Party like it's 1949!

✯ Day 365 of Vintage 365 ✯

We've done it, sweet friends, through the highs and the lows, the smiles and the worries we've reached the last and final day of the Vintage 365 Project.

Amidst record breaking heat waves and an (albeit minor, in terms of how much we felt it up here in Ontario) earthquake, a broken foot, three surgeries, anniversaries, beloved holidays and a lot of personal turmoil in my life this past year, like a shinning beckon of old school hope, this project helped keep my spirits up and was nothing short of a joy to work on every day.

As I covered pretty much this same point in yesterday's post, I won't rehash it again, but I did just want to clarify one point (which people have actually been bringing up for several months now): while I will no longer be blogging here absolutely every day of the year, this blog is definitely still remaining active and will hopefully see the inclusion of two or more new posts each week.

Some will be chocked full of fascinating historical information, others (I hope!) photos of my vintage outfits, holiday celebrations (especially - and this will not come as a shock to any long time Chronically Vintage readers - Halloween), handy tips on a wide range of topics, gorgeous photographs and ads from days gone by, delightful web finds, scrumptious recipes, clothing sources, facts about historical figures, toe-tapping yesteryear tunes, and myriad other topics pertaining to the mid-twentieth century.

To say I look forward to what 2012 has in store both for my life and for Chronically Vintage, would be a rather hefty understatement! I'm planning on making this a year filled with as much vintage as I can possibly cram into every last nook and cranny, and cannot wait to share it will all of you!

For today though, let's all turn our attention to the holiday celebration at hand. In less than 24 hours we'll be whisking away 2011 (which I know many are apt to say "good riddance" to!), and welcoming the New Year with open arms and a highly optimistic outlook.

{Actress, dancer and comedian Olga San Juan looking shipshape and completely cheerful (just as I'm feeling right now, too!) as she rings in the New Year in this fantastic vintage image from the late 1940s. Photograph via carbonated on Flickr.}

 

The title of today's post is a spin on Prince's classic song, 1999, and in a nod to the fact that I want to make 2012 (as just mentioned) the most vintage filled year of my life. The past is constantly an invaluable part of my present, and I feel so blessed that I have an outlet like this blog to share my unyielding passion for all things vintage with each and every one of you.

I hope that whether you're kicking it old school tonight at a gala soirée, gathering in Times Square, spending a quiet night at home watching the ball drop (like me and the mister), or partying the night away, I sincerely hope you have a stellar New Year's Eve!!!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, everyone for being a part of the Vintage 365 project this year. I couldn't have done it without you and am so excited to celebrate all that 2012 has in store together!

Introducing Vintage 365, a daily project for 2011

Have you ever had an idea pop into your head completely out of nowhere and suddenly it’s nearly all you can think about? I had one of those shinny ideas the night before last, as I was on the cusp of drifting off to sleep (isn’t that generally when great new notions suddenly spring up?).

What was this light bulb moment, you ask? How about, my mind pondered, doing a very short, very diverse post here on Chronically Vintage each and every day for the next 365 days?

It really truck me that sharing a vintage find everyday with my reader throughout 2011 would be incredibly fun and immensely worthwhile. Such an initiative would follow in a similar vein to various photography projects (on Flickr and elsewhere) and blogs with the goal of adding one image/post a day each day for an entire year.

So was born the idea of “Vintage 365”, a short daily post in which I share one – just one – vintage related item. The topics of said posts could be anything from a stunning vintage wedding dress I spied on etsy to a terrific vintage ad scanned from a magazine in my personal collection, a great piece of 1940s pin-up art to a a wonderful post I read on another vintage blog and want to share with all of you.

The premise is very straightforward: one post per day (generally published at the same time daily - though this point is a bit flexible, if there's a reason why the daily post should appear sooner or later in the day than its usual time slot), with one image, and a very short (think one or two paragraphs max, as a general rule) blurb pertaining to that image.

As many of my readers know, it’s not always possible for me to write lengthy posts each day, but in less time than it often takes me to research and construct one post, I can put together several days worth of Vintage 365 entries, which means that I’ll be able to share more of what is currently inspiring me in the vintage world with all of you.

Please note that I absolutely still plan on posting longer posts once or twice a week (much as the post rate here has been for the last few months), but now instead of just those posts, you’ll be able to get your Chronically Vintage fix every single day.

I weighed the pros and cons of launching such a project heavily. I didn’t want to rush into something that might not be sustainable , but I figured that life can only ever be lived one day at a time and that, the benefits of doing this project far outweighed any cons I could think.

I love vintage, I love sharing in our mutual passion for vintage, and I love using the content of this blog as a source of vintage inspiration for both myself, and I very much hope, all of you, too.

So without further ado, on the first brand new day of 2011, here is the inaugural Vintage 365 entry. I can hardly wait to share this project with you every day and am giddy with excitement as I think about all the vintage wonderfulness this project is going to be comprised of.

 

✯ Day 1 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

 

I think that a feeling of nearly euphoric excitement swirled with the hope of a better future has been a universal theme for as long as people have celebrated a date on which they dived one year into the next. In this fabulous vintage photo from 1939 (which comes via carbonated on Flickr), we see a throng of merry party goers excitedly catching dozens of balloons as they tumble from the ceiling, the crowd awash with joy and excitement as they ring in the New Year.

