This retired MD had me at chain wallet. He was riffling through the section on archaeological digs, when a hint of metal threw me a punk little wink from an otherwise stately outfit. He was lovely and obliging.
This summer pin-striped suit caught my eye right away. It was purchased in the southern states over 30 years ago but doesn’t look a day old. The handsome man wearing it told me that his ensemble always reminds him of his father who said, “A cane and a hat is the definition of leisure!”
Jeanne pulls out this sassy, striped dress every summer. She’s been doing so for well over 30 years and it still looks remarkable! She remembers buying it when Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Were Made for Walkin was a big hit and a low waist on clothing was all the rage. What a lovely summer outfit.
bags, headwear, patterns textiles and color, skirts and dresses, vintage fashion
This woman was such a good sport. When I asked for her picture, she gave me a selection of gorgeous sparkly horn-rimmed glasses to choose from. I chose the bold white and silver pair which I think completes her pastel print dress. I can’t help but sing to myself “Can you take me to FunkyTown” when I photograph people like her.
My grandmother, Maria Laura Pablo, was the youngest of three children. She grew up in a home that embraced an extended family of three widowed aunts and their six children in the town of Concepcion, Chile. This photo was taken in 1952 by my grandfather one afternoon while they lunched at her cousin Laura Sainz’s apartment. At the time, my grandmother was 25, and was happily married with two young children.
Life in Concepcion in the 1950s was rather sleepy and my grandmother was the quintessential homemaker. At the same time, she was a cultured dame with her mother’s flare for fashion, and her father’s adventurous spirit. Pablo Pablo, her father, was a Castillian who emigrated to Chile at 14 years old determined to make a fortune and help his family back in the old country.
Growing up my grandmother had big dreams of travel and she managed to tour every continent. Over the years her travel bug has led her here to Canada to visit her daughter – my mother – who immigrated.
While it’s been nearly a decade since last I saw her, I’m looking forward to a reunion in Chile later this year.
By Alexandra Samur
Vancouver, BC