Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

Wednesday, October 12 - I’ll be reading from The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit at Calgary’s Wordfest . Taking place at noon, it is a free hour-long event in the lovely confines of the boutique Hotel le Germain in Calgary. Details here . Thursday, October 13 - In addition, I will be appearing in a panel with Lynn Coady and Emma Ruby-Sachs on social publishing: …The artists will discuss the blurring of authorship in an interactive environment where the reader and fan can offer feedback, ask questions, and have conversations that may influence content creation. They can also compare this to the solitary act of writing that has traditionally been how writers create. I am very excited to be discussing this evolving phenomena with Coady and Ruby-Sachs. My focus is how my friends and family via facebook, tumblr, and twitter activities are becoming fodder for my work as a fashion journalist and memoirist. Details here .

At the home sewing machine, May 2011. Copyright 2011 Melissa Stephens.

Today's column: Discussing Damian Van Zyll de Jong one of the founders of Native Shoes with CBC Radio One host Stephen Quinn ON THE COAST CBC VANCOUVER

COMING UP TODAY! You've probably heard of Crocs, those foamy garden clogs. But have you heard of Native ? They're the Vancouver-designed shoes that have taken the world of fashion by storm. Coming up, I have the low-down on the man behind Native Shoes, Damian Van Zyll de Jong (not the Damian in the vid), when I join host Stephen Quinn for another Fashion Monday on CBC Radio One's On The Coast at 3:49 PM, 88.1 FM. Also listen live online with the CBC Radio pop-up . Here's a great video of how the shoes are PRESSED/FORGED as opposed to cut, stitched and glued in traditional shoe making. Factory Video from Native Shoes on Vimeo .