It's not every day you see action-packed, candid vintage shots like and I was instantly struck by how very similar the people in it, and all of us festive revellers last night, must have felt, for hope and the prospect of greater happiness are eternal themes that are born anew each January 1st.

Vintage Fashionista Friday – December 31, 2010 (Special New Year’s Edition)

♥ ♥ ♥



{Airy, ethereal feathers combine with a dusty rose hued bloom in this sweetly beautiful decorated hair pin that pops with a delicate layer of lace for just a hint of vixenish allure. “Lovely Romantic Bobby Pin with Black Lace”, $7.90 from etsy seller Ola’s Dream World.}




{Let sophisticated little bejewelled spheres of pave glass add an air of refined, yet still wonderfully playful, glamour to any ensemble (one can’t help but think that they’d make great stand-ins for the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square, too!). “Pave Post” stud earrings, $24.00 from Anthropologie.}





{Should you happen to live in a climate where winter doesn’t quite dip cold enough to redden your cheeks – or if you’d like to keep that lovely, gamine flush going long after you’ve come indoors, reach for this immensely pretty pot of pink powder blush (with its utterly darling Paris illustrated packaging). Bourjouis Limited Edition Vintage Blusher in “Rose Petal”, £4.25 (UK pounds), from Asos.}



{Keep Old Man Winter at bay with this timelessly elegant, wonderfully plush vintage faux fur swing coat. Perfect overtop everything from an evening gown to a pair of black cigarette pants (alla Audrey Hepburn), this silver topper (with soft satin lining) is certain to keep you both toasty warm and marvellously fashionable all season long! “Silver Faux Shearling/Fur Coat”, cut generously to fit up to at least a 44 inch waist, $54.00 from etsy seller Lola Jean Vintage.}




{There are some dresses that steal your breath away and stand as works of art for all of time, and I think this shimmery carnation hue stunner is one such example. With a sweeping full circle skirt, drop waist, fitted bodice and matching bolero jacket, this amazing evening gown would be incredible to wear to any holiday bash, birthday party or even as a wedding dress. “Vintage 1950s Metallic Silver Pink Lace Cocktail Dress”, fits up to a 28 inch waist/34 inch bust, $165.00 from etsy seller Calendar Girl Vintage.}



{When your dress is the star of your outfit, you don’t necessarily want large earrings or necklaces trying to nudge their way into the spotlight and therefore take away from the wow factor of your frock, but that doesn’t mean that you need to keep all your jewels tucked away in their box at home. This whimsically pretty cocktail ring is just the ticket; its charming bow shape is a nod to the holidays, yet still perfect to wear anytime of the year when you want a hit of sparkle on your hand. Betsey Johnson “The Snow Angel Crystal Bow Ring”, one size fits most, $35.00 from Amazon.}




{A dress as magnificent as the one in this post calls for understated, perpetually chic accessories and this sleek satin clutch fits that bill splendidly. Featuring a hint of silvery diamond-like crystals and a versatile strap that can be tucked inside, if so desired, this stylish purse would truly become the LBD of your handbag wardrobe. “Touch Up 1805” black satin clutch, measuring 8.5” wide by 3.5” high, $46.00 from Zappos.} 




{There’s no better day of the year to bring glitz and glamour to your vintage look than the universal celebration that is New Year’s Eve – and what more fabulous way to do that than with a utterly gorgeous, enchantingly glittery pair of (very affordable) high heels like these silvery babies? “Mitzy Women’s Heidi Open Toed Pump” (shown here in silver, also available in black and champagne), available in ladies sizes 5.5 to 10, $22.57 from Amazon.}


♥ ♥ ♥


A lengthy span of time has passed since the last edition of “Vintage Fashionista Friday”. In fact you’d have to dig all the way to May 14th of this year to find the previous post in this ongoing series. Yet one of the cornerstones of this blog has been (and will always be) vintage fashion (the very blog template itself that Chronically Vintage currently sports includes buttons in a nod to my love of both vintage style and vintage sewing), and while it’s not currently possible for me to post quite as frequently as I’d like here, I do not want for one split second to let that part of this site (the one devoted to vintage fashion) accidentally fall to the wayside.

Therefore, on this last day of 2010 – a day that means something different and profound to each of us – I wanted to bring back “Vintage Fashionista Friday” as a way of not only celebrating today’s merry festivities, but also to say that I want to reconnect more with the fashion side of vintage blogging as we leap headfirst in 2011.

There’s no sense in sugar coating things, this past set of 12 months haven’t been the best of all time for me. There were rough patches of many sorts, “blogcations” by choice (as a way of recharging my blogging batteries) and those thrust upon me by health problems and unexpected hospital stays. It would be all too easy to lament 2010, to focus on the grey skies instead of seeing the silver lining in every situation. However I’ve always been a glass half full kind of gal, and as such on this very last day of the year, am filled with a renewed sense of optimism and the deeply engrained belief that the coming year will be better on many fronts than the one that proceeded it – so hence the name of today’s vintage fashionista, “Hope”.

I cherish the comments, comradery, understanding, encouragement, and inspiration you have all given me throughout 2010, and cannot wait to celebrate all that 2011 holds in store with you, my awesome online vintage loving friends.

Thank you very much for everything, sweet dears, and the most joyful of wishes for a truly stellar 2011 to each of you!