All Posts By

Kelsey Dundon

Ballet is everywhere right now

In Kanye West music videos. In Natalie Portman movies. And in my living room.

I missed dancing, but the thought of enrolling in a community centre class terrified me. So I did what anyone would do — went straight to Amazon.com and ordered the New York Ballet Workout DVD.

the-ballerina-project

It’s ten years old (and includes an introduction by a very blonde Sarah Jessica Parker). It takes itself very seriously (at one point the narrator says “Ballet is, for each dancer, a private affair of the soul.”). And a word to the wise — if you hated tondus and demi-pliés when you were eight, you won’t find them any more entertaining now.

But you better believe this’ll get your arabesque in shape.

[Photo from the beautiful, beautiful Ballerina Project.]

P.S. Twitter is, for each tweeter, a public affair of the soul.

February 5, 2011 by

A recipe for a t-shirt vest

I’m not really one for DIYing. But once in a blue moon I have a hankering for some tinkering. So the other night I pulled out the scissors and transformed an old t-shirt into a vest.

t-shirt-vest-striped-dress

‘Tis easy. Trust me. You won’t even need to use a sewing needle. You’ll find a step-by-step guide after the jump.

Continue Reading

February 1, 2011 by

There are a few perks to not clearing out your closet

One, you never suffer from donor’s remorse. And two, you’re ready to fall in love with a piece all over again. As soon as you see something slightly similar on the runway.

long-dress-la1

I fell head over heels for Roberto Cavalli’s 2011 resort collection (I think it’s the hippie in me). And one dress in particular, a porcelain blue and white boho number, reminded me of the bohemian maxi dress that’s been mine for a few years now.

long-dress

Yes, the print, the colour palette and the cut are all different, but the frolic-in-a-field feeling is the same.

I found it in Barcelona when I was travelling with my girlfriends. So to track down something similar, you can head to Spain (and I highly recommend you do) or you can head to Holt Renfrew and grab the Cavalli (also a delightful voyage).

leather-bag-from-vietnam1

To find a bag like this, though, I’m afraid you’re going to have to go to Thailand. Any excuse to travel, right?

P.S. Shop till you (name) drop. This Saturday, January 29th and Sunday, January 30th, Lola Home and Apparel is offering all you lovely Anthologizers an additional 20% off sale merchandise. Just name-drop The Anthology at checkout and you’re golden.

January 27, 2011 by

A concert for a cause

eva-markvoort-65-red-rosesIf ever someone lived life with passion and purpose, it was Eva Markvoort. The bright, beautiful 25-year-old lost her battle with cystic fibrosis last year, but her tireless work to bring awareness to the disease left a powerful legacy.

A legacy that is being honoured at the 65 Red Roses Benefit Concert on Friday, February 11.

BC’s own folk hero Dan Mangan will perform alongside the Zolas, and Hannah Georgas. Tickets are $34 and all proceeds go to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you’re in Vancouver, come! Spread the word. Let’s sell this thing out.

And if you’re not in Vancouver, you can still join Eva’s movement.  65_RedRoses, the documentary that chronicled her battle with CF, has been picked up by the Oprah Winfrey Network, which means those of you in the States will have a chance to see it too.

I urge you to watch it. Not just because I want to support my friends the filmmakers, but because it will compel you to register to be an organ donor. And that is what Eva worked tirelessly for.

January 26, 2011 by

Some things are guaranteed to make you happy

Like, for example, when your all-time favourite band plays a show with your new favourite band.

photo-screwup

Such was the story on Thursday night. When my all-time favourite (baby brother’s) band Wizerdz played with Vancouver-based electro-pop quintet Young Liars.

young-liars-band-vancouveryoung-liars-banner

I only just discovered them. And I love them (perhaps because they sound a little Phoenix-esque).

vancouver-street-style

So much so, I trudged through a quarter inch of snow to see them. Now that’s devotion.

kd-striped-shirt

I’m afraid to look at the number of times I’ve played the song Colours — it’s been on repeat ever since I’ve discovered it.

