Montreal = Lots of Vintage Fun!

A while ago, I had a week off so a little holiday was required! When I have the occasion to do so, I like to visit my friend Véronique in Montréal, so I booked tickets and there I was in Montreal! This has been a very very pleasing week (though my wallet would say the contrary)! On the vintage scene, my trip has been very successful and I look forward to doing something similar again.

First of all, Véronique and I visited various thrift stores and antique shops. I found a late 1950's or 1960's tweed jacket which unfortuately was too big for me, but I brought it back home anyway. I might sell it on Etsy. When I saw the union label on the jacket, I had to have it!

The said jacket

One of the shops that I like to stop by when I visit Montreal is La Baronne de l'Insolite. The seller is a charming lady who sells nice things. Of course, this is an antique shop and the Baronne knows that Véronique and I love old 78 rpm records and vintage clothes. We left with a pile of records and  Véronique bought a lovely vintage hat with a veil and a feather. In my case, I left with a 'penguin suit' which dates probably from the 1920s according to a friend. It is not it the best condition (it has several holes and needs mending) but I was very pleased with it.

Poor picture taken whilst travelling of the 'penguin jacket'

Véronique wearing the lovely hat and me

After that, I found some film rolls for my vintage camera, so that I could meet a new vintage friend: Jill from Tea with the Vintage Baroness. I seem to be able to find baronesses easily in Montreal! We had a trememdous time! We first ate at the most wonderful Dominion Square Tavern which is now a restaurant. It is said that the restaurant did not change much since the 1920's. You can understand how satisfied I was with it. The menu was also very nice and tasty. Their sticky toffee pudding was pure bliss!

Véronique and Jill at the 1920's restaurant. Jill is wearing an original 1930's dress

A few snaps of the restaurant

After discussing over a good meal, an attempt of swing dancing evening was planned. I say attempt, because Véronique and I did not know how to dance (though a little lesson was given) and also because the place was very crowded. However, I did enjoy it and thankfully, Miss Jill has been able to teach us the basic steps (which is the only thing that I learnt). The music was really nice and it was also enjoyable to see the good dancers jitterbugging! As Jill said: 'I have been bitten by the jitterbug!'

The following day, Jill, Véronique and I went vintage shopping. We stopped a at wonderful shop which Véronique likes to call 'Le Monsieur's'. The place is specialised in vintage hats and women's clothes. Seeing my style and knowing that I would not buy anything on display, Le Monsieur kindly showed me vintage gentlemen's items. I bought a tie pin and a pair of cufflinks, whilst Véronique left with a wonderful late 1930's/early 1940's hat and a 1950's or 1960's one. Of course, the first one is my favourite. Jill gave herself a little treat: a wonderful vintage ring. I guess we were all very happy.  Le Monsieur said that I have to come back, because next time he'll show me men's hats and vintage watches!

I really enjoyed this little trip and I hope to see the Vintage Baroness again,

That's all folks!  

There's a War On, You Know

Hello to you all,

I am writing to you, because I need your help! About a year ago, I went to a charity shop and found this:

The lady who worked there, said it was supposed to be from WWII and that it could be either a British or a Canadian helmet. Now, my guess is that it is Canadian because I found it in Canada, but I could be wrong. Since I'm no expert, does anybody know anything about it? Is it even from the war? It is interesting that it still has its coat of arms and it is rather clean for its age. The inside looks as if it has never been worn!

I am interested in WWII a lot and I love to collect a few bits from that era. Here are some examples of the things I've gathered.

1942 Stamp Series with King George VI

A few French Magazines:

 

These are only a few things that I own from the war. Of course I cannot show you everything, but I am hoping to add many more things to my personnal collection in the near future.

