Thank you, Sara Graves, for this delightful post about The Anthology on Eco Fashion Week’s blog! Made my day!
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The Anthology
Change may be good, but I like that some things stay the same. Take the Converse All Star, for example. It’s an icon, a rock ‘n roll staple, a shoe I find myself wearing almost every weekend.
The other night, I stopped by the Converse spring preview at the stunningly beautiful Warehouse Studio in Gastown. My favourite of the new looks? As cool as the DC Comic collaborations are (just look at this kids’ shoe!), I’d have to choose the Chuck Taylor Dainty for its slimmed-down take on the classic silhouette. It’s kind of the same, and kind of changed.
P.S. Tweet like an all star. Follow @TheAnthology!
Ah…photographers. I LOVE them! I wish I could be of them, but I most definitely am not (I haven’t even taken my new DSLR out of the box because it terrifies me).
Instead, I collaborate with them every chance I get. In this case, with Vancouver-based wedding and portrait photographer — and all-round sweetheart — Sherry Lu. She’s a superstar, no?
We shot a garden party-themed series in Queen Elizabeth Park this past weekend. The sun was out (hence the flare!) and you’d never guess this was taken in the parking lot, would ya? You’d also never guess my vintage blouse used to look like this, would ya?
I’ll share more photos as soon as I get them. Thanks a million, Sherry!
P.S. You know what else I love? Your face on Facebook! So like The Anthology!
It’s been a while since I last attended a reading. In fact, I don’t think I’ve attended one since Roddy Doyle shared a few passages from The Dead Republic, which was so long ago (two years) the book he read from was the old-fashioned kind. You know…made from trees.
But these are different times. Vancouver author Jacquie Somerville (on the right) will soon be releasing My Fat Little Rule Book as an ebook (how techtastic!) and she threw a party in a penthouse suite at the Hotel Georgia to celebrate.
Chic, non? Not unlike her dress, which Roddy Doyle could never pull off.
Clockwise from the top left: my just-back-from-NYC friend Laura, PR pro Lisa Kwong, and fashionistas Alicia Quan, Melissa Knight and Jen Pistor.
[First photo by Rick Chung. (Thanks, Rick!) You’ll find plenty more in his Vancouver Daze column.]
P.S. Join the party — follow @TheAnthology on Twitter!
Northill has been quite the adventure (take a peek at this post for more on that). Between the writing and styling and consulting is photo shoot creative direction, which just might be one of my favourite aspects of my biz. You saw the behind-the-scenes peek at the campaign shoot for Sterling Shoes and the gorgeous photos we captured, right?
Well, I didn’t take any behind-the-scenes shots at the Freedman Shoes SS/12 campaign shoot, but I thought I’d share my very favourite photo. Quite possibly of all time.
Shot at Liberty in Vancouver, the dog on the left is made of rolled-up newspaper (such a quirky home accessory!) and the dog on the right belongs to photographer Barry Gnyp. The fact that the two pups looked virtually identical was serendipitous so I thought I’d see what would happen if we posed them both in the shot. Now, it’s worth mentioning that the friendly little yorkshire terrier cross is not talent per se, so getting her to stay still for the photo was a feat and the fact that she looked in that direction for a brief second was…I don’t know — maybe there was food just out of frame.
The result is a shot I adore so much I’d like to hang it on my wall. Instead, it’s hanging on Freedman’s.
[Shoes from Freedman, dress from H&M]
P.S. Speaking of walls, like The Anthology on Facebook!
Technically, I don’t get spring break any more. But spending the weekend in Whistler with my ladyfriends is a very spring break thing to do. The highlight? Snowshoeing along the trails that weave around Lost Lake to Scandinave Spa.
Nestled in the forest (though still reachable by car), it’s a series of hot and cold (like, really, really cold) pools that you jump in and out of like you’re a native Finlander.
Sounds delightful, right? And we sound pretty hardcore for trekking there on snowshoes, don’t we?
Well, we’re not. I was on the trails for all of four minutes before I fell in a tree well. And this is hardly a vigorous sport. I mean, really.
