All Posts By

Kelsey Dundon

Playlist | It’s a Sasquatch Kind of Weekend

This weekend, Vancouver-based photographer Braden Paul is at the gorgeous Gorge (sorry! couldn’t resist) shooting Sasquatch. Not, like, a real Sasquatch, but Sasquatch Music Festival. He went last year and his photos are out of this world: take a look here, here and here and stay tuned for this year’s highlights.

I will also be heading to Washington State, though I won’t be heading to the festival (sad face) instead, I’ll be listening to the likes of Santigold, Childish Gambino, tUnE-yArDs and SBTRKT on my iPod with my Urbanears headphones (pictured in Pattan Dark Grey c/o Urbanears).

May 25, 2012 by

Thank you | National Post

Thank you, National Post, for featuring my striped self alongside Tom Mora, VP of women’s design at J.Crew. You’ll find my recap of the opening of the clothier’s new Vancouver store here.

Thanks, Evaan, for snapping that shot and thanks, Marc, for spotting it!

May 22, 2012 by

Giveaway | Harvey Prince Yogini Fragrance

Want to smell like a yogi? Not the sweaty-cause-I-just-finished-a-Bikram-class kind of yogi, but the kind who’s all ripped and blissed out? Then this is your lucky day! The Anthology has teamed up with perfumery Harvey Prince to give away one 50 mL bottle of Yogini fragrance and two 8.8 ml roll-ons. With notes of sandalwood and Egyptian myrrh, it’s light and spicy and could be yours.

For one entry: Comment on this post and tell us your favourite yoga position — happy baby, anyone?

For two entries: Like Harvey Prince on Facebook.

For three entries: Write on The Anthology’s Facebook wall.

The contest is open to Anthology readers in the US and Canada. Contest closes 5:00pm Thursday, May 24, 2012. Good luck!

[CLOSED] Congratulations Amy, Julie and Sarah!

May 18, 2012 by

Style | Fresh Off the Runway at Joe Fresh

I swear I didn’t mean to dress like Joe Fresh’s PR reps (that’s Laura and Michelle of Tara Parker Tait PR) at the Fresh Off the Runway spring preview. It just happened that way.

I love me some colour — especially orange and cobalt. Those hues were meant for each other.

[Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, JNBY shirts, J.Crew jeans, vintage bag]

P.S. You and The Anthology were meant for each other so like The Anthology on Facebook.

May 18, 2012 by

Diary | Lunch with Starwood Hotels of Hawaii

If I weren’t such a classy lassy I’d make a joke about getting leid at lunch. But I’ll wait until I’m actually in Hawaii to do such a thing. Because after lunching with the folks from Starwood Hotels I can’t wait to plan some island-hopping.

Who wants to come with?

May 17, 2012 by

Diary | Cento Notti Spring Menu Tasting

A few weeks ago my girlfriends and I made ravioli by hand. Have you ever? With all the rolling and filling and mixing, it is the tastiest thing in the world, but very, very time-consuming. I find it’s much easier to have someone else prepare Italian food for you. Especially when that someone else is Paul Marshall, executive chef of Cento Notti.

I went to the spring menu tasting at proprietor John Evans’s home (not pictured: his trillion dollar view of Coal Harbour) and as much as I loved the ahi tuna carpaccio and pan-seared halibut, it reminded me why caprese salad is the best. And it’s hardly time-consuming at all.

May 17, 2012 by

Art & Design | Jason Young’s 2054

Artist Jason Young’s vision of the future is idyllic: no wars, no global warming, just peace, love and curling. Yes, curling. The kicker? He envisions this utopia in the not-so-distant future; the year 2054 to be exact.

“People feel it’s a little ambitious – that we would so soon have evolved so far,” says the Vancouver-born, New York-based painter and performance artist. “But we’re being asked to sacrifice so many things for our future and yet there’s no positive vision being provided — it’s always drowning polar bears and doom and gloom. Enough with the stick, what about the carrot?”

The carrot is Young’s ‘2054’, a performance that resembles a curling match played by actors on the roof of Soho House (which many non-New Yorkers will remember from the Sex and the City episode in which Samantha impersonates a club member to gain access to the rooftop pool).

Instead of playing the game to win, the teams played to paint. Each illuminated stone was filled with coloured resin so it left streaks of colour as it glided across the “sheet,” which was actually a 50-foot lightbox that would later be divided into ten pieces and parcelled off for collectors.

This short film shows how it all went down.

So why, of all sports, did Young chose curling as the one played in his utopian future? Well, he’s Canadian. But there’s more to it than that; Young chose the game of stones partly because it’s built on collaboration and communication, partly because of its visual interest, and partly because of its obscurity.

“In the States people don’t really know the rules so it gives me a lot of artistic license. If I were to try doing this with baseball or football people would be up in arms,” he says.

Instead, they embraced it. Now there’s talk of taking ‘2054’ to cities like Sao Paolo and London and maybe, possibly, hopefully one day in the not-so-distant future, Vancouver.

[Supplied photos]

May 16, 2012 by

Style | Jason Matlo’s Presentation at Rosewood Hotel Georgia

How many weddings are you going to this summer? I’m going to six. And you can bet every bride is going to be wearing something very different. That’s the most fun part, no? Seeing how the dress reflects the bride’s personality.

