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Kelsey Dundon

Trippin’ | Portland!

I didn’t get it. I had no idea how a city so close to Vancouver, BC (and even closer to Vancouver, Wa) could possibly feel so different. But that was before I spent quality time in Portland.

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That city feels like another world because it’s all about the made-in-Portland, designed-in-Portland, brewed-in-Portland, recorded-in-Portland.

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And, in some cases, the grown-in-Portland.

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Have you been lately? If you haven’t, make Portland your next road trip destination (you can thank me later).

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When you’re there you’ll want to start with breakfast at the Farmer’s Market. It’s a beautiful thing. Especially when it consists of a sandwich from Bingo Sandwich, cold-brewed coffee from Cafe Velo and freshly picked raspberries from one of the gazillion vendors who offer them. (My jacket, in case it isn’t obvious from the shoulders, is a vintage piece that’s so light, it’s perfect for cool summer mornings.)

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Then hit the road on foot and explore. You could walk forever in that city.

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And you could get lost in its one-of-a-kind shops like Jackpot Records, Lulu Vintage or Powell’s Books (I’m not exaggerating about getting lost in Powell’s Books, it’s got so many stairwells going so many different directions I felt like I was trapped in an M.C. Escher drawing).

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Doddle around the Portland Design Collective, which is half vintage shop, half local design museum, and all beautiful open airy space with friendly, chatty staff.

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Then pick up locally made accessories for you and your home at Tender Loving Empire, which is also a record label.

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Then hem and haw over which handcrafted piece to add to your collection at the Portland Saturday Market (which, you’ll be happy to know, is open on Sunday too). While you’re there, get all hopped up on sugar and caffeine with a Cloud Cap Coffee Works Mexican mocha, made with homemade vanilla syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate and whipped cream. (My crochet jacket and suede shorts are also vintage. Actually, so is my bag. Yeesh. I’m so predictable.)

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Then spend your evening in the beer garden of a microbrewery (this one is Amnesia Brewing on Mississippi Avenue in North Portland).

And at that point you’ll probably find yourself planning your next trip to the City of Roses. See you next summer, PDX!

P.S. I joined the cult of Portland and then I wrote an article for the Province.

P.P.S. You’ll find a few of my where-to-stay, what-to-eat picks for Portland on Vitamin Daily.

August 10, 2011 by

Giveaway | Deadmau5 at the PNE!

Picked a name out of a hat (that I wish was shaped like a mouse) and the winner of two tickets to Friday’s sold-out Deadmau5 show courtesy of The Anthology and the PNE is…

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Stanislava! Congratulations. Have soooooo much fun dancing your heart out! This is going to be a good one.

[Photo found here.]

August 10, 2011 by

Giveaway | Deadmau5 Tickets!

Get your dance pants on! Or should I say dance mouse hat?

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The Anthology and the PNE want to give you two tickets to the sold-out deadmau5 show at Vancouver’s PNE Forum Friday, Aug 12, 2011. They’re valued at $50 a pop but you could win your way in. How?

For one entry: Comment on this post and tell us your favourite deadmau5 song. (I lurve Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.)
For two entries: Write on The Anthology’s Facebook wall.
For three entries: Holler @TheAnthology on Twitter.

The contest is open to readers all across Metro Vancouver. The lucky winner will be chosen on Wednesday, August 10th (contest closes 5:00pm PST). Good luck!

UPDATE: We’ve picked a winner! Congratulations Stanislava!

August 5, 2011 by

Bookmark | Of Another Fashion

In The Anthology’s Bookmark column we explore some of the most inspiring corners of the internet. This week’s was submitted by Boston-based food blogger Camille of Broken Record (whose premise is “lousy photos, good food”). Take a look…

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“Of Another Fashion is this amazing project being done on the fashion histories of women of colour in the US (although there’s plenty of overseas stuff too – people’s photos of their moms before they immigrated, for instance),” she says. “It’s crowdsourced so people submit their own photos.  So it’s cool conceptually as well as having amazing content.”

Toyo Miyatake Studio Rafu Shimpo Collection

The site, curated by Minh-Ha T. Pham, an Assistant Professor in the History of Art & Visual Studies Department and the Asian American Studies Program at Cornell University, is full of gorgeous vintage shots from all over the world as well as the stories behind them. It’s well worth bookmarking.

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Besides, I want that dress.

[Photos from Of Another Fashion.]

P.S. Want to add more to your bookmark bar? Well, start with The Anthology (obviously) and then take a look at the first and second features in the series.

August 2, 2011 by

Style | Colour pop

I have a girlfriend who chose orange as her favourite colour when she was little because she felt sorry for it (everybody always seemed to pick pink or purple).

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I think she would like these gloves. I spotted them at Holt Renfrew’s fall preview and fell in love right away. Ain’t nothing more ladylike than a pair of gloves (Audrey Hepburn would totally agree) and there ain’t nothing more fun than bold, bright colours (Crayola would totally agree).

Wait a minute. Summer has barely begun in Vancouver and I’m already excited to dress for fall? What is wrong with me?

