My gorgeous new Pigtails & Pirates skirt and the most stunning Victorian gate I've ever posed with

Outfit details

Pink 1950s straw boater-esque style hat: eBay
Aqua blue and white cameo earrings: Handmade by me
Chunky cream pearl necklace: (I think, had it for years) Shopper's Drug Mart
Oatmeal hued cardigan: Suzy Shier
White ruched neckline top: Sourpuss Clothing
Green 1940s/50s ruched gloves: Probably eBay
C. 1950s grey handbag: Running Rabbit Studio
Blue Bloom Pencil Skirt: Pigtails & Pirates
Green tights: Ardene
White pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano












































{Located in the historic and very elegant Rockland neighbour hood of Victoria, the iron gate and fence and the granite columns baring the name Gisborn date back to 1891 and so immensely beautiful. There's a wee bit more info on it and other homes in that neighbour to be found here.}

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Though entirely unplanned (chalk it up to our recent Vancouver Island travels, the flu, other health issues, and the general hectiness of October), it's been a little over five weeks since my last outfit post here. Yikes! That's quite the stretch, especially when it's not the dead of a bone chillingly cold Canadian winter again quite yet ("yet" being the key word as we're really not too far off from that point).

I hope that today's post helps to make up for that unplanned vintage outfit sharing hiatus - especially thanks to the star attraction: the endlessly lovely floral print pencil skirt from awesome Australian clothing line Pigtails & Pirates, who very kindly and generously sent me both this gorgeous skirt and what may honestly be the cutest 1950s style dress I've ever owned (believe me, it's knock-your-socks off adorable). I will be featuring and reviewing that dress in its own dedicated post a little later in the year.

Founded in 2011 by a talented seamstress and pattern maker named Laura Jones as a seriously darling, high quality, 100% cotton children's clothing line, Pigtails & Pirates has since grown to include garments for stylish ladies as well.

Though not expressly a vintage reproduction line, Pigtails & Pirates does take a serious fashion cue from the mid-twentieth century when it comes to the designs of many of their wonderful offerings, which often blend old with new in the case of 1950s style dresses made with eye-catchingly cool fabrics featuring contemporary designs like the zombie apocalypse, Marvel superheroes, and fabulous unicorn + rainbow design that will have any child of the 80s waxing poetically with nostalgia.

The two garments that I received from the company are my first from Pigtails & Pirates and I've been wholeheartedly impressed with every element of my interactions with this great brand. From their friendly customer service to the speedy shipping and of course the lovely clothing itself. All of this brand's creations are limited runs, so it really pays to snap anything you like from them up while you can because once it's gone, it might be gone for good! I opted for the two pieces that I did because they were both fairly different from what I currently have in my wardrobe and because I felt they could easily be worked into a number of different vintage appropriate looks.

I took my Blue Bloom Skirt with me on our trip to Vancouver Island and during a rare break in rain that plagued us for so much our of time there, got in a photo shoot featuring both it and what has to be the most stunning, elegant, Halloween perfect antique wrought iron gate I've come across in person.

In fact, Tony and I had spotted this gate the night before en route to a play we were going to watch a play in the same block and neither of us could get it out of our heads, so we knew that we wanted to beeline it over there again asap to and do a shoot with this beguiling Victorian backdrop before we left the Island. Though the house behind it is no where near as old as this stately barrier any longer, thankfully the gate and its granite pillars still stand and with the bounty of fall leaves on the ground and the distinct nip in the air, there was definitely a cheerfully spooky vibe to this backdrop.

I love the idea of wearing big, bold florals in fall as a way of preserving the memory of summer's gardens which are quickly fading into oblivion again and this lovely cotton pencil skirt delivers there to no end. Being on the road and working out of one suitcase (for two weeks), I took a bit of a magpie approach, pulling colours from the skirt and looking for pieces I had to hand for the rest of my ensemble here, which is a bit more vintage inspired than full on period appropriate. Sometimes I like to go that route though, especially if I'm traveling and have a very finite number of garments and accessories to work with in the moment.

This skirt is wonderfully comfortable. It features an elastic waistband and can be worn at the waist or hips. I would note that it's not a super long skirt. I'm 5'2" with short legs and this barely grazed my knees. If you're much taller than that, chances are it will hit at or above your knees, which you may or may not mind, depending on your personal preference/the degree of modesty that you dress with. As a general rule, I personally won't wear clothing that doesn't cover my knees, so I very glad when I slipped this skirt on for the first time and saw that it did.

I'm smitten with the sophisticated floral and scroll work pattern of this Pigtails & Pirates pencil skirt design. It has notes of Marie Antoinette approved rococo style, Victorian decor, and 1940s novelty prints all at the same time and would be every bit at home in a vintage gal's closet as that of a contemporary fashionista with a flair for timeless, feminine styles.

The vast number of colours in the skirt's pattern ensure that you can partner it with tops, accessories, shoes, and jewelry in all kinds of hues and style this piece for both the cold and warm seasons alike (unless you live in a warm climate, I'd suggest tights or stockings for fall, winter and early spring through, as it is not an overly thick cotton). This skirt retails for $79.99 on Pigtails & Pirates website, where you can purchase their full line of ladies and children's clothing, as well as get in touch with the company to discus a bespoke/custom design, which they specialize in.

I personally first caught wind of Pigtails & Pirates on Instagram and was smitten from the get-go, so I was elated when the company contacted me about working together and love that I now have not one, but two, marvelous garments from their cuter-than-cute line to enhance my vintage wardrobe with. Thank you very much for collaborating, Pigtails & Pirates. I adored taking my Blue Bloom Skirt with me on my recent holiday and am sure it will see plenty of wear - and future travels - in the months and years to come (ditto for the stellar dress I received from this company as well, which as mentioned earlier, I'll be highlighting in a post unto itself later this year).

Despite the abundance of rain, we did get in a few photo shoots while on Vancouver Island, of which this is the first one I've had the pleasure of sharing with you yet. More will certainly be following in the near future, though this is the only one that includes this wildly beautiful antique gate, which was, I assure, nestled in an equally breathtaking neighbourhood filled with Victorian, Edwardian, early and mid-twentieth century homes of that sorts that would make any old school architecture fan go completely weak in the knees.

I wanted to share these outfit photos first amongst those from our trip because the backdrop in them really is so marvelously well suited to Halloween, which - much to my massive delight - just happens to be tomorrow!

{Image source}

There was a lot (!) of last minute things to do this week in preparation for All Hallows Eve which I normally would have taken care of earlier in the month but was too sick to do. Thankfully all of the important festive bases are covered and come tomorrow night, I'll costume clad (I finally found one on Monday night) and ready to hand out candy to all the darling trick-or-treaters while celebrating my favourite holiday of the year Tony and some of my relatives at our house.

It promises to be a hair raisingly good time and I hope that the same rings true for all of you as well, my boo-tiful friends, however you celebrate October 31st!