All roads lead to vintage fall fashion

Outfit details

Camel coloured felt beret: eBay
Gold tone metal and orange enamel earrings: Birthday gift from a dear online friend ♥
Vintage style black cotton capelet: c/o Dolly & Dotty
1950s striped cotton day dress: Stutterin' Mama
1940s style pumpkin dangle brooch: Summer Blue Jewelry
C. 1980s does 1950s tan brown leather belt: (Probably) Thrifted
C. 1950s ruched black gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably eBay or Etsy)
Canvas and faux leather handbag: Tabi
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style black faux suede pumps: Walmart
Lip Colour: MAC Partyline


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

...Or at least they do for me personally. :)

Like many of us, I acquire new items for my wardrobe (and periodically part ways with others) all throughout the year, but no matter the season, when I'm shopping for clothing, accessories or jewelry, I'm thinking about autumn time.

My favourite season by a wide margin (though I do genuinely adore, appreciate, and delight in each of them), fall calls to my heart and soul. It is the short-lived middle ground between sweltering and freezing, and here in Canada such is often (at best) a matter of weeks. The notion of a long, mild fall that spans September to early December is virtually unheard of in these northern lands.

Still, even if we're handing out Halloween candy to kids sporting snow suits, I still like to wear autumn coloured, themed and inspired looks for that duration and make a point to try and have at least a few new pieces that fit the bill to the tee on hand well before September rolls into town again.

One such garment, which I picked up earlier this year from Stutterin' Mama is this very classic, very sweet black, tawny brown and white striped 1950s dress (which I mentioned in passing here a few weeks ago). I'd been wanting to add a striped vintage dress to my closet for ages and this charmer was a case of love at first sight for me.

It has elbow length sleeves, a midi hem, a flattering cut, a cute little folded collar, and a colour palette that doesn't just sing with the spirit of fall, it belts it out like Pavarotti!

As I knew the seasons would be changing hands big time while we were in Edmonton, I made sure to pack not only this dress, but a beautiful recently acquired vintage style black cotton capelet (called the Sabrina Glamorous 50s Style Cape Shrug) that I received from Dolly & Dotty, with me on our travels (thank you so much, D&D, for this awesome gift).

On the particular day that these photos were taken, Tony and I had just spent a couple of hours visiting the absolutely delightful Fort Edmonton Park (it's so big and engaging that we didn't get to see it all in that time frame and will definitely aim to return on a future visit to Edmonton), which we both adored.

It was fun, too, as I've encountered here and there at other historical parks over the years, to see fellow park visitors wondering/thinking that I worked there due to my vintage attire.

As a general rule, capelets (aka, short capes) are not something that I wear often, simply because they tend to make my (naturally small) shoulders and upper torso look a lot, lot wider/bigger than it really is. I adore them as a garment though and was willing to take the gamble, so to speak, when Dolly & Dotty inquired as to if I'd like to try out one of their elegant versions.

Given that I don't presently own a black cotton capelet, I decided to take the plunge and am more than a little bit thrilled that I did. Yes, I do see some of that bulk factor happening, but objectively that's rather the nature of capelets, capes and poncho shaped garments in general.

This cape is sweet, well made and endlessly classic. I love how well it partners with longer length gloves, too. Being on holiday, I didn't have my whole glove wardrobe with me, but I did of course pack a few pairs, of which I felt these ruched black ones worked best in the context of this outfit (I don't own a caramel coloured longer length pair, but if I did, I think such would have rocked here, too).

Interestingly, in a way, despite my general reservations when it comes to capelets, of the beautiful garments I've received from Dolly & Dotty this year, I actually think I'll sport this capelet most often of all (as it's so versatile, lightweight and perfect for layering from fall clear on through to spring). Proof positive, if you ask me, that it always pays to revisit styles that you like, but think might not work well for you personally.

We grabbed these peaceful photos at the John Janzen Nature Centre Park that was directly beside Fort Edmonton. The leaves were beginning to turn the colour of Bartlett pears and a definite nip was in the air, so I was grateful to have this capelet over my shoulders as I stood on that small foot traffic bridge.

To the surprise of no one who knows me, I'm sure, I was shopping for (further) new fall appropriate items while on our trip and am happy to say that I found some, including a fabulous Halloween themed Hell Bunny skirt that I picked up at Rowena (which I'm really hoping will appear here on the blog this year - if not, in the future for sure!).

Fall's colours and the imagery - from pumpkins, such as those in the beautiful Summer Blue Jewelry vintage inspired brooch that I'm sporting here, to leaves to apples and scarecrows – are “me” through and through.

They bring me joy in all forms, very much including the wearable type, and I love that a season I plan, shop for, and dream about all year is here again. Especially when I have fun new-to-me pieces to wear like many of those featured into today's seasonal ensemble.

Are you a fan of fall's colour palette and/or iconic imagery for your own wardrobe as well? Do you find yourself shopping for any one season more than the others?