Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

Genevieve Graham's intricate technique will be on display at the new studio and retail space, Gentil Alouette. I wanted to catch up with Genevieve Graham . She was a fashion luminary in this town but she fell off the fashion map a few years ago. She was a prominent womens wear designer for the Vancouver-based luxury label Obakki . It is an ambitious brand with global ambitions. Genevieve resigned from Obakki when the creative direction changed. And in many ways, Genevieve disappeared from the scene for a couple of years. But here's the news - this past season she was featured in on Project Runway Canada. Her public comeback was a controversial. At times she was painted as a villain on the show. Her expertise in the art of draping came under fire when the judges pushed her to use more tailoring in her designs. Genevieve stuck to her guns. She made it to the final four but was bounced off the show this spring. And now that it's over, I wanted to catch up with her. I met her ...

TAILOR MADE is a film by Leonard Lee and Marsha Newberry. It's about Bill and Jack Wong. They've been running Modernize Tailors for almost 60 years. Modernize Tailors has been a cornerstone of Vancouver's Chinatown and fashion scene but it looks like it is all coming to an end. The film follows what may be the final (NOT) year of the shop. Bill and Jack take on their last apprentice (me), make their last suits for Vancouver's elite, and open a museum in their honor before they finally put away the scissors and retire. On Knowledge Network : Tuesday, May 26 at 10:00 PM  Wednesday,May 27 at 1:59 AM and 7:00 PM And check out the preview:

CBC's obituary is here . For a critical appraisal of his work with Nicholas Olsberg, the curator of the Arthur Erickson solo show at the Vancouver Art Gallery, listen below.

Hi JJ, I’m wondering if you could recommend a local tailor to get some alterations done to my suits. I’m moved from Edmonton and I don’t think it’s practical for me to bring garments back to her for tailoring so I need to find somebody local who will do a good job. I’ve recently lost a few inches around my waist so need to have my pants taken in on 7 or 8 suits. I’m getting married this summer and am wondering if you know of a local tailor that would be good to make a Tuxedo. I’ve resisted buying one to this point but feel this is as good a time as any to get one made. I traveled to Hong Kong a few years ago and got some shirts and a suit made and thought I might use the same tailor to make the Tuxedo but I’m a bit nervous about not seeing it before hand and the ability to make alterations as required. Do you have any suggestions for me? Finally, related to the second question, I’d like to know what the best choice would be for a more timeless tux. I haven’t looked at many styles...

Hello Mr.Lee,My name is Meera, I am a grade 7 student at B-------- elementary.  As a project,  I have chosen to research fashion.  Not what the fashion is now, but how it is decided.  I would like to know who decides fashion trends and how the ideas become what's all the rage in the stores.  I've heard you on the CBC radio and I thought that with all your experience with fashion, you could give me some insight into the subject.  -Meera Hi Meera. Sure, I can help.  Trends are not often set in Vancouver. But style editors do have an influence on where people shop and what they buy. Trends can be set at two points in the fashion cycle (there's no such thing but it sounds scientific):  1. Design and production (the high fashion route) or 2. On the Street by how people (ie trendsetters) dress. If a bunch of kids in London decide to cut up their jeans and use safety pins to decorate it, a la the punk scene in 1976, it can have influence on other kids and start a trend. Another of...

It's finally here. New York's oldest purveyor of prep fashion, like, the original, has opened its first Canadian store in Vancouver. At the opening party on Tuesday, I saw plenty of bow ties. Finally, I'm not alone. See me (circa 2007), see the boys at BB, plus I also saw one young man, an intern at Fashion Magazine, sporting a frayed, grosgrain. Shabby chic, indeed. I loved it. This is the year the trends takes hold. Mark my word (I've been saying this for the last three, mind you). More notes: One fashion editor  doesn't think Brooks Brother straw hat is worth eight times more than my find at the Bay (bottom). Four times, yes. Eight, no. If I had the cash, I would buy pairs of boy-sized penny loafers for my twin terribles ($118).  And I must get them those teeny tiny blazers. My boys will hate me later, it's true. I also loved the very affordable repp nylon watch straps. Buy a Timex, get a BB strap ($18) and you can take a break from your heavy and overostenta...