Speaking of colours — that blue/black/purple/coral necklace is from H&M. Something else that’s guaranteed to make you happy.

P.S. Read my guest post on Miss Melissa about health, fitness and hamster wheels.

January 23, 2011 by

See you in the desert!

I’ve been excited for Coachella 2011 since — oh I don’t know — Coachella 2010. And with the unveiling of the lineup yesterday, I’ve reached a whole new level of giddiness.

joshua-tree-california

But it’s not Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene or the Black Keys who have me jonesing for the desert.

It’s this guy.

chk-chk-chk

Nic Offer, the short-short-clad lead singer of !!! (Chk Chk Chk). He sings, he sweats, he dances like crazy and can rile up a crowd like no one I’ve ever seen.

Have you ever seen !!! live? They are the best. Hands down. Next time they’re in your city, please, for the love of dance parties, go see them.

kd-coachella-nkotb-tee

Or better yet, pack your NKOTB tee and come to Coachella.

[Second photo found here.]

P.S. Join the party on Facebook.

January 19, 2011 by

Why is this not more common?

Too few restaurants clear away the tables once you’ve finished eating to open up room for a dance floor. In fact, I can’t think of any in Vancouver that do this. Aside from Calabash.

calabash-bistro-skylight2

Went there for a birthday party this weekend (happy 20-something, Ashley!) and ate delicious, delicious Caribbean food while the DJ blasted Sean Paul from a booth set up in front of a 100-year-old now defunct elevator. (All you Europeans, please don’t laugh. That’s about as old as the architecture gets over here in Vancouver.)

The food was amazing (even the salads are something to write home about) but my highlight would have to be the chef’s own hot sauce, which owner Roger Collins says they plan to bottle and sell. Do it soon, Roger, will you? I would put that stuff on everything.

silver-shirt-vintage

My silver, straight-out-of-the-eighties shirt is from F as in Frank. (I bought it after I shot my segment for The Express.)

eel-skin-purse1

My coat? Same story. Just because we’re eating food from the beautiful, sunny Caribbean doesn’t mean we don’t have to bundle up for rainy Vancouver.

[Skylight photo found here.]

P.S. Tweet while you eat.

January 16, 2011 by

As Seen on TV

All right, my friends, I promised you this video (and you promised you wouldn’t laugh too hard at it). So without further ado, this is the segment I filmed with The Express (thanks again, team!). Can you count the number of times I twirl around? I lose track after 624,482.

Thank you, Graeme, for your technical wizardry! And thanks again Melanie Pineda for a fun shoot!

January 12, 2011 by

Colour! Colour everywhere!

It’s makeover season, so I’ve been putting on my Tim “the Toolman” Taylor belt quite a bit lately. My latest project? My dining room.

colour-dining-room

It all started with the chairs.

dining-room-chair-before

Because they used to look like this. And the table was the exact same yellowy pine. (Both were hand-me-downs from my in-laws.)

geometric-carpet

All they needed was a little paint (high gloss spray paint for the chairs and purply grey house paint for the table). They work. In fact, I’d even argue that they’re kind of funky. Almost as funky as that power carpet, which I found at a church thrift sale. (I don’t know where or when it’s from, but I’m obsessed with it.)

painted-room

With all that painting, my colour palette consisted of a dusty rose carpet, glossy black chairs, royal blue painting, and purply grey table. Would “Milk pail green” walls be too much? I started looking at the palettes that artist-turned-designer Julian Schnabel used at the Gramercy Park Hotel, and those that the glamourous Kelly Wearstler uses in everything she does. Which made me realize even a small space can be big on pattern and colour.

mirrors

So I pulled out the roller and went for it.

vintage-dress

The result? A room that is just shy of every colour in the rainbow. Dinner party, anyone?

P.S. Don’t be shy — add The Anthology on Facebook.

January 9, 2011 by