Browsing Tag

The Anthology

Travelling through my phone makes me ponder the time I accidentally travelled without my phone

This was taken a few minutes after climbing the bell tower of a ancient church in Pommevic, France. Those sandals have seen some things.

I wrote this piece when I returned from Europe in the fall. But I never published it.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately because it’s almost the exact opposite of COVID-19 quarantine, when the only access we have to the world is through our devices. Plus, like many of you, travel has been on my mind a lot lately. I hope you’re healthy and enjoying some virtual travel until you can once again enjoy some actual travel.

During a three-week trip to Europe this summer, I climbed the bell tower of a Roman-arched church, stepping over several dead pigeons and one calcified rat. In sandals. I found a bird turd on my pillow. After I’d already slept on it. And I brought my Paw Patrol-aged kids to Michelin-starred restaurants. (Sorry, fellow patrons.)

Yet when I tell people about our travels, the experience that horrifies them more than any other is: I lost my phone on the flight to Munich, the very first leg of our trip.

The pool house, as seen from our room at the Chateau Goudourville, a restored castle in Southwest France.

Yes, I spent three weeks with my family in some of the most photogenic locales on the planet – the French countryside! The beaches of San Sebastian! The McDonald’s PlayPlace! – sans iPhone.

And you know what? I highly recommend it.

The experience of phonelessness is a bit like time travel. Specifically to 2004, when I left my (flip?) phone at home to backpack my way from junior to senior year of college.

We used internet cafes back then. We scheduled calls with our families and then marched down the block to payphone cubicles to make them. Sorry: phone booths. It’s been so long since I used one I forgot what they’re called. We used real, printed maps, held aloft like, well…tourists. We referenced Lonely Planet guides and researched where we were going. In advance!

Super jealous of that guy photographing the sunset with his phone in Saint Jean de Luz, France.

It was entirely unlike the way we travel now, where we rely heavily on Google maps and user reviews of restaurants, eking out the day’s plans in real time.

Unless you ditch your phone, that is.

If you do – and hear me out, I think you should at least consider it – you’ll find a freedom you haven’t known in years.

Your out-of-office autoresponder will actually mean something. You’ll see the beach of St Jean de Luz as the expanse of pristine sand it is, not as potential content. You won’t have text messages pinging you while you sample local honey at an open-air market in Valence d’Agen. You’ll finally understand what Oprah means when she talks about being fully present.

Granted it’s not easy. In that open-air market you won’t be able to Google whether you should get the truffle-infused grape-seed or olive oil.

And you’ll want to consider how this will impact your friends and family because, believe me, the stress will wear on them. Your husband’s boss will offer to Fedex a phone to you across a continent and an ocean. Your soon-to-be brother-in-law will offer to procure a phone from his father, who is no less than the mayor of his town in Southwest France. Your friends back home with tell their friends back home nothing about your trip except your phone status.

The first exhibit I saw at the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian was by Douglas Coupland, who, like me, lives in Vancouver. But that’s beside the point.

When doing a Destination Digital Detox with others, logistics become paramount, especially while towing kids.

If your husband wants to take your little guppies to the San Sebastian Aquarium and you want to see the “Hello, Robot” exhibit at the San Telmo Museoa on the other side of the old town, you can’t rely on “where you at?” texts. Instead, you’ll have to pre-arrange a meeting point and – now this is where things get really quaint – a time to meet up. Pro tip: pack a watch.

When you want to read on the beach in Gros, the neighborhood where you’re staying in San Sebastian, you can’t just scroll to your Books app. You need to haul in your beach bag the 468-page Stephen King tome you found in the English-language section of the bookstore around the corner.

This photo probably wouldn’t have turned out as well on my iPhone anyway. It’s my kid on the beach in St. Jean de Luz, France.

When you want to take photos of the murals in the Toulouse Capitol, you’ll need to use the Nikon D5100 hanging around your neck, the same camera that will later inspire a saleswoman in a sunglasses shop to ask you questions in a French that far exceeds your 12th grade fluency. Can’t help you there.

When you do a Destination Digital Detox, you’ll experience the lost art of being off the grid. In the middle of a city, no less. Nobody will know where you are. Heck, you might not even know where you are. Consider bringing a map with you, because you certainly won’t be able to Google where to buy one.

We were travelling with two young kids so we didn’t join these Toulousains for a drink on the riverbank.

Over the course of your lo-fi voyage, it’s possible you’ll have one friend email you — you’ll check it on your laptop back in your Airbnb in the evening because you’re not a complete luddite — asking you to post Insta stories from your trip. Here’s what you do: tell her you don’t have your phone with you and she will be so horrified at the prospect she’ll leave you alone.

Three weeks without a phone in a foreign land is a real trip. When you get home, you’ll reacclimatize to the pace of North American life with fresh eyes, now that you’ve experienced slow jet-setting. Your perspective will have shifted because you were forced to live very, very differently than you normally do.

You may find you don’t even install Instagram on your new phone until a month after you return.

And by that point you can finally answer the age-old question: if you go on vacation, but don’t post your vacation photos, did you really go on vacation?

[Photos by Kelsey Dundon, except for the first one, which my husband took.]

P.S. I usually *do* have my phone with me so follow @KelseyDundon on Instagram.

Black and white and old all over

Funny what you find when you loot your own inspiration folder. In my case, lots of red patterns, muted greens and graphic black and white.

bw-clipping

And I’ve also found some of the inspiration behind much of what I’ve done with my place.

black-walls

Like black walls, which made me realize a chalkboard wall doesn’t automatically imply playroom.

antique-trunks

And this shot, which I believe was from Vogue. It was the inspiration behind my living room table.

