Celebrating Valentine's Day with my gorgeous new Mizpah Designs floral headscarf

Outfit details

Silk cotton screen printed floral headscarf: etsy seller Mizpah Designs
White plastic rose stud earrings: Claire's
Black cardigan: Fairweather
1950s coral pink knit top: eBay
Cute c. 1980s plastic bow and heart dangle brooch: etsy seller Candy Apple Vintage
c. 1930s red plastic coil bracelet: 7th annual Rutland Antiques & Collectibles Show
1950s white gloves: probably etsy or eBay
Vintage inspired black pencil skirt with pleated detailing: A Vintage Affair
Red bow stretch belt: (An Asian clothing store at) Pacific Mall in Toronto
Black crochet handbag: Thrifted (Value Village)
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
Black faux suede round toe pumps: Wal-Mart
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

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It's scarcely a secret that I love (LOVE!!!) headscarves, be they genuine vintage or modern pieces that fall squarely into the vintage appropriate camp. As such, it's seems especially fitting that for my festive pre-Valentine's Day festive ensemble this year, I received a wonderfully pretty new handmade floral print gem from UK artist and etsy seller Sarah Hall, who runs the charming shop Mizpah Designs.

Each of Sarah's designs are created by her from scratch and digitally printed on high quality cotton silk and I was delighted when she very kindly offered me the chance to receive one of her headscarves to review and model here on the blog.

Though somewhere on the lengthy journey between the UK and Canada, the postal system squashed her parcel a touch, I'm happy to say that - thanks to the very secure packaging including a lovely paper box featuring the brand's logo on it that my order was shipped with - the headscarf itself arrived safe and sound in 100% perfect condition.

What struck me first upon unwrapping it was what a quality fabric it was made from. This is not dollar store fabric by any means. It's soft yet definitely sturdy, tactilely pleasing, and cool to the touch. It glides over your hair like warm butter and is so very comfortable against the skin as well. Printed with a bold black, red, pink and green rose floral print pattern, the scarf I received will go well with a number of items in my wardrobe and can easily be worn around the neck, tied to purse handle, or looped around a ponytail as well, so it's versatility doesn't end merely with being a headscarf.

Inspired by the fashions of the swinging sixties and a longstanding love of all things vintage, Sarah puts her heart and soul into her creations, which can easily be styled to work with various decades, especially the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. I sincerely appreciate this beautiful scarf, which I've worn numerous times since it arrived, most recently on a chilly Sunday during which Tony and I were headed out to Kelowna to run some errands and visit my sister.

We pulled off the main road for a quick spell en route to snap these photos at Antlers Beach in Peachland, as a hearty wind whipped the icy waters of Okanagan Lake so powerfully that I got hit with a bit of spray a few times while shooting.

When getting dressed that morning, I used my Mizpah Designs headscarf as the jumping off point for the rest of my outfit, as well as the fact that Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I was in the mood for a generous dose of pink and red. Not just any pink, but warm coral pink, which just happens to be my one of my sweetheart's favourite hues.

Black, in the form of the cardigan, skirt, crochet purse, and shoes (and the seam on the back of my stockings) help ground the vibrant, girly colours at work here and prevent them from unintentionally veering into twee territory.

Cuteness still abounds though thanks to the red bow belt and the fun circa 1980s plastic bow and heart dangle brooch, which I bought from etsy seller Candy Apple Vintage a little over two years ago and have been saving ever since just for Valentine's Day one year. As the colours in it complimented those in the headscarf so well, now seemed like the perfect time.

I feel very blessed to have the honour of working with a wide array of companies, etsy sellers, and artisans various sponsorship capacities throughout the year. My wardrobe and blog are often bolstered by our interactions and I'm able introduce you, my dear readers, to brands and shops you might not have heard about before through posts that feature these products. As Valentine's Day approaches, I can't help but send my love and gratitude out, not only to Sarah for this splendid Mizpah Designs headscarf, but also to every one of the individuals and companies who collaborate with Chronically Vintage.

Far more than just the physical products I receive from some of my blog sponsors, with each new partnership, I gain something - including in certain cases a new friend - and my site is enriched because of it. Thank you, one and all, from the bottom of my heart for that!