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Kelsey Dundon

If you could wear one thing…

And only one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

sarees

I’d opt for a saree.

wedding-bouquet

It’s bright, it’s colourful, and it can be wrapped in a million different ways (if you know what you’re doing. I don’t. But I’d like to think I could learn).

anji-getting-dressed

Wore one as a bridesmaid for my ladyfriend’s wedding.

anji-pre-wedding

It, like Anji’s saree, earrings and necklace, was lovingly hand-picked in India.

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As were all the bridesmaids’ sarees. (Not the dress on the right, mind you. That’s a Diane von Furstenberg beauty.)

red-silk-detail

Is seven metres of silk a bit much for casual Friday? I think not.

August 5, 2010 by

Forgive me?

I haven’t been posting frequently because I’ve been here:

sunset gabriola island bc

I’ll be back on the ol’ blogging wagon pronto. Promise.

In the meantime, follow me here.

August 4, 2010 by

Some things are better with your girlfriends

Bard on the Beach being one of them.

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Saw Falstaff with my most theatrical friend Katie, instead of my non-synopsis-reading husband. And had the best night ever.

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Her favourite things about the play? Dean Paul Gibson, who played Falstaff, for one. “He was so on point with his comedy but also drew us in so well with his more dramatic speeches.” Such wise words from a theatre aficionado.

“And the barrels near the wine and beer,” she added, “Made me wish I lived on a winery in France.” That’s my girl.

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My favourite things? The courtyard, the live music, the ambiance, the close-to-the-beach-ness. It’s such an amazing way to spend a midsummer’s night.

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And Falstaff as a play is entertaining, accessible, and action-packed. In the photo above, Prince Hal (Alessandro Juliani), Bardolph (Bernard Cuffling), and Ned Poins (Kevin K. James) laugh with Falstaff (Dean Paul Gibson, centre). Shot by David Blue.

vintage-dress-reworked

Wore a reworked vintage dress. (Remember this? Yeah, well, it was nothing a little tailoring couldn’t cure.)

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Had it altered at Oakridge Tailors on Cambie. And now it’s perfect for events. Shakespearian and otherwise.

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Earrings from Mexico.

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Shoes are Marc by Marc Jacobs from Ogilvy in Montreal. Shoe shopping! Another thing that’s so much better with your girlfriends.

P.S. Want to support Cystic Fibrosis research? Watch this terribly embarrassing video by my lawn bowling team (so sorry I missed the recording). And pledge us here.

July 26, 2010 by

They should rename it Festiville

Montreal is easily the most vibrant city in Canada, non?

costumes

We arrived last week when Just for Laughs was in full swing (which, for the record, follows closely on the heels of the city’s outrageously huge Jazz Festival).

just-for-laughs-stage

Out of more than 200 English performances, we caught only two. (We would have attended more had we figured out earlier that we actually like stand-up comedy.) The highlight? Mike Birbiglia’s one-man riot My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.

graffiti-coordination

I had been to Montreal before, but only in the dead of winter so it was a treat to be able to roam the streets in a vintage t-shirt (bonus points for coordinating with the graffiti!).

vintage-belt

And the vintage belt that I wore all over Quebec.

i-heart-cheese

Speaking of graffiti, I have no idea what the story is behind this tag (maybe it’s as straight forward as it looks) but I kept spotting it all over the city. And it hit close to home because there’s nothing I heart more than a slice of emmental.

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And speaking of a nice slice, Marche de la Villette in old Montreal serves up cheap(ish) breakfasts and lunches with great cheeses. L’Express on Saint Denis lives up to its hype. And, across the street from the Opus Hotel where we stayed, is Tequila Taco House, which looks like a hole in the wall but serves up amazing Mexican food.

opus-montreal

Ah, the Opus. It’s right smack dab between the shops and festival grounds of Saint Catherine and the funky boutiques, restaurants and bars of Saint Laurent and Saint Denis. Which makes its location pretty much perfect.

(Just make sure you book a room that’s not facing the hotel bar because its patio is as packed and party-full as the city itself.)

P.S. Get festive and add the Anthology on Facebook.

July 20, 2010 by

Quebec, je t’aime

I knew Quebec City would be beautiful. But I never knew it would be that beautiful.

kelsey-quebec

Cobblestone streets, acres and acres of parks, the dramatic Saint Lawrence River. It felt like another world and yet, my loonies and toonies were taken at par.

festival-dete-bracelet

Attended the Festival d’Ete de Quebec, the 11-day showcase of Anglophone and Francophone artists. And were some of the few attendees to come from out of provice (only 5% according to the National Post).

bieres-froides

Why is that the case, when you can buy beer from people roaming around with coolers and see acts like Arcade Fire, Black Eyed Peas, Santana and Passion Pit?

passion-pit

For only $50.

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When we weren’t at the festival we explored the city on foot.

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Grabbed some brie, baguettes and grapes from Epicerie Richard in the old town (42 Rue Des Jardins if you have a hankering).

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And headed out to the historic Plains of Abraham for a pique-nique. (Wore my paint-splattered cutoffs and vintage belt.)

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Oh Quebec, I miss you already. J’espere que I’ll be back soon! If only because I desperately need to improve my Francais.

P.S. Follow moi sur Twitter (and pardon my Frenglish, s’il vous plait).

July 14, 2010 by

Sporting!

