Vintage Link Love for November 2014

It's scarcely a secret that time seems to past by more quickly the older that one gets (I've experienced this firsthand for many years now), but even I was a little bit floored by how incredibly quickly November whizzed past. It was, for me, the speediest month of 2014, despite the fact that it wasn't perfect by any means.

For example, it started out with a bad ear infect in my left ear (just a four or five days after the lengthy flu I had in October wrapped up; I strongly believe the two are connected) that is still going on and which as rendered me quite hard of hearing on that side (meds aren't helping much yet, but hopefully they will do their job soon!).

Then mid-month, I experienced the death of my beloved Canon DSLR, which had been my loyal friend, and diligent workhorse for over seven years (it had been living on borrowed time already for several months though and had a slew of issues, so I knew that the end really was near).

And most recently, two days ago on Friday morning I woke up with same cold that Tony had been battling since Monday. It was pretty much a given that I'd get it. We almost always share bugs - it's nearly impossible not to when two people spend so much time together in the same house.

Unlike the ear infection and cold, which don't have any quick fixes, when it comes to my camera - which is a must have piece of equipment not only for its own joys, but for taking photographs for all the photos for my Etsy shop (which I shot myself) - I splurged on the latest model, the T5i, of the Canon Rebel (I'd previously had a Canon XSi Rebel).

It's a such a stellar, lightweight, modern, versatile, delightful camera to shoot with and though it was a bit sad to part ways with my older Rebel (we'd been through so much and made so many awesome memories together), I must say, I'm head-over-heels with this new version and truly can't recommend it highly enough if you're in the market for a great, not-too-crazy-expensive DSLR yourself (I got the body only, not the kit, as objectively, much as I adore buying lenses, I don't technically need any new glace at the moment...yes, that stance takes major willpower on my part! :D).

Online things were buzzing with activity, too, and not just because of Chronically Vintage's first annual Vintage Secret Santa holiday gift exchange, which saw 260 participants join up to take part. Everyone has been emailed their VSS match, so on the very off chance that you haven't received yours (please check your spam and deleted message filters first), please email me right away so that I can resend that information to you.

Though this (the #vintagesecretsanta) was certainly a big and exciting part of November, again, it wasn't the only thing that had me my toes this month. Throughout the last few weeks, I've had the immense pleasure of being interview and/or written about on the following five websites, including by the stellar UK site We Heart Vintage, who tapped me to share some of my top tips for achieving success on Etsy.

I was incredibly touched that they did as much, especially given that I'm such a relatively new Etsy seller. I loved getting too talk about some of the things that are really working for me there (on Etsy) so far for the first time publicly and suspect that I'll probably post on this subject here on CV, too, as time goes on (and I've got my experience as an Etsy seller to my name).

The lovely folks behind Ruby Lane's stellar digital magazine, Ruby Read, asked me to take part in one of their magazine articles, which I did, along with numerous other leading vintage/fashion related bloggers. Turn to page 35 to see my contribution, then settle in a little while and enjoy reading the rest of this wonderful edition.

I shared a splendidly lovely interview with fabulous vintage shop Betty Rae Vintage over on their blog, which you can read here. I really enjoyed the range and scope of questions that they asked (especially question #7).

The wonderful Ms. Emileigh from the terrific vintage blog Flashback Summer honoured my Etsy shop and I with a post in November, in which she chatted about vintage sweetheart jewelry and highlighted some of the pieces of such that I had in stock at the time of writing. I've always had a great love of sweetheart jewelry myself, so I was all the more thrilled when I saw that Emileigh had very kindly featured my shop in a post on this great subject.

And last, but definitely not least, I was tickled pink to be included in a post about different, unexpected ways to style vintage cardigans, which appeared on the relatively new - and very charming - vintage blog, The Girl Kissed By Fire (which if you're not already following, I highly suggest you do - just as for the other blogs and sites mentioned above).

Now, elsewhere on the web throughout November, in posts I wasn't involved with :), there was no shortage of interesting, informative, and fun happenings as well. As usual come the end of the month, I've rounded up a dozen of the ones that stood out to me and which I'm delighted to share with you here today.

♥ Alice Guy, Cinema Pioneer: Alice Guy's name is one that I've heard in vintage movie circles over the years, but it wasn't until I happened upon this wonderful recent post from V is for Vintage that I really became well acquainted with this early female movie director and her extensive roster of films (400+!). She's a thoroughly fascinating, admirable pioneer of the film industry for sure and deserves to have the limelight shone of her, instead of just on the actors and actresses she filmed.

♥ Silver hair comb history: Hair combs are one of those immensely lovely accessories that one rarely sees worn these days, especially if we exclude weddings. Yet in decades and centuries past (and still to this day in some cultures around the world) they were an integral part of a woman's wardrobe of accessories, in no small part because most ladies of yore had long locks that were frequently worn partially or entirely up. In this beautiful post, Bianca (herself a passionate hair comb collector who has written other posts on the subject as well) takes a look a particularly marvelous type of comb, those made of silver, and leaves you wanting to add one (or more!) to your own hair accessory collection on the double!


