SWING OUT TO VICTORY! is an annual dinner-dance held at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. You don’t need to be a dancer! There are tons who come out just go to absorb the experience in a great museum setting with people dressed in their vintage finery.
The superb Toronto All-Star Big Band performed nostalgic tunes from the 1930s and 40s all night underneath the famous Avro Lancaster (last in Canada) – the main focus of the event.
This was going to be my first ‘away’ dance … and I was excited to get all decked out in ALL of my 1940s gear!
Finding vintage plus-sized pieces hasn’t been too easy. But I did have some luck at this Spring’s Toronto Vintage Clothing Show, where I picked up this floral belted day-dress, along with these new-vintage (i.e. never been worn) Celebrity bow-tie heels. The white gloves are from 69Vintage, and the purse was a vintage gift (thanks JJ!). The only non-vintage piece was my fascinator, which I picked up from the Your Big Sisters Closet.
In an effort to make this dress more ‘1940s evening appropriate’ … I was on the hunt for a fur stole. Lucky for me, my vintage loving friends (thanks Erin & Joy) discovered that The Public Butter (a vintage shop on WQW) had a ton of them for sale!
I picked up this beautiful mink fur with a patterned, in perfect condition, lining for only $40!
The beautiful vintage mink fur stole I picked up – in mint condition from The Public Butter, $40!
The hair is always my biggest challenge. Liz, of The Vintage Inn, gave me a great easy tip and I was able to create this vintage back-roll…which held up pretty well all night!
A gaggle of us carpooled our way just outside of Hamilton, in our 40s finest …. stopping to have dinner at Swiss Chalet, we be Klassly like dat….yup – classy with a ‘k’. And then we were off to dance among the planes with uniformed men 🙂
Lovely 1940s fashions, airplanes and furs with some fabulous ladies! Special thanks to Erin for bringing along her camera to capture some of these fab snaps!A little sweaty faced after all the dancing
At some point in the middle of the fantastic night, a delightful lady handed me a card and said I was her choice for “Best Dressed” of the evening…and would be called up on stage for the competition! Woot! Woot!
Geez…check out my Best Dress competition – 7 ft tall goddess with perfect pin-up hair…Best Dress Contestants were me, 7ft pin-up goddess and Winston Churchill
2nd prize winner of a giant basket of goodies for the Best Dressed Contest!Moi – a la 1940s. Photo credit: Shermette … click the link to see her blogpost recap on this event.
Is there a panda behind my head? “I always feel like somebody’s watching me”….Toronto Vintage Society ladies totally ambushed this uniformed crewmen into this shot. He doesn’t seem to mind too much though 🙂
Dancing to the always magically big band music of Toronto All Star Big Band, surrounded by the planes at The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, among veterans and friends dressed in vintage finery and WINNING 2nd place in the best dressed contest ….. what a fantastic night!!! Can’t wait for next year! 🙂
Social Media Enthusiast. Learning Designer. Curvy Fashionista.
I'm a 30-something Canadian born Bengali (parents are from Kolkata, India...for those of you who need to know that type of thing). I've been chubby-curvy-plus-sized my entire life. Standing at a height of 5'2 and with a darker complexion, it has always been a challenge finding outfits or "looks" that really suit me.
Living in the fashionable city of Toronto since birth, with a solid career has finally allowed me to embrace my love of pretty fashions in clothing, shoes and everything in between.
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6 thoughts on “Swing Out To Victory – 1940s Dinner/Dance”
You look amazing Irene!!! I see why you were one of the Best Dressed! Sounds like you had a fun night. I’ve heard the Warplane Heritage Museum is pretty cool.
PPMeow! 
You look amazing Irene!!! I see why you were one of the Best Dressed! Sounds like you had a fun night. I’ve heard the Warplane Heritage Museum is pretty cool.
I LOVE this look – those shoes and that mink, though… so cute!
1940s sooo suits you! It really does 🙂 great post!
Awww…thanks Liz. Just wish i coukd find more of it in my size more easily 🙂