all strive to embody - at least some of the time.

It had been years since Tony's last really big purchase, and further back in time still since he bought a new camera. The Canon 30D that he had been shooting with since 2006, is a great workhorse of a DSLR, and it's served us awesomely for a long time, however it's starting to show signs of its age and is now somewhat outdated in terms of its technology. Our’s stills works, and will no doubt be used again (especially because some of our lenses aren't compatible with the 6D), but the time had come to add a new DSLR to the family.

True to form again, Tony diligently researched various models in our price range, and spent a good amount of time debating the merits, pros and cons of a couple of cameras in particular before taking the plunge. He - clever and budget-savvy lad that he is - opted to purchase a new camera while we were in Alberta, where there's only one tax (so instead of paying the hefty 12% we get hit with in B.C., he only had to fork over 5% for the tax in Alberta), saving us a nice chunk of the change in the process.

The Canon 6D is a magnificent creature, and we're both ecstatic with it. Though there will be images from recent shoots using the old camera still to appear here on the blog (as they were taken prior to this purchase) in the coming weeks, today I'm thrilled to bring you a lovely late afternoon set of snaps that we took with our new beaut one day recently in the quaint little town of Peachland (which, interestingly enough, despite being en route to Kelowna, a place we visit often, we'd never stopped to shoot in before).

In addition to the 6D itself, Tony also bought some great flash equipment second hand while we were in Alberta, some of which also made its blog debut in today's snaps. We're really pleased with our purchases and love that we'll be wrapping up this year and kicking off 2014 (and beyond) with a terrific new digital SLR tucked into our trusty camera bag.

Tony wasn't the only one had a budget in mind while shopping on the road, I too headed to Calgary with a specific amount of money that I had allotted to spend, and though I pretty much maxed it out, I'm happy to report I didn't overspend. However, as much as our trip pretty much taped me out until the end of this year (I knew it would and was happy to take that approach, so as to have a good budget to work with while in Calgary), I couldn't help but pick up a few treasures at Jardin Antiques in Okanagan Falls (which you may recall from this post last year) just one day after we returned home.

I hadn't been in there for over a year, and they had some really great hats this time around. I'd only bought one new vintage hat during the course of our travels in Alberta, and as that had been sometime I'd expected to find more of, I would up buying not one, not two, but three marvelous vintage hats from Jardin Antiques, my very favourite of which appears here today.

Talk about a stunner, no? From the endlessly classic 1930/40s shape to vivid emerald green hue, there isn't a single element about it that doesn't make me swoon. In fact, this hat has now become my second favourite out of my whole collection (I highly doubt anything will ever usurp my beloved 1940s dusty rose tilt hat for first place). I'd wanted a hat in this shape for years, and was pleased as punch to find one not only in person, but mere miles away from home. I suspect that you will see this particular vintage chapeau many times in future outfits.

Plaid is a pattern that I adore and enjoy wearing all year round, but I feel always feel an extra strong pull towards it come the start of autumn and ever since last month's edition of Flickr Favourites, it's been on my mind all the more.

I don't own many vests, much as I really like them, let alone vintage ones, but a notable exception to that statement is this cheerfully lovely (circa) 1950s plaid number. It's so cute, fits me live a glove, and comes in particularly handy as a holiday season piece in December. Of course it rocks earlier in the year, too, and I love that I now have the perfect hat to partner with it.

Speaking of love, can we take a moment to chat about how seriously darling this great vintage novelty brooch (with matching earrings) from The Best Vintage Clothing is? It's all kinds of cute, perfect for just about any vintage outfit you could dream up, and an especially fitting set to wear during the month (October) that houses our wedding anniversary.

This set was very thoughtfully sent to me as a review product from online seller The Best Vintage Clothing, and I sincerely adore it to pieces. I've always been a fan of vintage novelty brooches that link two pieces together by a wee piece of chain, and the fact that this brooch comes with a matching pair of (clip-on) earrings just makes me flip for it all the more. Talk about the perfect Valentine's Day vintage jewelry set if ever there was one!  (And speaking of The Best Vintage Clothing, they're very kindly offering Chronically Vintage readers the chance to win an online gift certificate to their site in mid-November, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that great giveaway here in a couple of weeks).

The vintage vet, glorious green hat, and heart shaped jewelry set were the stars of the show here, so I kept the rest of my outfit on the down low. A classic white button front shirt, 1950s pencil skirt, vintage gloves and handbag, two pearl stretch bracelets, seamed stockings, and black faux suede pumps nicely rounded out the early autumn mix.

Both Tony and I are over-the-moon delighted with our new camera. It's sleek, powerful, and very modern (the 6D was just released last winter), not to mention a step up from the 30D. We're really looking forward to taking tons of photos in the months and years to come with it - some of which, I may even force myself to wear a different hat for! :)