Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Canadian Clothing to Cover You From Your Banff, to Your Regina

These culottes are 
the first of three Canadian-made vintage clothing items I bought last weekend. I spotted the UNITE tag, and knew they were union made as well. If you know me, you know I've yet to meet a labour union I didn't love, so I hummed a few stanzas of the Internationale, got in line, and brought these beauties home for a buck. The same trip scored a red vintage raincoat (red coats from Canada are OK so long as they are not Hudson Bay blanket coats), and a hideous white poncho-all lovingly sewn by our neighbours to the north. Jokes aside, their clothing was always better made than ours, and on the somewhat expensive side even when their dollar wasn't worth what it is today.
I'm not really sure what to call these. Culottes? Gauchos? Palazzo pants? I do wish they were slightly longer, ending just at my ankle, but they were perfectly comfortable, and easy to pair with a cardigan. Not my typical style at all.
 You want me to smile, and show you the temporary crown on my tooth, dontcha? Fine.
It isn't real gold. The finished crown will be white. I dunno, I feel kinda tough with my gold tooth and Canadian culottes. I should go take someone's lunch money away from them.

Still, you need more than great trousers, and a gold tooth to take you anywhere in the world, so I made sure to accessorise.


Outfit Particulars:

1980's (possibly 70's) trousers-Thrift World
Red cardigan-retail, ages ago
Red slingback shoes-thrifted
Dior earrings-thrifted
Bangles-thrifted here and there
Blue tee shirt-K Mart
Red belt-Thrift World
Blue beads-Goodwill
Enamel flower pin-Hand-Me-Ups Store
70's red clutch handbag-thrifted


What about you"? Do you seek out union made clothing, or items from a specific country?

4 comments:

Witchcrafted Life said...

Okay, this title sent me spiraling into gales of laughter! :) Very, very cheeky and clever wording. It, like this great outfit itself, gets two big thumbs up from this Canuck lass.

♥ Jessica

*PS* Thank you very much for your immensely lovely comment on today' New Look inspired outfit post. (Agreed, four buttons really elevate the sleeves on a jacket and I can't help but feel, lend it a bit of an equestrian flare.)

Curtise said...

Hmm, I'm going to call them palazzos, because they are full length, even if they are a smidge short on you, and I think gauchos (not a word I use) or culottes are mid-length. So there, that is my pronouncement on the subject! Unless you are very petite, and on a taller woman they would be culottes? Now I don't know... Red, white and blue are such a classic combination; I used to fight shy of it, thinking I might give off an air of crazed nationalism, but I'm over that now.
Anyway, I have a couple of American dresses with the union made label, I enjoyed researching the ILGWU.
British clothing doesn't have a union label, which is a shame.
Btw - Best Blog Post Title Ever! I laughed, out loud. xxxx

Jayne H said...

Great blog post title - is it the combination of painkillers and blackberry cordial fuelling the creative comedy juices?

I'm with palazzos if you need to name your purchase.

I love the neckline on that t- shirt. I have bought a few skirts lately but decided I need some basic tops in different colours - I think need a supermarket shop as it's hard to find nice t shirts in the charity shops.

You're looking very classy lately, xx

Goody said...

I have to admit I've used that joke before-somewhere, I think. Anyway, I wish I could credit it to pain medication, but this is the USA where you don't get pain medication for dental work (unless it is an extraction, and then only a very mild one that wouldn't treat a headache)because you, "May get addicted." So see, all that horrific pain is for our own good. It really is barbaric, but doctors are so frightened of being investigated by the authorities that they are loathe to prescribe, even when warranted.

Saw an article recently that some hospitals were using prayer to help patients with post-surgical pain. I'm sure that's ever-so-effective. I hope I never need my appendix removed.

Okie dokie, rant over.