Vancouver

Holiday parties have started! And my first one was Mad Men-themed.

Which means big hair (got a blow-out at Blo in Yaletown).

Big lashes (got some outrageous fakies at Noir Lash Lounge).

And big shout-outs to the way advertising agencies were in the sixties. (The party planners even customized Popeye candy cigarette packs for guests. You’ll notice “Kelsey” brand’s slogan is “High Flavour. High Fashion.” You’ll also notice I’m not condoning smoking, just the eating of candy.)

Surprisingly, not a single piece of my sixties-inspired look was vintage.  My dress was custom-made (you might recognize it from my Twitter avatar), my printed coat is H & M and my shoes are Calvin Klein. What does it say about my style that I can create costumes out of things I wear normally? Wait. Don’t answer that.

P.S. Don Draper thinks you should follow The Anthology on Twitter.

‘Tis chilly in Vancouver so I’m bundling up to the nines in a heckuva lotta plaid. (Very Canadian.)

And thick, thick leggings with piping detailing — only $25 at Target. (Not very Canadian.)

My love of hiking has taught me one thing about how to dress for wonky weather — layer like crazy. Hence the men’s scarf, men’s shirt, oversized vintage wool jacket. And a million other layers of t-shirts under that.

I should be fine. As long as it doesn’t dip below -5.

Please, Vancouver, be kind to us. (And please, Saskatoon, don’t laugh at us for being such fair-weather wussies.)

P.S. Stay warm with The Anthology on Facebook.

Who wants blah-blah boring basics? Not me! Give me unexpected details. Give me subtle attention-grabbers. Give me JNBY. With modern staples (and an eco-friendly slant), their designs each have their own twist.

I should know. I got up close and personal with plenty of them. Like the butter-soft leather jacket with bleached details.

And the sweater with swiss cheese holes.

JNBY’s palettes are often muted, so the looks are all about textures and layers.

Or, in the case of the skirt I opted for, built-in, rough-edged layers. As soon as the holiday parties start I’m going to be wearing this baby all over town. Nothing blah-blah boring about that.

Thank you JNBY for the mini shopping spree!

P.S. We pick a winner on Tuesday, so enter the Summer Ellis Eternite necklace giveaway before it’s too late!

Everyone’s heard of the bridesmaid’s dress you’d actually wear again, but no one really believes it exists.

You remember these dresses, right?

Well, they should go down in history. Because they’ve been worn again — I chose to wear mine with a faux lambskin vest and open-toed boots.

Laura wore her bridesmaid’s skirt with a jacket and flat boots instead of the matching bustier.

It’s irrefutable proof of the existence of a re-wearable bridesmaid’s ensemble. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna try to catch the Loch Ness Monster.

P.S. You know what would look beautiful with any kind of dress? The pearl necklace you could win!

Thanks Laura and Reily for the photos!