Fashion Monday

Figuring out the do's and don't's of Christmas party wear

2011-12-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, not too slutty is a given.

But what are the subtle little things on the fashion front one can do to make the festivities a little more jolly and a tad less worrisome.

Tomorrow on CBC Radio's On The Coast, I'll join host Stephen Quinn at 3:50 PM to figure out the naughty from the nice.

Menswear questions of the Month: Plaids or tartans, velvet or velour

2011-11-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

From Banana Republic, you can say, "Kiss me, I'm Scottish," with Men's Plaid Tie, $74

All answered in my latest Style Master column for The Vancouver Sun.

Q: I'm excited about the popularity of plaid in shirts and ties this season. But I have a neurotic fear that I will insult the Scottish. What are good rules of thumb for using plaids, or is it "tartans"?

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/holiday-guide-2011/Gentlemen+prefer+plaids/5784005/story.html#ixzz1f7TrLWub

Q: What are quick and simple ways of dressing for evening parties this season and where does velvet comes in? How does a man do velvet (or is it velour) well?

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/holiday-guide-2011/Gentlemen+prefer+plaids/5784005/story.html#ixzz1f7U8vhvu

Q. Elbow patches are kind of hot in a "professor that might secretly be Indiana Jones" sort of way - but they also look kind of contrived - especially on a brand new jacket. Does the elbow patch have a place on a new jacket or does it belong only in a vintage piece?

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/holiday-guide-2011/Gentlemen+prefer+plaids/5784005/story.html#ixzz1f7URA5m3

On ways to upgrade a man's wardrobe this fall with Fanny Kiefer on Shaw's Studio 4

2011-11-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

Brown shoes, blue suits and better collars and tie knots.

This is how my latest article for ELLE Canada starts. I know, it's kind of rudimentary

2011-11-23T11:53:00.001-08:00

Gucci window, Bloor Street, Toronto

2011-11-17T23:51:00.000-08:00

For CBC's Definitely Not the Opera I wore a Brooks Brothers bow tie

2011-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

DNTO is CBC's story telling show.

Very cool. I was invited to recount a tale of Hidden Talents before an audience in a live to tape performance.

For the performance, I bought a blue bow tie with red Churchill dots from Brooks Brothers in Vancouver.

Yes, I like to shop.

Patches are popular

2011-10-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Finidng fancy in fraying threads

2011-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the book launch of my good friend, Robyn Levy. Her book, Most of Me, is a great read. A funny, brave, honest look into living life with a sense of humour, a husband, a daughter, a dog and two diseases.

Robyn read her passages beautifully and I was honoured to be there. Congratulations, Robyn.

Now, for the special occasion I wore my favourite bow tie. It is paisley. It is English but not Liberty. It has seen many years of knotting and unknotting. Nevertheless, it is handsome.

Only after I had walked out the door, as I passed a storefront window, I noticed the paisley and blue butterfly fraying. I could see the lining through the tear in the silk.

Many men would give up on a tie that has frayed. No matter how well turned out, a man will disdain the garment in question.

Even the world's most famous dandy, the first dandy, Beau Brummell, was pitied in later life for becoming tattered in his dress. His biographer, William Jessop, described Brummell's clothes during his destitute years in France:

...Not only were his clothes shabby and out of repair, but he was dirty. His tailor told me that, towards the close of his career, he had sometimes observed him in the street with his coat in holes under the arms, and his trowsers torn.

Personally, I am a big advocate of the well-worn garment.

In preppy (which is the general dressing style I am most attracted), well-worn garments are embraced as wards against the parvenu and nouveau riche. It is the style of this old thing.

To the prep, a bit of fraying says I have been here forever and more than that I have no plans on leaving....this is a good place.

The worn oxford shirt collar, the stringy chino hem, the rewoven sweater, a few spots on the khakis are no problem at all.

Of course, I am exactly the things the true Ivy League prep wishes not to be: new, from somewhere else, perhaps too grasping, definitely on the make, simply too obvious.

But when I wear my frays, I too am saying, "I plan on being here forever and more than that I have no plans on leaving....this is a good place."

RAIN, WIND OR SHINE: Live Event - Sunday morning JJ Lee reads from his debut book, The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit

2011-09-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Word on the Street Vancouver
11:30 AM, Sunday September 25, 2011 at Library Square and CBC Plaza

"JJ Lee
Event Info: Authors Tent at 11:30
JJ Lee is the menswear columnist for the Vancouver Sun and broadcasts a weekly fashion column for CBC Radio in Vancouver. For years, journalist and amateur tailor JJ Lee tried to ignore the navy suit that hung at the back of his closet—his late father’s last suit. JJ Lee will read from The Measure of a Man and conduct an interactive session."

