And I’m also blushing because Yaletown.ca wrote this feature on the Anthology/my face.
Thank you, Teresa!
My apologies to Fred Astaire, but I don’t remember where I found this image. If you know the photo credit, please send me a note.
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It’s everyone’s favourite colour, isn’t it?
Love when tone on tone on tone comes across as anything but monotone. Like, say, with this dress.
‘Tis vintage. And pleated. (And belted.)
And my earrings. Those cheap, cheap, cheap (and cheerful) feather wonders from Forever 21.
And my go-to blue shoes. (Which I also wore lawn bowling. They may not be flats, but they’re wedges. Which means the bottom of them are flat. That’s allowed on the greens, right?)
It’s all perfect for a day when the sky is bluer than blue. (I love you, summer!)
P.S. Got a case of the Twitter blues? Follow the Anthology and cure ’em.
And only one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
I’d opt for a saree.
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).
Wore one as a bridesmaid for my ladyfriend’s wedding.
It, like Anji’s saree, earrings and necklace, was lovingly hand-picked in India.
As were all the bridesmaids’ sarees. (Not the dress on the right, mind you. That’s a Diane von Furstenberg beauty.)
Is seven metres of silk a bit much for casual Friday? I think not.
Bard on the Beach being one of them.
Saw Falstaff with my most theatrical friend Katie, instead of my non-synopsis-reading husband. And had the best night ever.
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.
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.
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.
Wore a reworked vintage dress. (Remember this? Yeah, well, it was nothing a little tailoring couldn’t cure.)
Had it altered at Oakridge Tailors on Cambie. And now it’s perfect for events. Shakespearian and otherwise.
Earrings from Mexico.
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.
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.
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).
In honour of Eva Markvoort, the month-long tournament benefits the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Last year, they raised $11,000. This year, we’re hoping to beat that.
My powerhouse team? The Bowlden Girls. (With Kim Bowie, Dana Rudelier, and Larissa Dundon.)
Headless wonders that we are.
Wore an asymmetrical jungle print dress.
‘Tis vintage and ’tis as close to a white dress as I have (unless you count my non-wedding wedding dress).
The night was packed with more prep than you can shake a polo mallet at. My favourite dude outfit? Cuffed pink pants and Toms. So stylin. So good for the world.
As the Leisure Society says, why club when you can country club?
P.S. Add The Anthology on Facebook for more photos and fun times!
Rihanna opened her “North American and Canadian” tour in Vancouver. And as part of their N97 Mini Tour, Nokia was there. Guess who they brought with them…
Heather of Urban Cowgirl, Sherry Lu and Michael Fashionista. And the Anthology!
Ke$ha opened. And I hate to admit it, but I love her. I mean, Tik Tok? It’s a classic.
Sherry wore the perfect shoes — Ke$ha’s Dinosaur is terrible, but terribly catchy.
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.
Wore a vintage dress, which is actually my sister’s (thanks Rissa!).
And a vintage necklace, which is the gaudiest fake gold, even by fake gold standards.
And my trusty Frye boots, I’d wear them every day if I could get away with it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go try to figure out how to work my new N97 Mini.
The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is in full swing.
Went with my ladyfriends to see Vancouver’s Brasstronaut at the Commodore.
Which was like a reunion of sorts.
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!)
And I realize that I am completely biased, but Brasstronaut was absolutely amazing.
They were animated, they sounded even better than they do on their album, and they were downright fun to watch.
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.
Wore it with flat boots. Always flat boots at concerts (dancing shoes, ya know?).
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.
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:
1. Date night at Bard on the Beach > date night on the couch. Got that, gentlemen?
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.
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).
4. Tents are breezy. So at the risk of sounding like your mother, bring your favourite vintage faux fur jacket with you.
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.
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.)
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).
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?
I just made my own moccasins.
Totally average weekend activity, right?
You get together with your girlfriends, you drink mimosas on a sunny patio…
And you make your own shoes.
Whatever.
It was all part of a workshop taught by the very patient, very talented Dan of Rickard Guy (who’s moving to New York soon, mes amis, so if you want in on the shoemaking action, make like a kangaroo and jump on it).
He walked us through, um, step by step — from picking our leather to threading our laces. Just look at that craftsmanship.
It floored Leroy, that’s for sure.
I haven’t actually taken them off since I made them.
(Unless you count the Juvenile Diabetes walk, I rocked my runners for that.)
Another thing I haven’t taken off?
My bangle, which made the journey all the way from India (thank you, Anji!).
No. Big. Deal.
Fighting juvenile diabetes? Well, what d’ya know, so am I!
This Sunday I’ll be at the Walk to Cure Diabetes with nine-year-old wunderkind Jack Stuart, who has been battling the disease since he was five.
But that’s not all I’ll be doing.
There’s also a Rickard Guy moccasin workshop (photo by Michelle Ford).
An old roommate’s art show, dinner with friends, dinner with family, bridesmaids dress fittings and fun things like that.
And you better believe I’ll be carting around this hippie dippy bag (nabbed from my sister, who found it in Thailand) because it’s been going with me everywhere from Coachella to the Commodore.
But back to Jack — if you want to help the mini man fight diabetes, you can join his team or pledge him here. See you on Sunday!