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The Anthology

Style | Sartorial Soul Mates: A Vintage Skirt and a Clashing Vintage Belt

I find fashion rules tedious — so many don’ts! But there’s one I always abide by: replace the belt a piece comes with. Swapping out the waist-cincher that’s included with your dress/coat/shorts/slacks/whatever lends a personal touch. Besides, the belt a piece comes with isn’t always of the highest quality.

So what do you do with the original belt after you’ve unbuckled it? Keep it!

The pink and black belt in the first few shots came with the vintage secretary dress above. When I reworked the dress as part of The Anthology’s Before and Afters, I cinched it with a vintage Yves Saint Laurent belt and stowed the original.

Until now. With its wonky graphic print, this black-and-white skirt called out for a zig-zag print belt in a bright hue. Just because they weren’t made for each other doesn’t mean they weren’t meant to be together!

[T-shirt c/o Simons. Braided sandals by Elizabeth and James. Coach briefcase. Vintage skirt, belt and necklace.]

July 17, 2012 by

Style | Behind the Scenes of the Sterling Shoes FW/12 Campaign Shoot

Is there anything more fun than creative directing a fashion campaign? I’m going to go out on a limb (or should I say…out on a window sill?) and say no. Sterling Shoes has been one of my clients since I started Northill a year ago (love working with you guys!) and we just shot our fall/winter campaign a few weeks back.

Above, one of the models chills at photographer Evaan Kheraj’s studio before we went to the location.

In the spring we shot at Vancouver’s Waldorf Hotel — take a look at the behind-the-scenes shots and the finished products — so for this campaign we headed outside…

…to railroad tracks, which, we found out when a train came barrelling through, are still operational.

Then, to get some of that big-sky feel we trekked to wide-open fields in White Rock, which is 45 minutes outside of Vancouver. While a hang glider tried to get off the ground (above left), I was operating a leaf blower/wind machine. To blow a breeze through the model’s dress, that is, not to help the hang glider take flight.

Evaan Kheraj — that’s him in the tree — shot the campaign and Luisa Rino styled it (in the above shot she put the models in a sweater by Kersh, poncho by Press, toques by Lifetime Collective, scarf by Cecile Benac. In the second shot from the top, they’re both wearing sweaters by Press). Negar, who was our makeup and hair artist, created a custom-blended lip colour that was part plum, part blush and all stunning.

I just spent the day going through the photos so I’ll share the in-front-of-the-scenes shots as soon as I can. Man, I love projects that are this much fun to work on.

P.S. I tweet while I’m on location so follow @TheAnthology on Twitter.

July 16, 2012 by

Trippin’ | The Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

I have to give props to my pops.

My dad has done the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic a few years in a row. It’s a two-day event where thousands of hardcore cyclists peddle more than 200 miles (325 km) from the Emerald City to the City of Roses (he once rode the bike in the photo). There’s a camp at the mid-way point where they crash for a night. Except this year, my dad’s tent wasn’t at the campsite when he arrived so he kept going all the way to Portland. He completed the entire thing in one day — started the ride at 5:15 in the morning and finished it at 10:00 that night.

Did I mention he’s 65 years old?

The man has been making me look like a lazy bum my whole life, but I have to give him kudos.

July 16, 2012 by

Before | The Purple Colour-blocked Shirt

Hilary Banks would have loved this shirt. She probably would have worn it with pearls, a long-strap bag, pleated pants and some sort of sassy hat. It would have been one of her more conservative looks, but she would have rocked it.

I am not Hilary Banks.

Though I do find it interesting to see how different decades interpret the colour-blocked trend. I’m not convinced the ’90s did it very well.

I’m going to get this blouse altered in the hopes that I can actually wear it in this millenium. Stay tuned for the “after” shots!

P.S. Like The Anthology on Facebook and you’ll be the first to see the transformation.

P.P.S. Take a trip down The Anthology’s memory lane with these Before and Afters.

July 9, 2012 by

Trippin’ | Overnight Picnicking on the Oregon Coast

I camped a lot as a kid. Every summer my parents would pile us all into the minivan (my brother, sister and I had to sit side by side with our German Shepherd on our laps) and trek across North America. It’s how I did most of my early traveling — I saw two Provinces and countless States that way, ate a lot of hotdogs, drank a lot of hot cocoa and slurped back a lot of instant oatmeal. I loved it and to this day the smell of campfire instantly relaxes me.

I hadn’t been camping in 10 years so I figured it was about time I made my triumphant return to the tent. Turns out things have changed. We now needed to figure out how to charge a cell phone while in the middle of nowhere (I didn’t — I own my own business so I was in desperate need of a little unplugged time).

Figure out how to chop firewood (not my forte).

And re-learn how to build a campfire in crazy winds.

We stayed in Oregon’s Nehalem Bay State Park in a campground that itself is unremarkable — aside from the fact that you can rent horses — but whose beach is out of this world. White sand stretches for miles and there are very few people on it.

