A charming vintage leaf applique skirt, a subtle Mad Men vibe, and plenty of chilly autumn wind

Outfit details

Brown velvet Frank Palma vintage hat: etsy seller Nostalgia Vintage
Gold toned swirl earrings: Dollar store (ages ago)
Faux fur trimmed brown cardigan: Sears
Vintage plastic maple leaf brooch: Gift from a dear vintage loving friend ♥
Vintage wooden bead necklace: Thrifted (Salvation Army)
Rust orange hued knit shell: eBay
NOS 1970s autumn leaf applique skirt: etsy seller Cricketcapers
1950s/60s golden-orange gloves: eBay
1950s corduroy bucket purse: etsy seller Rue 23 Vintage Clothing
Nude seamed stockings: eBay
Dark brown faux alligator heels: Pipsqueaks and Damsels Consignment Store
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Antonio Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Autumn is typically a rather short lived creature around these parts. As such, I strive to sport its palette as much as possible while its here. Not content with merely one brown and orange outfit this season (or even this month - see this post from a couple weeks ago for my first), I brought out the big guns, to speak, recently with one of my favourite novelty skirts.

Much like my cute watermelon slice skirt, this fabulously fun autumn leaf applique number hails from the 1970s, but it's a snap to style in a 1940s, 50s, or 60s direction, if desired. Partnering it with a cozy faux fur trimmed cardigan, orange knit shell, a long strand of vintage wooden beads, plus a brown velvet vintage hat (quite possibly last seen on the blog here, if memory serves me right), orange vintage gloves, and my beloved 1950s corduroy bucket bag, I took it in a direction that I would say channels the sartorial spirit of the late 50s/early 60s.

Poor weather, from rain to fog, and oodles of wind has been present through a decent chunk of this fall, which these days, is much more akin to winter. Wind, something most of us who take photos outdoors contend with at least some of the time, was out in full force on the day we grabbed these snaps downs at Skaha Park here in Penticton. Fortunately, unlike during some of our past gale filled shoots (such as this one), my hat stayed put this time around.

When I was uploading and sorting through these photos, I was stuck by how something in this ensemble reminded me a bit of the chic outfits worn by department store head Rachel Menken, one of Don Draper's paramours from the first season of Mad Men. I'd say it’s a bit more fanciful that her look, but there's something about the general lines and even the colour palette that made me think of her to a certain degree. Do you see it, too?

As we sit here, a day less than a month away from Christmas, I already feel a bit nostalgic for the bright, early, sun-kissed afternoons of autumn, of which we had corporately few in 2013. Fall's palette is still coming out to play when I get dressed, but I feel the pull towards my usual winter hues - black, grey, navy blue, red and purple, in particular - coming in strongly on its heels.

I'm not ready to suit up like jolly old Saint Nick quite yet though, and this week as my dear friends in the States celebrate their joyfully lovely day of thanks on Thursday, I'll be keeping fall's spirit alive a little longer in looks such as these, which are certainly something on the fashion front that I feel especially grateful for each year.

This ensemble would look out of place on the fresh, sparklingly new days of April or when the temperatures were soaring past 100F in late July. Right here, right now however, with a few weeks still to go before Christmas and a handful of resilient leaves clinging steadfastly to their branches for a little longer, it's as perfectly well suited to autumn as harvest moons, Indian corn, and pumpkin pie, and I'm going to delight in every last earthy palette hued moment of it.