All Posts By

Kelsey Dundon

Pinstagram | Bright Lights and Big Skies

The Anthology’s Pinstagram column marries the dream (Pinterest) and the reality (Instagram).

Pretty in… The RACHEL Rachel Roy dress I wore to interview the designer + a pink bow I’d wear everywhere.

Red squared. A model getting made up before the LOULOU Magazine event at Metropolis at Metrotown + a pair of red shoes that almost perfectly match her hair colour.

Natural beauty. An arrangement from a wedding (congratulations Matt and Megs!) + a place I’d fall in love with.

Graceful greys. Joe Fresh’s moody fall palette + a moody evening sky.

Bright lights. Martha Sturdy’s illuminated orb sculptures (available at Provide) + an illuminated model.

Sunny side up. Sunflowers for a September baby (happy birthday, Elisa!) + a not-so-sunny cat.

Crown jewels. A vintage varsity sweater that would be a gem if it weren’t from a rival high school + some paper gems.

Big sky. Life under the open sky in my MINI Roadster convertible (which you can win, by the way!) + life in the even more open sky.

P.S. Follow Kelsey Dundon on Pinterest and Instagram, or if you prefer a more traditional route, add The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter.

September 27, 2012 by

Style | The Name is Rachel. Rachel Roy.

If you had 15 minutes to ask Rachel Roy anything you wanted, what would you ask? When I sat down with the New York-based designer before her appearance at The Bay in honour of her fall collection, I asked her about Oprah, interning and time travel…

You have described RACHEL Rachel Roy as the younger sister of your designer line. What do you love most about designing it?

Because I was that girl growing up, I have a very kindred spirit to her. I really respect her. I understand that just because she might not be able to pay $500 for a dress she wants fashion and she wants what she sees in Vogue or the magazines that she reads. She wants better options so it’s really important to me to respect that and give the options that I am able to give within a certain price point.

What if you could speak to yourself when you were “That girl?” If you could travel back in time to give yourself a piece of advice when you began your career as an intern at Rocawear, what would you say?

I would say, “Good choice. I’m proud of you. You’re confident enough, thankful enough and capable enough to work for free simply to be in an industry that you’ve been dying to be in.”

Advice I would give to myself would be to have a point of view and stick to it. I definitely do that now and I think I’ve done that since my 30s but sometimes in your 20s you learn it if you’re not taught it right away. Having a point of view that you truly believe in – and sticking to it no matter who’s doing what in your personal life or your professional life – the world at large will have more respect for you if you actually have a story that you live.

In addition to your success as a designer, you’ve become a staple in pop culture with appearances on Oprah and Project Runway and celebrity clients like the first lady. What is it that most amazes you about what you’ve accomplished?

I’m just doing what I’m good at. I’m not good at a lot of things, but I think that everyone is good at something. When you’re good in the arts, it’s not something that – when you go through the public school system in the United States at least — it’s not something that you’re taught. So you can think “What the hell am I good at? What’s my gift?” And a lot of times you don’t learn that until you’re much older.

For me, that was knowing my gift was being able to take my surroundings and make them, to the best of my ability, visually as stimulating or comforting or pleasing as possible. That would be even with homes – I would go into friends’ places and help them shift stuff. In college I would be the girl that my friends would ask to come clean out their closets. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I say that to say we’re all good at something and when you can figure that out great, and it really doesn’t matter what you’re getting paid because your soul is happy.

[My dress c/o RACHEL Rachel Roy, my purse and necklace are both vintage.]

September 25, 2012 by

Diary | Behind the Scenes of LOULOU Magazine’s Shop Till You Drop Event

Hurry up and wait. That’s show shop business. Along with the team from LOULOU Magazine and my lovely assistants Katie Burnett and Amy Podrasky, I styled the Shop Till You Drop trend presentation at Metropolis at Metrotown last night.

Which meant plenty of backstage beauty touchups.

And pulling $1000 worth of Forever 21 accessories. (Do you know how many $6 rings and $8 necklaces that is?)

Certainly enough to accessorize our models, who wore (from left) True Religion, BCBG, and Forever 21, with shoes from BCBG. Cute, huh?

P.S. For as-they-happen photos follow The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter.

September 21, 2012 by

Trippin’ | Disneyland for Grownups

You know how everything these days seems to be described as “Disneyland for grownups?” Well what if you go to Disneyland as a grownup, and not as a chaperone for small children? In this guest post, my sister Larissa does just that…

On a recent trip to California we were flying through LAX and I thought, why not stop in Anaheim for the day and have a date at the happiest place on earth? Would Disneyland actually be as happy as I remembered?

I hadn’t been to the mother of all theme parks since I was a small child. Turns out Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain are just as exciting as I remembered, though Space Mountain was even more terrifying. You know what’s changed though? The lines. Sometime between my childhood and now, they introduced the FastPass which means you can choose to skip certain lineups by inserting your ticket, getting a new one, and coming back later.

Kids these days really do have it all.  Then again, so do grownups.

September 21, 2012 by

Giveaway | Win the MINI of Your Dreams for a Year(!) from MINI Richmond

A sponsored post. 