Have a lovely day,

Ernest

A Bit of Family History

If there is a person who influenced my love for vintage, I would easily say it is my great-grandmother. She does not know if, because she passed away in 1954 and I unfortunately never had the chance to meet her. I can only hear stories about her through my grandfather and his brothers and sisters. When I was younger, grandpa arrived with some photocopies of a photo taken on her mum and dad's wedding day. I cannot explain why, but I was fascinated by this woman. I needed to know more about her and I wanted to see more photos of her.

The wedding in July 1929

It is rather fortunate that my great-grandparents were very fond of photography. I am the lucky one who can now have a look at the photos. For some reason, they seemed to enjoy taking shorts in front of their lovely home.

My great-grandparents on the porch of their house which was decorated for a special event

Genealogy is such an interesting thing! In my case, I feel it is important to talk about it with people like my grandfather. Isn't it a treasure to have testimonies from people who actually experience a most fascinating era? In order to preserve memories, it is my duty to find out about what happened in the past.

My great-grandmother in the 1940s

Have a lovely day,

Hugo

Vintage Pleasure

If there is one thing that I enjoy about having a vintage lifestyle, it is to take pictures. I like to do it the old way, with a 120 film and a box camera. The results are utterly marvellous!

Last year, when I was in England I bought my first vintage camera (sorry for the poor quality picture):

No, it is not a Kodak camera, but an Oxford one. It seems to be a rare model, because I'm not able to find anything about the company (each time I try to find something, I am always redirected to the Oxford Camera at Oxford University). I'm guessing that it's from the 1920's or the 1930's.

The greatest thing about this old thing is that it still works! I doubt that many will be able to say that about our modern cameras!

I don't believe photoshop or any other software can create such an authentic effect. To all the vintage people, it is something you must own. A camera of the sort is rather cheap and easy to find (mine was about £10.00). The thing you must be wondering about is: where can we get film for these cameras? Well, first of all, it is EXTREMELY important that you check for a camera that takes 120 film. Many other films can be difficult to find and the 120 is a standard one. Now for the people located in the UK, Jessop's sells them and you can have your photos processed and printed. Since there is a Jessop's nearly everywhere, it is not too difficult to obtain results. For the Canadian fellows (like me), it can be a little tricky. I buy all I need in a Montreal shop called L. L. Lozeau Ltd.

I'm leaving you with the result of my experience with photography:

Cheerio!

Ernest

P.S. Yes it is me on the picture in the middle.

Make, Do & Mend : 1948 Style

Last Christmas, I received the most wonderful gift ever! A marvellous 1948 Singer Featherweight sewing machine became one of my most precious possessions!  I was really pleased by the condition of it, looks like the previous owner took an extreme care of it. When I opened the carrying box, I found many little treasures. There was the original receipt (can you imagine a sewing machine costing $135.00 back in 1948?!?!), the original instruction booklet and many other things. Having the original receipt made me very happy, because I was able to know a bit more about the item's history. I can tell you that buying the machine was not so easy back then. The first owner gave an account of $50, he had to make many payments and even give references! Quite the contrary with today's buy know and pay in two years!' I even found odd (but fun and utterly interesting) things like a 1948 receipt for a car registration. It may sound strange to you, but it made me even more proud to own that sewing machine, because I had a better idea of its early days.

Here's a picture of the little treasure:

The little problem is my lack of sewing talent. I must say I haven't been properly taught how to sew, so I make little things that aren't too difficult like grocery bags. Of course, I'd love to improve and to make impressive things (who wouldn't?). Vintage patterns are very appealing, aren't they? Having that in mind, I recently ordered and received some booklets and magazines that will give me an idea about things I ought to try to sew. Now, I do need your opinion. I found a wartime magazine called 'Gifts You Can Sew' and there is a page which is called 'Gifts for Men in The Service'. Does anybody know what I should attempt to make? Here are the choices: a bag, a money belt, a scark, a book cover or a service sewing kit. The magazine dates from 1943.

Here is the cover page of the magazine:

Here are the choices of my next project:

It is time for me to do my war effort, don't you think?

À bientôt,

Ernest