Taking it back to the old school

I came across an issue of Elle Decor from 1991 in the magazine rack of my gym the other day. And this ad is the best part of the entire magazine.

chanel-1991

It features Christy and Linda rocking a matchy-matchiness unlike anything I’ve seen since.

chanel-turlington-1991

I love this necklace. If I had a bracelet version, I would wear it every day. No really, I would.

chanel-ad-1991

I just can’t help but wonder how on earth Ms. Evangelista balanced that soccer ball while posing.

chanel-linda-1991

And that gold. Oh man, that gold.

sonja-gold

Which brings me to the accessories my friend Sonja (now a graphic designer) used in fashion design school in 1991.

sonja-gold-jewelry

The tassels hang off the chain belt. The earrings must be at least six inches long.

sonja-jewelry

And they were embellished with antique gold coin replicas. Because even embellishments needed embellishing.

These days, Sonja’s jewelry is much more subdued. And beautiful. Take look at her rings and earrings.

The Anthology gets around

And I mean that in the most G-rated way.

anthology

Since it came onto the scene five months ago, you’ve seen the Anthology on the Style Spy, on your favourite menswear blog Room 907, and on the lovely .v. Plus it made the list of Dream Sequins’ top bloggers to follow on Twitter and recieved some very kind words on Haute World.

ThankyouThankyouThankyou!

And thanks everyone who’s added the Anthology on Facebook and Twitter, written guest posts, linked to the Anthology, sent me beautiful emails and written lovely comments.

Of Love and Hate

A hilarious guest post from my friend Anji.

As far as my boyfriend’s interests go, “fashion” falls somewhere between midwifery and Josh Groban’s favourite flavour of ice cream.  For him, “le smoking” is just fancy for pulmonary carcinoma and Yves is a saint who makes hotdogs and hand cream.

As such, my “sartorial wit” is often lost on him.  Here are some recent purchases which he found to be particularly odious/grounds for committal.

anji-dolce-pants

Dolce & Gabbana harem pants.

anji-dolce

anji-shorts

High-waisted thrifted jean cut-offs.

anji-belt

And a belt from San Francisco.

I think every single piece looks amazing. Thanks again Anji! Want to contribute a guest post? Send me a note at theanthology@live.com.

Come into my (Haute) World

Haute Shopper, who writes the must-read blog Haute World, is from Paris (France!) where she sometimes window shops and sometimes shop shops. She was kind enough to contribute this guest post about a Canadian in Paris (oh how I wish that were me.)

tara-jarmon-1
Even before I moved to Paris, previous travels to this fine city revealed one thing: the Champs-Elysées, as famous and grand as it may be, is a huge tourist trap and not really the best place for shopping – unless you’re a Louis Vuitton fan or feel like visiting yet another GAP store.
There is one big exception though: France’s favorite Canadian designer Tara Jarmon has a two-storey flagship here. It’s not flashy from the outside, but once inside, you’re greeted by a clean decor which shows off her wonderful range of colorful clothes and accessories.
tara-jarmon-2c
Even though Tara Jarmon is very much a Parisian label, I thought this would be the perfect store to profile for Kelsey’s blog, considering the designer is a Vancouver native who still has fond memories of the cherry blossoms on Marine Drive.
Her clothes are classic, chic, colorful and sexy, but according to Tara herself, never provocative, allowing every piece to become a timeless item in your wardrobe.
tara-jarmon-paris-3c
You might have a hard time finding a local Parisian on Champs-Elysées, but once inside the store I quickly realized that almost all shoppers were local… always a good sign.
The ground floor is full of cute summery dresses, breezy casual tops and tailored classics such as blazers and trench coats. There was also a nice range of bright flowery totes, as well as sandals and scarves.
tara-jarmon-paris-4c
The lower level had more such items but also an entire corner dedicated to more formal and glamorous evening gowns and dresses. Whether you’re looking for something in strong jewel tones (my personal favorite), soft pastels or muted neutrals, you’re sure to find something to suit any taste.
The items are never boring… most pieces are embroidered, beaded or feature wonderful details in tailoring or draping.
tara-jarmon-paris
If you’re not going to Paris anytime soon, Tara’s clothes are also available via edressme.com. But if you’re ever in town, I’d recommend paying a visit to 73 Avenue des Champs-Elysées or any of the other Tara Jarmon flagships. You might just end up with the perfect Paris souvenir.

Want to write a guest post? (Yes! I’ve been waiting for you to say that!) Send me a note at theanthology@live.com. Thanks again Haute Shopper

I had to wrestle with my tailor

But finally she agreed to hem this dress to the length I want. It fell below the knee before and it made it look like something you’d wear to the laundromat. Now? Not so much.

after-jungle-dress

My tailor disapproves of anything higher than just above the knee. We go through the same song and dance every. single. time.

Take a look at the sneak peek.

moms-bag

Wore the dress to dinner (happy birthday ma-in-law!) with my ma’s bag, which feels so summery, so vacationy. I just might have to bring it to Turkey with me (on Wednesday!).

A sneak peek

A preview of the newest member of my vintage family — a dress from who knows when that I found at Burcu’s Angels in Vancouver.

jungle-dress-detail

Its jungle print is asymmetrical, its fabric is see-through (that’s the thing about these old dresses; you’ve got to wear them with a slip) and I’ll be hemming it much shorter than my tailor would like.

Kind of wild, isn’t it?

Getting ziggy with it

Love the zig-zaggy pattern of this vintage skirt.

orange-skirt

Wore it with my new shbooties.

orange-vintage-skirt

My Wonder Woman cuffs and my ma’s bag from who knows where (or when).

orange-skirt-detail

I’ve always thought long skirts work. Especially for work. And when they’re this wacky and wonderful? You can’t go wrong.