I never thought I’d feel this way about a car. But this isn’t just a car. It’s a MINI. And a convertible at that. Have you driven a convertible? Have you driven a MINI?

MINI Richmond gave me a MINI Roadster to drive for the next two months. And you know what? They want to give you one for a whole year(!). Click here to enter to win a MINI for a year plus a supersized MINI adventure, and up your chances by sharing your entry on Facebook and Twitter @MINIRichmond (#Miniadventure). You must be a resident of British Columbia to win so if you’re not, this is the perfect reason to move here.

Good luck! And thanks again, MINI Richmond!

September 18, 2012 by

Bookmark | The Fancy

In The Anthology’s Bookmark column we explore some of the most inspiring places on the wild, wild web. This guest post is written by Carlle Chatten, a Vancouver-based fashion student whose writing class I recently lectured at.

The Fancy, a new e-commerce website, is giving Pinterest a run for its money. Not only is it filled with inspirational pictures of food, clothes, beauty products, and places you want to be, but if you really fancy something, you can buy it. Yes, everything is for sale.

The Fancy organizes your favorite things, and you can follow and browse other people’s profiles too. When you first arrive at the site, you can scroll endlessly, past high-definition images of jaw-dropping costume jewelry and infinity pools on the Isle of Crete.

No more lining up for mini doughnuts at the fair or hunting down those sought-after Alexander Wang Kolfinna Boots. The Fancy is an inspiration board that lets you collect things you love. Online and off.

If feel like impulse-buying, sign up for an account and bookmark The Fancy.  And if you haven’t already, bookmark The Anthology too.

Thanks, Carlle! I’m bookmarking The Fancy — and your Tumblr — as I type.

[All images from The Fancy, obviously.]

September 17, 2012 by

Style | For the Little Ones

Everything’s cuter when it’s smaller. Have you ever shopped for children’s clothing? It’s the best. And it actually makes baby showers fun (well, that and a rousing game of Pregnancy Pictionary). When I styled a series of back-to-school spreads for The Province I had a blast searching out miniature everything from the shops at Brentwood Town Centre. Of the four spreads and many outfits I styled, these are a few of my favourite finds.

If only they came in my size…

1. Notebook from Claire’s Accessories // 2. Jacket from Sears, shirt and skirt from the Children’s Place // 3. Vanity specs from Claire’s Accessories // 4. Hair wreath from Claire’s Accessories // 5. Boots by Steve Madden at Shoe Warehouse // 6. Backpack from Aldo // All at Brentwood Town Centre locations.

September 17, 2012 by

Pinstagram | Love It, Lose It, Drink It, Wear It

The Anthology’s Pinstagram column marries the dream (Pinterest) and the reality (Instagram).

Cue the cards! Getting ready for my trend presentations at Metropolis at Metrotown + a trendy print.

Ladies of lines. Lovely illustrated packaging at Matchstick Coffee + a century-old illustration.

Foxy kitty. My cat Estelle Getty + a piece of origami.

Paint the town pink. Holt Renfrew celebrated 175 years by popping open bottles of bubbly + a bubble-gum pink look from Oscar de la Renta.

On point. A woodsy sunrise in Whistler the morning of my friends’ wedding (congratulations Jen and Pete!) + some spike-tacular art by Fredrik Akum.

The view from the ferry en route to a wedding in Victoria (congratulations Corrine and Dave!) + a waterfront seat I could spend hours in.

A sequins of events. An itty bitty beret from a back-to-school spread I styled for The Province (it’s from Children’s Place at Brentwood Town Centre) + sparkly gowns at Ellie Saab.

Two takes on modernism. A new(ish) forest up in Whistler + a probably-much-newer building.

Love fest. Me (squared) in the Love It or Lose It Lounge at Metropolis at Metrotown + a neon <3.

P.S. Follow Kelsey Dundon on Pinterest and Instagram, or if you prefer a more traditional route, add The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter.

September 13, 2012 by

Diary | Corks and Corky, My New (Four-legged) Golf Buddy

Is there anyone who doesn’t dream of owning a vineyard one day? It’s the life. Work, yes. All-consuming, sure. But a dream nonetheless.

When we were filming the series I hosted for Tourism Kelowna and Vitamin Daily (you’ll find a behind-the-scenes recap here) I wined and dined with Spierhead Winery owners Virginia and Brian Sprout, two people who are living the dream. Actually, Brian is living two dreams — he’s also a superstar photographer who took many of the stunning shots you see in Tourism Kelowna ads, brochures and the like.

When I visited their winery I employed their dog to help me cheat at golf (that’s Corky in the distance and my wicked golf stance in the foreground).

And drank wine straight from the barrel (which, it turns out, does not mean sticking your face under the tap). Take a look…

Thanks for having me, Tourism Kelowna, Vitamin Daily and Spierhead Winery! Thanks again, Bent Matter Productions!

P.S. Live the dream and follow The Anthology on Facebook and on Twitter @TheAnthology.

P.P.S. Watch the first instalment of the series at Summerhill Pyramid Winery here, the very psychedelic second instalment at the Vibrant Vine here and the Rolling Stones-tastic third instalment here.

September 11, 2012 by