That’s why I wore my Nibz bandana — so I at least looked like I know what I’m doing. Made in Vancouver, these triple-layered bandanas were designed by snowboard cross athlete/Whistler local Sara Niblock. They gave me one to test out (love it! Thank you!) and now that they’ve seen how hardcore I really am, they’ll probably take it right back.
[Second photo found here.]
P.S. Tweet like you mean it. Follow @TheAnthology.
Wowee! This is one hot little number. Then again, “Before” shots in The Anthology’s Before and After column always are.
This bright, colourful blouse has big, bold shoulder pads, leading me to believe it’s from the ’80s. But the shoulder pads really aren’t what’s making this blouse so ridiculous. It’s the shapelessness. It’s meant to fit a size small and yet there’s so much extra fabric I could fit another person in there.
It might even be worse from the back — a giant square so big it looks like an oversized jacket.
I’m making some tweaks to this piece so it will be wearable, perhaps even stylish. Stay tuned for the “After” shot! (Imagine if I presented these as “After” photos. Would you guys be polite and say you liked it? Or would you tell me how you really feel?)
P.S. Add The Anthology on Facebook and you’ll be the first to see the transformation!
The Anthology’s list of what’s new, what’s now and what’s next…
Speak easy. Panelists for the North Shore Writers Festival were just announced. I’m one of them (but you already knew that). See you there on April 21st!
Start sucking up. Sunny Shum of Partly Sunny and I are judging Sterling Shoe’s Snap Your Style Contest where you could win shoes for a year.
A whale of a tale. I talk orcas, pleats and a few of my favourite things with the lovely ladies of Shoppalu.
Put on your curling pants. It’s a Bonspiel supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and takes place in Vancouver Saturday, March 24th.
Reduce, reuse, Refashion. The April 21st event features barely worn clothes from some of Vancouver’s most stylish.
Bigfoot sightings. Sasquatch Festival keeps adding new artists to their lineup which features Feist (pictured above), Bon Iver, Jack White and a ton more. Are you going to the (gorgeous) Gorge?
Feeling lucky? We’ve got big giveaways coming up on The Anthology so keep your eyes peeled!
[Image found here.]
Thank you, WE Vancouver, for featuring my tangerine-wearing face in your Out After Dark column (holler, May Globus!) with Sam Shamash, head of marketing for AG Hair (they’re from Vancouver, did y’all know that?).
This pic was taken at the Social Feed x The Anthology event and there’re plenty more riiiiiiiiiiight here.
Eat your heart out, Anna Wintour. You’re not the only one to rock oversized sunglasses in the front row. I unleashed my inner critic this weekend and sat on the judging panel at the Art Institute of Vancouver’s Walt Street. ‘Twas a fun show. Like, really fun. Each design was inspired by a Disney character and a pop culture personality. Which is why my sunglasses were a bit goofy. Or should I say…Goofy? (Ha!)
Above, Snow White meets Nicki Minaj (designed by Yan Yan), the Little Mermaid meets Katy Perry (by Lisa Truong and Aaron Li) and Wall-E meets Lady Gaga (by Tina Forouzandeh and Cynthia Poulin). My fellow judges Angela Huang of Vancouver Fashion Showcase (pictured with a friend), Georgia Heraty of Social Experiment, yours truly, my girlfriend Laura (just back from New York) and organizer Erika Renfrew (who you might recognize).
It wasn’t easy to judge and I it certainly wasn’t easy to design — the looks were outrageous.
Which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Walt Street was a no-sew competition. Designers like Christel Hayne had to be pretty darned resourceful to create detailing like this on her Belle-meets-J-Lo look.
I can’t even imagine how Amy Schilbe and Elizabeth Eburne pulled off (or pulled on, for that matter) hot pants like this on their look inspired by Minnie Mouse and Ke$ha.
In the end, they all lived happily ever after. Yan Yan’s Snow White won for best construction (it was made of paper), Diane Dizon, Beril Kaleli and Mandy Dhillon’s Aladdin-meets-Michael-Jackson design was deemed most outrageous, and Christel Hayne’s Belle earned best use of materials (Duct tape, I believe).
Congratulations all! Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go watch Cinderella for the umpteenth time.
[I’m wearing a vintage top and J.Crew denim]
P.S. In case you missed it, catch my view from the Brooklyn Bridge in the Vancouver Sun.