July 28, 2011 by

Before | The Printed Jacket

Because I know nothing brightens your day quite like some “before” shot ugliness, I present to you this specimen, which seems like it must be from the early ’90s.

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It’s just so ridiculous, so boxy, so outrageously unflattering, I had to post it twice (I want to make sure you really get a chance to take it all in).

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You want more? I could keep going. But instead I’ll let you contemplate what it’s going to look like after it’s been tailored.

You’re welcome.

P.S. Nothing brightens my day quite like having your face on The Anthology’s Facebook page. So like it, will ya?

P.P.S. Take a look at some of The Anthology’s worst “before” shots of all time here. And here. Oh, and also here.

July 27, 2011 by

London Town | Eastern Vibes

In her second dispatch from London, Katie Burnett, a friend and beyond hilarious actress and writer living across the pond, retraces the places, films and books that make her most nostalgic…

I grew up in Montreal. I was used to ice cold winters (my eyelashes freezing when my mother would send me out in a snowstorm for milk) and boiling hot, steaming summers (I would escape to summer camp in the Laurentians and jump into a cold lake to cool off). But the at-times unpleasant weather aside, the East Coast is such a vibrant place and I often miss it.

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With the film version of Kerouac’s classic On the Roadcoming out soon, I thought I’d revisit what I love about Montreal, New York, and the East Coast.
Anyone who knows Montreal knows about the Tam Tams on Mount Royal. Well, I grew up right across the park, and every Sunday morning I woke up to this. It was annoying for my parents whose bedroom faced the park directly, but I loved waking up to the familiar rhythm and beats of the Tam Tams. It’s a sound I miss. If you’re ever in Montreal, stop by!
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I’ve been reading and re-readingOn the Road and it brings back a flush of memories of the East Coast. The film is expected to come out in the next few months, directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), staring Sam Riley as Sal and Garrett Hedlund as Dean. Judging from the few stills released, it looks like they’re doing a fab job of recreating the book.

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It got me thinking about I’m Not There, a brilliant film directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Mildred Pierce) where six characters embody different aspects of Bob Dylan’s life and work. Parts of it were filmed on location in Montreal, and when I saw certain images (especially Heath Ledger’s scenes with Charlotte Gainsborough), I recognized them right away as my hometown. Great for some summer viewing!

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Perfect for summer reading, Down the Highway by Howard Sounes is a great biography on Bob Dylan, almost as good as his own autobiography Bob Dylan Chronicles Volume One. When I first went to New York, I literally walked around with this book, stopping in awe when I would hit places like Cafe Wha? where Bob Dylan started out. (On a different note, if you are in New York, make sure you also stop by Levain Bakery, home of the best cookies, located on the Upper West Side.)

I have to admit, I’m obsessed with biographies, and another great one is Allen Ginsberg, Beat Poet by Barry Miles. It’s a beautiful biography that paints an incredibly picture of New York in the post WW2 era. I read it in conjunction with Ginsberg’s famous poems Howl, Kaddish and Other Poems.

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And what story about the East Coast would be complete without Simon and Garfunkel? I had the privilege of seeing Paul Simon perform recently at the Roundhouse in Camden. My friend and fellow North American Samantha and I got there early and managed to get in the front row!

If you can believe it, that wasn’t just a private concert by Paul Simon for me – there were hundreds of people behind me. It was intimate and phenomenal. When he played classics, it brought me right back to my youth. The last time I saw Paul Simon, I was about 10 or 11, in Montreal. I grew up listening to, and loving, his music.

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And since we’re reminiscing, here’s a shot taken by my family friend Judith Crawley when I was a baby in Montreal, with my parents. If that isn’t quintessential hipster 80’s, I don’t know what is.

[First photo found here, second and third are film stills, fourth and fifth photos by Katie.]

P.S. Want to stay on board the nostalgia train? Katie Burnett has more dispatches from London coming up on The Anthology! Catch up on her first dispatch from London here.

July 24, 2011 by

Vancouver | Sporting fanatics

I’m no sports fan. Unless, you know, my team’s future completely and totally depends on it.

kelsey-whitecaps-gameBut I love a good Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game.

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I think it’s the fans. When it comes to crazy fanatics, the soccer crowd has every other sport beat. Hands down.

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The drumming, the chanting, the “Oo are ya”-ing. It doesn’t get any more infectious than that. And these are North American fans too. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to attend a game in a country where this sport is called football. Have you been?

[The vintage shorts I’m wearing used to look like this. Rosegold sandals. Glasses by Oliver Peoples.]

July 21, 2011 by

Northill | Take flight

Through my writing company Northill I’ve been working with some of the most amazing clients (holler!), one of which is the Flying Pigeon bicycle.

Take a look at the just-released video and tell me it’s not dreamy. Then take a look at TheFlyingPigeon.com and tell me it’s not the most compelling copy you’ve ever read.

[Music by Edo van Breemen, video by Adrian Buitenhuis, Bryant Bell and Redia Soltis.]

July 20, 2011 by