We went with friends who are real foodies so we treated this camping trip like a sleepover picnic. Instead of hitting up Fred Meyer for Ball Park Franks, we stocked up on farm-fresh groceries at the Portland State University Farmers Market (if you go, get the smoked salmon!) and made porcini and sage linguini with quinoa salad.

And spritzers in travel mugs.

That we took to the beach.

Which is also where we made ‘smores. Because some things should never change.

P.S. There ‘smore fun on Facebook so like The Anthology.

July 5, 2012 by

Pinstagram | The lion, the loft and the location

Pinstagram is a mashup of Kelsey Dundon’s Pinterest and Instagram feeds. In other words, the dream and the reality.

Sand on sand on sand & my trip to the beach in White Rock, just outside Vancouver (I was location scouting, which technically makes this work).

Smizing with Melissa Knight and Alicia Quan at the London Drugs Fall Beauty Preview + beautiful, beautiful nail polish polka dots.

A stunning all-white loft & lovely letters at Gastown’s new L’Atelier Home (which I wrote about right here).

My friend Nadia’s garden decor (these things really need to make a comeback) & a colourful little planter box.

The king of the jungle & the queen of my house, who just discovered my desk drawers.

A geometric terrarium at Old Faithful Shop & the coolest way to house an air plant.

P.S. Follow Kelsey Dundon on Pinterest and Instagram.

July 4, 2012 by

Workspace | Anya Georgijevic of I’m the It Girl

Workspace takes us inside the creative spaces of some very creative people.

Daphne Guinness quoted her in her book(!). Still, Anya Georgijevic maintains she is not an It Girl. She does, however, maintain the blog I’m the It Girl, plus, she’s western editor of FLARE, a fellow editor at Vitamin Daily, and has a dog with lopsided ears (the best kind).

Here, my favourite It Girl takes us through her workspace in her own words…

1. My glossy cream desk is by a Minneapolis-based design firm, Blu Dot. I love its minimal, crisp design, although most of time, it’s in a state of complete mess. Next to my laptop is whatever I’m working on at the moment. Today it’s FLARE, but often it’s a slew of beauty products waiting to be reviewed.

2. My monogrammed Castelli notebook was a gift from my Vitamin Daily publishers, and I jot down all my notes in it, exclusively with my trusty Muji pen, which I stock up on whenever I go to New York or Hong Kong.

3. I can’t work without music or some type of background noise (sometimes I play stylish films for inspiration — see the “Screen Style” posts on my blog) and sound doesn’t get better or chicer than with Harman Kardon speakers. Whenever I get stressed, I indulge in some aroma therapy. Currently on the menu: Laduree. My dog Bun is my office mate, so he demanded that his picture be included.

4. Above my desk is where I keep my essential literature. Whenever I feel uninspired, books are my place to go.

5. This frame is the girliest thing I own and holds a picture from my wedding.

6. The two ceramic figures are from my two grandmothers. I loved this silly-looking dog as a kid and I always used to play with the little Turkish shoe (sometimes to my grandma’s annoyance). Now I’m a dog person that owns a lot of shoes, so…thanks.

[Photo of Anya by Sherry Lu.]

P.S. Click your way over to Anya’s blog I’m the It Girl, where if you’re lucky she’s writing about Cher’s Clueless style.

P.P.S. Check out the first post in the Workspace column, Niki Blasina of A Haute Mess, and find out how she smells when she works.

June 29, 2012 by

You Asked | How To Gain Exposure?

Emilie writes:

I follow your blog and am so impressed by all you’ve seemed to accomplish through it.  I was hoping you might be able to give me a couple tips on how to gain exposure?  I post my posts on my Facebook page, but obviously that only generates so many hits…

Hi Emilie,

I could go on for hours about this (and if you’ve sat in on one of my classes at SFU, you’ve heard me do just that) but these 11 points sum it up quite nicely.

1. Reach out. Oh hey! You’ve just done that. Social media is well…social and that’s a beautiful thing. Comment on other blogs, tweet @ people, share links you love. But reaching out offline is just as important as online. You’re in Vancouver (such a pretty city!) and the Couv has a gazillion events that people actually attend — art openings, restaurant tastings, fashion shows — you name it, there’s a community dedicated to it. Don’t yet get invitations to these media-only events? Send an email introducing yourself to local PR reps, they’re lovely people (hi guys!).

2. Study the blogs you love. Analyze them to death. What do you love about them? How do they make you feel when you read them? Do you like the photography? The subject matter? The writer’s voice? Ask yourself why you click on them when you click on them. Is it that you’re bored at work and you want a bit of an inspirational pick-me-up? Whatever it may be, keep a list of your answers.

3. Study the blogs you don’t really like. Dissect them because you can often learn as much from other people’s mistakes as you can your own. Does the blog look like a mess? Does it bore you? Does it drive you crazy that the blogger only posts once every three months? While I’m not suggesting you become a hater, it is smart to spot some of the pitfalls bloggers fall into.