♥ But it's my head we're talking about, sir (a look at the history of turbans): Turbans are one of those vintage accessories that I absolutely love and always enjoy seeing, yet for no particular reason, rarely sport myself (you're much more likely to see me in a snood or WW2 war worker style headscarf/bandana). This engagingly lovely post about their history from Marija shines the spotlight on turbans and was just the reminder I needed to actually wear them for one this winter.




♥ Fashion during the Blitz – Technicolor film by Jack Cardiff: I posted a link to this great piece from Glamour Daze on Facebook recently, but absolutely had to share it here as well as it is such a rare, marvelous look at ladies fashion during the endlessly challenging years of WW2 in the UK. I dare you not to go weak in the knees for every last garment and accessory featured in it!


♥ 8 reasons vintage lovers love themselves: Sammi Davis has been knocking it out of the ballpark this year with her delightfully entertaining (and informative) guides/posts about vintage for eBay, and this recent edition, which focuses on reasons why vintage lovers excel at loving themselves (no arguments there on my end) is no exception.


♥ The Faces of the Men who Fought in WW1: Penned in honour or Remembrance/Armistice Day, this moving post We Heart Vintage is a gripping, powerful reminder of the incredibly human side of war and how so many of the faces in these photos never made it home to their loved ones again, all in the name of ensuring that when the last guns of war range out during the atrocious four year fight, freedom prevailed.




♥ The Martian Invasion of 1938: In 1938, a live broadcast of H.G. Wells' famous War of The Worlds story caused a great deal of temporary stress and problems when certain listeners around America believed what they were hearing was in fact a live news report. This engaging post shares the author's mother's firsthand account of how that day unfolded for her and some of her relatives. In this day and age of CGI, news at our fingertips (and in our pockets), and a great deal more skeptics about a lot of things, it's easy to forget that there was once a time when something like this could happen a few short decades ago.


♥ Repro/vintage clothes in Denmark and the EU: Danish blogger and my dear friend, Sanne, has done a stellar job of rounding up some of best vintage and vintage reproduction websites from Denmark and elsewhere in the EU. If you live in Europe or are just searching for more great sources of vintage/repro (and who isn't?), this post is definitely for you!


♥ Grandchildren of classic film stars: Looking for proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to appearance? Enter this terrific look at some of the grandchild of classic film starts from A Vintage Nerd that will have you going "wow" with each new entry that Daffny shares.





♥ Lady in Retirement: How Can I Dress Professionally Now That I Don’t Have a Job?: Over the years I've received a few requests for suggestions on how to wear vintage after middle age. I may write a full post on that topic one day, but I feel like I need a few more years under my belt first. To help those who may be looking for fashion advice in this sphere, I highly recommend this great post Witness 2 Fashion.


♥ 6 reasons vintage suits trump modern suits: This Flashback Summer post gets a resounding nod of agreement from me from start to finish. Vintage suits are incredibly elegant, stylish and figure flattering (especially you involve, if needed, a bit of custom tailoring). They deserve a place in just every vintage loving lady's wardrobe and are a beloved staple in mine the whole year 'round.


♥ Oscar de la Renta's early years: On the heel's of legendary fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta's recent passing, Vogue (fittingly!) take a look at the early years of his career in this article that is sure to make anyone with a passion for gorgeous couture swoon!





{All images throughout the list of links above come by way of the post that they are displayed directly beneath the write up of here. Please follow the links provided to learn more about these images.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Chances are you've already started to prepare for the holidays. Perhaps your halls are decked, your cards sent and your fruitcakes are soaking. We're about to head into a hectic, magical, fun filled, beautiful, and yes, at times, stressful, chapter of the year, but it is one that I doubt few of us who celebrate it would ever want to go without it. Here on the blog front, I'll be bringing you multiple festively themed posts and very much forward to seeing all of yours as well.

November might have been quick, and at times rocky, but it was also a welcome respite between the many activities of October and the even more jam packed schedule of December, and in a way I'm sad to say good bye to it. Not too heartbroken though, as I do love and cherish Christmas immensely and am also a bit eager to welcome the New Year and see what 2015 has in store for us.




{Yippee!!! Tomorrow December will be here and with it a return of this splendidly fabulous, fun filled season of giving, love, merriment, feasting, and celebrating. I'm in a really Christmassy mood this year and can hardly wait to enjoy ever one of the last remaining 31 days of the year. Image source.}


First though, let's trim our trees, send out our Vintage Secret Santa gifts, bake a million and one holiday treats, and savour everything that is good and beautiful about this enchantingly lovely time of the year!