Styling a Vintage Girl Guides Skirt

Finding old Girl Guides uniform pieces from my youth while thrifting is deemed as a successful trip in my books. My goal is to complete my collection at some point, but in the meantime here’s how I’m styling my vintage Girl Guides skirt.

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1989 Vintage Striped Pathfinders Skirt

Originally I thought the skirt was a Guides uniform but I was confusing that with the same style skirt in cobalt blue. But after a little searching, I found that the striped version was part of the Pathfinders uniform. The skirt was created by Canadian fashion designer Alfred Sung for Girl Guides of Canada. It was part of the official uniform for a decade from 1989-1999. 

Dirndl Style

The design of the skirt is simple: pleated with a side button closure and one pocket. Not only is it comfy thanks to the spacious dirndl-like style, it’s also a lovely length. It makes me feel like an extra in a 1950s teen movie. There’s a matching short sleeve button up shirt as well which I do not own… yet.

How to Style a Girl Guides Skirt

Personally, I prefer to wear a cropped top with such a full skirt to balance out the silhouette. In another outfit post I wore a cropped wide striped top too.If I paired it with a baggier top, it would be bordering the line of frumpy. 

This iteration was a dressed up version for a dinner out in Harrison Hot Springs (see my vlog from this trip) but for a more casual look I’d trade the platforms for Vans Authentics or Converse Low Tops.

Outfit Details

JACKET – Vintage Levi’s denim jacket
TOP – Aritzia Babaton Sculpt Knit Top
SKIRT – Thrifted Girl Guides Pathfinder skirt
BAG – Thrifted vintage carpet handbag
SHOES – Faux fur platforms – c/o Call It Spring

Girl Guides of Canada Uniform History

A resource I have found invaluable is the Guide History wordpress blog. They have spreadsheets along with images of all levels of guide uniforms throughout the decades. Though there wasn’t a photo of the Pathfinder skirt, I found it in a description on the excel document for additional uniform pieces.

Styling a Vintage Girl Guides Skirt

I adore styling old pieces from my youth which I’ve done over the years – like this punk skirt from my teens. Expect more to come from the world of Girl Guides. In the meantime, I need to find some chocolate & vanilla cookies from a local troop. Thankfully, they conveniently have a Cookie Finder feature on their website now.

photographs – jesse sand + sandy joe karpetz