Vancouver

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!

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!

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.

If you’ve worked on a photo shoot you know the really fun part isn’t the shoot itself (though they are a blast). The best part is after all the location scouting and lighting tweaking, after all the prepping and primping — it’s seeing the photos themselves.

Like this shot from the Sterling Shoes spring/summer campaign I worked on a few weeks ago. We shot on location at the Waldorf Hotel thinking we’d spend most of our time in the tiki-tastic lounges. And we did. But we took over one of the hotel’s revamped rooms for a few minutes toward the end of the day and this was one of the magic moments we captured.

She looks like a movie star, doesn’t she?

Then there are the quirky, wonderful shots you get when the model (Christie B.) is a bundle of personality. Seriously, this girl is a riot. The bags she’s holding and the shoes she’s wearing are all at Sterling.

Our photo shoot dream team: photographer Evaan Kheraj, stylist Luisa Rino, hair and makeup artist Melanie Neufeld, graphic designer Jenny Kim and the peeps at Sterling (thanks, Lisa!).

P.S. For more behind-the-scenes photos follow @TheAnthology.

Let’s talk about tangerine for a second. I, like the good folks at Pantone, love this colour. It conjures images of Miami sunsets and drinks served out of coconut shells, doesn’t it? But forget summer sunshine for a second — I love tangerine-coloured winter outerwear too. It’s especially fitting on a jacket from the Company of Adventurers, a line that was originally conceived as colouring books.

Wait. What?

Yes, you read that right: colouring books. When Michael Purkis (pictured with yours truly) was helping his young son with his homework, he realized how little Canadians are taught about Canada’s wacky, wonderful history. Developing a line of fun, educational materials would be a fitting solution, but Purkis’s expertise lies in textiles (he’s president of Caulfield Apparel) so he turned to what he knows best. A move which, funnily enough, befits Canada’s history.

“We’re a country that was founded by business people,” said Purkis when I met up with him at The Bay, which carries the line exclusively. “They were traders, not explorers.”

Those traders originally called themselves “The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson’s Bay.” (Aha! The inspiration for the Company of Adventurers name!) Pieces in the line’s first season are named for important figures in Canadian history: Prince Rupert, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, and Sir Martin Frobisher to list a few.

While the line is technically tricked-out, there’s a focus on the style side of the equation too. Think down-filled pockets that are angled to flatter. You know, for urban explorers.

“You don’t have to be badass, just adventurous,” said Purkis. “For some people that might mean summiting Everest, for others that might mean trying sushi for the first time.”

And for others, that might mean wearing tangerine in the winter.

P.S. Thank you, B-Insider, for naming The Anthology one of your five favourite Canadian fashion blogs!