Kind of. Lawn bowling is more about socializing, costuming and leisuring than it is about athleticizing. At least when you play it like we do.

bowling

The second annual Vancouver Leisure Society lawn bowling extravaganza kicked off this week at the Stanley Park Lawn Bowling Club (the world’s most beautiful venue). 

lawnrissa

In honour of Eva Markvoort, the month-long tournament benefits the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

shoes

Last year, they raised $11,000. This year, we’re hoping to beat that.

bowlden-girls

My powerhouse team? The Bowlden Girls. (With Kim Bowie, Dana Rudelier, and Larissa Dundon.)

dresses

Headless wonders that we are.

after-jungle-dress

Wore an asymmetrical jungle print dress.

jungle-dress-detail

‘Tis vintage and ’tis as close to a white dress as I have (unless you count my non-wedding wedding dress).

toms

The night was packed with more prep than you can shake a polo mallet at. My favourite dude outfit? Cuffed pink pants and Toms. So stylin. So good for the world.

larissa-lawn

As the Leisure Society says, why club when you can country club?

P.S. Add The Anthology on Facebook for more photos and fun times!

July 9, 2010 by

Now with even more geek!

Rihanna opened her “North American and Canadian” tour  in Vancouver. And as part of their N97 Mini Tour, Nokia was there. Guess who they brought with them…

n97-mini-tour

Heather of Urban Cowgirl, Sherry Lu and Michael Fashionista. And the Anthology!

n97-mini-tour-peeps

Ke$ha opened. And I hate to admit it, but I love her. I mean, Tik Tok? It’s a classic.

sherry-lu-shoes

Sherry wore the perfect shoes — Ke$ha’s Dinosaur is terrible, but terribly catchy.

rihanna

Rihanna brought all her hits: Disturbia, Live Your Life, Umbrella (her encore). She sang live(!) at times. But it wasn’t her voice I was mesmerized by. She is freakishly gorgeous.

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Wore a vintage dress, which is actually my sister’s (thanks Rissa!).

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And a vintage necklace, which is the gaudiest fake gold, even by fake gold standards.

frye-boots

And my trusty Frye boots, I’d wear them every day if I could get away with it.

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Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go try to figure out how to work my new N97 Mini.

P.S. Get super techy and add the Anthology on Facebook.

July 6, 2010 by

Start practicing your jazz hands

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is in full swing.

ashley-and-laura-pre-brasstronaut

Went with my ladyfriends to see Vancouver’s Brasstronaut at the Commodore.

brasstronaut-happy-hour

Which was like a reunion of sorts.

edo-brasstronaut

Because Laura, Ashley and I have known lead singer Edo Van Breemen since elementary school. We’ve been good friends with his sister since the first time scrunchies and spandex were cool. (Wish you were there, Elke!)

commodore-lights-blurry

And I realize that I am completely biased, but Brasstronaut was absolutely amazing.

brasstronaut-commodore

They were animated, they sounded even better than they do on their album, and they were downright fun to watch.

kelsey

Wore a vintage dress that may very well have belonged to your Great Aunt Helga. And I’m not kidding. Just look at what it looked like before.

kelsey-dress

Wore it with flat boots. Always flat boots at concerts (dancing shoes, ya know?).

laura-ashley-commodore

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs until July 4th. Go! Take your friends! Have fun!

P.S. Put your jazz hands to good use and follow The Anthology on Twitter.

July 1, 2010 by

I’ve been to Shakespeare’s Globe in London

And I’ve been to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. But I had never been to Bard on the Beach in my very own city. Until now.

Went to their production of Antony and Cleopatra this weekend (loved it!) and learned a few things from the experience:

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1. Date night at Bard on the Beach > date night on the couch. Got that, gentlemen?

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2. Tents have roofs. So even if you go on a day that’s less spectacular than this one, you don’t have to worry about a little Vancouver sky water ruining your night.

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3. Cleopatra might be your next girl crush. She is a is a feisty, captivating woman (played by Jennifer Lines, pictured centre, with Almeera Jiwa and Sarah Afful, photo by David Blue).

vintage-dress

4. Tents are breezy. So at the risk of sounding like your mother, bring your favourite vintage faux fur jacket with you.

gold

5. Cleopatra has more fake gold than you do. And she has more costume changes than Cher. Costume designer Mara Gottler did a beautiful job.

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6. Vancouver makes the most beautiful backdrop you could ask for. I’m sorry London, my apologies Ashland, but it’s true. (Photo by David Blue.)

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7. Seats are cushy. I stood for all three hours of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe (which was amazing, actually) but you won’t be on your feet at Vanier Park (just make sure you get there early enough to reserve seats — they aren’t assigned).

antony-and-cleopatra-bard-on-the-beach

8. Unless you speak Shakespeare fluently, you’ll want to read the synopsis beforehand. My husband didn’t and at one point, he leaned over to me and whispered “I understand about two percent of what’s going on.” (He crammed during intermission and was fine for the second half.)

9. You can eat licorice allsorts in the theatre! Some of us find that very exciting.

Antony and Cleopatra plays until September 24. Have you been to Bard on the Beach? What did you think?

June 28, 2010 by

That’s Marcus Antonius to you

Bard on the Beach has brought the epic Antony and Cleopatra to the shores of English Bay. And I’ll be there this weekend through the battles and the betrayals, the wigs and the eyeliner.

elizabeth-taylor-cleopatra

And I am pretty darned excited about it.

elizabeth-taylor-cleopatra-1963

The story of the Queen of Egypt falling in love with the first Emperor of Rome is so meaty, even the SparkNotes are beefy (have I read the complete play? Not yet.).

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But I have Ancient Egypt on the brain. So I started gathering stills from 20th Century Fox’s 1963 epic Cleopatra for inspiration. And Elizabeth Taylor, in her 1960s costumes, does not disappoint.

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Seriously, how gorgeous was she? And how much do you want that headdress?

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I’m all for any production filled with love, lust and lots of fake gold. And Bard on the Beach promises plenty of that. Antony and Cleopatra plays until September 24th.

I’ll be tweeting while I’m there so follow me here.

(Images from 20th Century Fox.)

June 24, 2010 by