Up-and-coming film star Chelah Horsdal glams up her folksy roots

You may not know her by name, but you will soon. Chelah Horsdal has been working nonstop in film and television for the last four years. Some may recognize the curvy, redheaded beauty from the 75-plus commercials she’s got under her belt, or the memorable part she had in X-Men: The Last Stand. (She’s the one on the Golden Gate Bridge who locks the door.) But it’s her recent whack of meatier roles that make this Vancouver actor one to watch. She just wrapped up a pilot for Fox and Lifetime Television called The Virgin of Akron, Ohio. As well, she just finished shooting Rodrigo García’s latest project, Passengers. There’s also talk of her landing the lead in an unnamed TV show that was basically rewritten with her in mind.

It’s a long way from her days at Lord Byng secondary school. The daughter of Canadian folk legend Valdy, Horsdal spent much of her adolescence trying to distance herself from his hippie persona.

“Oh, I still rebel against my dad’s folk image. My father is my hero in so many ways, particularly artistically. But when it comes to fashion, that man does not have a clue,” says Horsdal, recalling one Christmas when her dad decided to accessorize a beautiful vintage tuxedo with a purple cummerbund, red running shoes, and a salmon-patterned necktie. “Bless his heart, but I was like, ‘Dude, what are you wearing?’”

Thankfully, fashion sense isn’t hereditary. For proof, look no further than this rundown of Horsdal’s stylin’ new look, where classic meets whimsical and dear old dad has (almost) no influence.

Latest obsession
“I love handbags. I was in Thailand last year and did this trek up into the mountains, slipped on bamboo, got food poisoning, and saw people barbecuing rats. The whole time I kept telling myself, ‘If I survive this, I’m going to reward myself with a Coach bag,’ which I did—which launched me into this love of handbags.”

Desert-island accessory
I found this beautiful turquoise necklace on Salt Spring Island last summer, after searching for four years. And there it was at the Saturday market. I was instantly in love and immediately started scrambling to get all the quarters out of my wallet
because they don’t generally do credit cards over there.”

Current foot fetish
I bought Frye boots last year, and now I’m obsessed with knee-high socks. I went to New York last year for the first time, and I swear to God, I cleaned out Urban Outfitters of every different style of knee-highs that they had. I got a couple that look sort of like sport socks, some with plaid on them and other ones with little ladybugs. I just love them all.”

Skirt standards
“I like a skirt that falls just to the knee or even just below the knee. And for me, the more feminine the skirt is, the butchier the boot should be. I love that combination.”

Denim do’s and won’ts
“I love the Fidelity trouser jeans. It’s a fantastic cut for women. My very stylish friend keeps telling me I should get into the skinny jean, but I’m like, ‘No!’ I’m curvy, so they just don’t work for me. I wish I could, but no.”

Top pick
“I got this unbelievable top at Guess. It was part of the Marciano line. It has a bright-pink-and-red flower pattern and a real ’40s kind of design to it. So it’s really great for an hourglass figure because it shows off the boobs.”

Makeup must-have
“For the most part, I’m a Lancôme foundation girl. They have a really nice line, Photôgenic, which is great for really delicate skin, and I have a very fair and fragile complexion. I’m happiest when I’m able to get a lash-and-brow tint. So then all I have to do is put on a little Photôgenic, and off I go.”

Hair habits
“I use TIGI Bed Head wax stick to get rid of baby hairs that sprout up all the time. And because my hair is naturally curly, it goes in 843 different directions, so I usually flatten out the roots with a flat iron and let the rest of the curl go.”

To thong or not to thong
“I’m all about the boy shorts. They’re the most comfortable. I wore nothing but thongs for years and years and years, and finally I was like, ‘What am I doing? I actually don’t care about visible panty lines anymore. I’m so over that.’ So now I’ve got gobs of boy shorts. Some of them have little pistols on the hips. One pair even has a marijuana-leaf pattern, so there’s my dad coming out in my clothes. Which is about as hippie as I’ll ever get.”