Mad props to the brides who go bold and wear couture-style gowns, like those in Jason Matlo’s latest collection.

As the Vancouver-based designer prepared for his runway presentation at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia (he’s showing the models how to strut their stuff in the photo above), he shared how this collection came to be — the joys (employing couture techniques) and the pains (employing couture techniques).

“It’s bridal-themed but very loosely bridal-themed,” he says. In other words, you could wear these dresses to tie the knot, but you don’t have to be a bride to wear them — with their darker colours and rich embellishments, they’d look just as beautiful if you’re simply tying a knot…in your hair.

You’ll find my interview on Vitamin Daily’s Editors’ Diary.

P.S. I visited Jason Matlo’s studio in preparation for a segment on CTV a little while ago and you’ll find it right here.

May 14, 2012 by

The A-list | Great Reads

In The Anthology’s A-list column (“A” stands for Anthology, in case you haven’t had your coffee yet) we tabulate a few of the very best things in life. This list of must-reads is compiled by Katie Burnett, a friend, actress and writer living in London. Now you’ll know what to crack open when you’re done reading The Hunger Games…

Is it time for summer yet? I am very ready for some sun, and while I always get into a panic when my TV shows go on hiatus for a few months, it means I can finally pay attention to my very, very large pile of books all begging for my attention. So if you’re looking for some books for the plane, the pool or for fun, here are my picks for summer reading.

1. Just Kids by Patti Smith

I am beyond obsessed with this book about the early beginnings of the “godmother of punk”, Patti Smith. It is a detailed account of her pre-fame life with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe, littered with stories of life in the iconic Chelsea Hotel, nights spent in proximity to Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the struggles an artist faces. It is a beautiful, sad, poetic and fascinating book that is not to be missed.

2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Here’s the thing – some people love to run, others hate it. I love to run but it took me years before I could proudly declare it, and I still wake up very sure I should stay in bed instead of lacing up and going outside. But when I’m in my Lululemons, with the right music in my ears, I can go forever. Or, like, an hour. Christopher McDougall’s book is a breathtaking look at the evolution of running, of ultra-marathons, and the people who run them. The author goes down to find a deeply hidden tribe of people in Mexico who are the fastest long distance runners in the world, for whom running is not just recreational but is what shapes their lives. Every chapter is an intriguing feast for the senses, and a constant reminder and inspiration to get on the running shoes and run not just because we can, but because we were born to do so.

3. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you’re mine and Kelsey’s age then Leonardo DiCaprio was your first and potentially favourite boyfriend, thanks to Romeo and Juliet and Titanic. I am a massive fan of The Great Gatsby and can’t wait to see Leo as the great Jay, but since that’s not coming out till Christmas 2012, why not revisit Fitzgerald’s other classic novels in the meantime? I love The Beautiful and Damned, and how it portrays life in the Jazz Age and the enigmatic world of the elite in 1920’s. If you can’t get anywhere this summer, might as well escape to another era with Anthony and Gloria Patch.

Fun fact – this book has long been thought to be based on Fitzgerald’s marriage to Zelda. Why not check out Woody Allen’s glorious Midnight in Paris and see Allison Pill and Tom Hiddleston recreate Scott and Zelda?

4. Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

Bret Easton Ellis books are not for the faint hearted, and you’ll understand if you’ve read American Psycho or The Rules of Attraction (or seen the films!) Glamorama is no exception, as it dives into the world of a 90’s supermodel and is a totally satirical look at celebrity. Victor Ward is a vapid model and wannabe actor who gets involved in a dangerous international model terrorists….sounds nutty, yes, but thoroughly entertaining, especially as Ellis’s attention to detail is amazing to the point of unnerving.

P.S. Catch up on Katie Burnett’s earlier dispatches and add to your “When I’m in London” list: Sundays on Brick Lane, Saturdays in Camden Town, Friday nights at the theatre, and East Coast nostalgia.

May 13, 2012 by

After | The Flowy Floral Dress

See how happy I look, sitting there on a rock in the middle of Queen Elizabeth Park? That’s a) because I was doing a shoot with Vancouver-based portrait photographer Sherry Lu and b) because my dress no longer looks like it does in the photo below.

You’d be smiling too. So how did this vintage Little House on the Prairie-style dress go from looking like this…

…to this? I hemmed it! Oldest trick in the book. And belted it with a vintage YSL belt instead of its original sash. I almost always swap out the belt that’s comes with a dress or jacket, regardless of whether it’s vintage or brand new. Makes a piece your own, ya know?

I left the sleeves long because they’re fun, they’re see-through and they’re quite flowy so I feel like a true flower child (though in this photo I look much more like a tree child). Oh, and that ring? It’s by Social Experiment. And speaking of things that are social, we have quite a few giveaways coming up  so socialize with The Anthology on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll be the first to hear about them!

[Vintage dress, bag and belt, Prada sandals.]

First, third and fourth photos by Sherry Lu.

P.S. Thank you, Countdown Events, for this feature on yours truly!

May 11, 2012 by