4. Study your own blog. What do people respond to? What do they share? What do they like (I mean this in the Facebook sense of the word). Take a look at your Google Analytics. Ask your friends and family for input and conduct a reader survey. Look back on your first few posts (and laugh!) — what do you know now that you didn’t?

5. Take it seriously. Be professional. Make business cards, network, prepare a media kit, be consistent in how often you post.

6. But don’t take it too seriously. When momentum really starts  building it can be stressful, busy and exhausting so sometimes it helps to remember we’re not saving lives here.

7. Set goals. And I’m not talking about traffic, I’m talking about big picture goals — what do you hope your blog will do for you in five years? What career path do you hope it will send you down? Write these things down and post them somewhere you can see them. It’s amazing to see how quickly you’ll start checking them off.

8. Start doing what you want to be doing. That’s the beautiful thing about self-publishing: you can get practice, learn as you go and build a portfolio while you do so. Want to do on-camera work? Record video posts and get comfortable in front of the lens. Speaking of appearances, keep folders of your media exposure — save copies of magazines you’re mentioned in, footage of TV clips you appear in, screen grabs of the websites you’re profiled on (don’t just save a link because it might get taken down).

9. Treat your blog like a brand. What does it stand for? What makes it stand out? Make sure your Facebook page, Twitter feed, Pinterest account and the like all align with your brand personality.

10. Love your readers. Make sure their time is well spent, or at the very least, well wasted. Entertain them, inspire them, make them laugh, make them cry — whatever, just don’t forget who you’re talking to. And on that note, your boss and your mother are reading your blog so keep it kosher.

11. Love your blog. It’s more fun that way. <3

Happy blogging, Emilie. I hope this helps!

[Photo by Sherry Lu.]

P.S. A little while ago Shona asked How Do You Do It? And I answered right here.

P.P.S. Have a question you’d like a reeeeeally long answer to? Send it to KDundon@TheAnthology.ca

June 26, 2012 by

Trippin’ | Cheesecake-less in Seattle

The last time I was in Seattle I had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Don’t judge me — it was New Year’s Day and it was the only restaurant near our hotel that didn’t have a long lineup. But still, I know, I know, it was the lowest point in my dining career. So when I went to Seattle a few weeks ago I was on a mission to eat at local joints where the menus don’t come with a separate (and frightening) nutritional info binder.

After much research, many recommendations (thank you, Anya!), and some quality time on OpenTable, my ladyfriends and I went on quite the culinary tour — park picnics and all:

1. Le Pichet means “Pitcher” in French, so naturally we had one filled with wine at brunch. Was it after noon? No, but we were on vacation for crying out loud.

2. I ate neither anchovies nor olives at Anchovies and Olives, but I did have squid ink pasta, which was the most delicious pasta I’ve ever had. Which reminds me, I need to get my tentacles on some more.

3. Even though their rooftop patio was closed, we had brunch at Terra Plata, where they make kombucha cocktails. Just sayin.

4. We ate a late, late dinner at Barrio, where the tacos aren’t quite as good as La Taqueria’s, but they come close.

Though we stayed downtown at the Hotel Monaco (where this stellar self-portrait was taken) we spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill — had a happy hour picnic in Anderson Park (see first photo), took a quick stroll through Totokaelo’s new location (which is gorgeous!).

And stocked up on exotic salts at Sugar Pill. We even managed to squeeze in some spa time at the Four Seasons.

The only thing we didn’t do? Go to the Cheesecake Factory.

P.S. Come along next time — follow @TheAnthology on Twitter.

June 25, 2012 by

Diary | Snapshots and Snippets

Have I ever told you about the time I got an iPhone? It was many, many, many years coming and last week I finally pitched my Blackberry and entered the iWorld. Has my life changed significantly? Well, typing got a tad more difficult, but Instagram entered my life. And that makes me very, very happy. Here’s why.

1. Every cloud has a silver lining. Or so says my favourite new umbrella by Lulu Guinness for Fulton. (Thank you, Fulton!)

2. Meet my two beasts, or at least part of them. She was keeping warm by laying on the heating vent in my office, he was just being a brat.

3. A vintage necklace I got from my sister. Or maybe she got it for herself and I just took it from her. My memory’s a bit hazy.

4. My family’s dog Bear, who stole a head of lettuce right out of the garden and went on the lam.

5. That’s me, learning to use my iPhone.

6. Gorgeous handmade gold cuffs at Frey Wille. (Did you know Vancouver is home to one of only three Frey Wille locations in North America? Neither did I.)

7. As I was scouting locations for a campaign I’m working on, I stumbled upon these beauties in the forest.

8. That time I went on a boat cruise chartered a yacht.

P.S. For pretty things, fun things and behind-the-scenes things, follow Kelsey Dundon on Instagram.

June 19, 2012 by