Oh, Elbow Patched Tweed - a sartorial doggerel

2011-09-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

This tweed coat is not a blazer,

it's a sport coat but nomenclature shouldn't faze yer.

A sporty coat is supposed to snap,

This one has a vent that gaps.

Somebody's bottom is looking fat.

A good looking tweed ain't supposed to do that.

Elbow patches - for the ersatz legion of faux heavy tweed users - ps I love this video

2011-09-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

I receive many queries on the advisability of elbow patches on new Harris tweed jackets.

I am not against patching up old tweed jackets to mend a hole on a sleeve.

I think patching clothes demonstrates love of a particular garment and is a charming sartorial practice. It hints at sage frugality and the muted nature of Old Money, which, by the way, hardly exists anymore because now it is New Money that everyone imitates.

A repaired tweed sports coat has dignity.

However, buying a new tweed coat with patches already affixed strikes me as painfully presumptuous on several levels.

1. Those who would deem to buy a pre-patcher are most often the type of person who would rarely don the jacket in question frequently enough to wear any hole into the elbow

2. If one did indeed wish to fake the impression of heavy use, the ridiculous symmetry of having TWO elbow patches, one on each arm, reflects a lack of understanding. A well lived-in jacket will always experience asymmetrical distress. If you smoke a pipe, perhaps the right side pocket will have burn marks on it. If you like to ponder like the thinker atop logs, stone fences, and lean against concrete walls whilst texting with your right hand, well then, it's the left that will be worn out. Just not both

3. Have you ever noticed elbow patches make your arms look shorter? The patch is an aesthetic sacrifice applied to a jacket far too loved to be thrown out. The wearer doesn't want elbow patches, he needs them.

Buy the tweed coat. Earn the patches, just like in the Scots, I means, the Scouts.

Full to the brim this fall

2011-09-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

This season smallish, modest trilbies and fedoras will suffer an inferiority complex as wider hats will be donned by men, especially those who have a flare for the dramatic.

Dsquared²'s menswear collection featured on the runway deep covering brimmed chapeaux with bowlish crowns.

Style.com reports they are Borsalinos. Which makes them the official supplier of the trend as Junya Watanabe also featured bigger brimmed fare by Borsalino in the form of bowlers (also called derby or coke - and, yes, they can have big brims) and Homburgs (Germanic upturned brims).

In both runway shows, the hats seem peaky. That is they are slightly misshapen as if by rain and snow, lending the hats a recession-era ruggedness. If not, they should be.

Some have called the whole trend towards bolder head cover the "Amish hat trend," but more often than not, they will be in fact be flamenco/Cordobes, gaucho hats, or any number of larger hats.

While shorter men, may need to be careful how generous a brim they dare to wear (it can hide your face from taller men and women), overall most men could do with an increase in size.

The recent love of teeny-brimmed porkpies and trilbies have lead to extremes in minuteness, verging on the male version of fascinators, the hat Catherine of Cambridge has popularized.

The hat that might best cap off the mood for headgear of greater substance would be unblocked or open crown hats with deep, unshaped bowls (the top image is the unblocked Nostalgia hat by Stetson).

Specialized hat sellers, in Vancouver one would do well with Edie Hats, are able to shape crowns to best suit your face, though one should pick the brim size carefully. While they can be snapped down or up by staff, making the brim smaller is not possible.

This blogger plans to leave his unblocked hat as is and let the elements and habit determine the topper's eventual shape.

Event announcement: Calgary's Wordfest

2011-08-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

On Damian Van Zyll de Jong of Native Shoes

2011-08-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

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

Damian Van Zyll de Jong: founder of Native Shoes

2011-08-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

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.

Double-breasted suits

2011-07-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

From J. Press, this classic blazer version is somewhat boxy
but shows the typical way of fastening with the bottom pair open.
Sometimes referred to as a six on four because of the arrangement of buttons.

Double-breasted suits, that swaggering style of suit jacket most associated with bankers and gangsters, is on the comeback. But the old Dee-Bee isn’t a look for everyone.

Today, we breakdown the trend.

Q. What makes a double-breasted a double-breasted?

All buttoned coats overlap, so technically that isn’t the decisive characteristic of a double-breasted coat. What makes a DB a DB is the arrangement of buttons. When a coat is fastened by two buttons that are on the same HORIZONTAL plane, one can say it is a double-breasted blazer or suit jacket. I'm not sure why that is important to me but it is.

Q. Double-breasted jackets do have associations with gangsters and bankers. What’s behind that particular reputation?

Double-breasted suits do indeed have a reputation for ostentation.

The origin of the DB is military and riding coats. In you will find this type of front on riding jackets of the 18th century. But the double- breasted coat of our time most closely resembles the Reefer coat of the Royal Navy which originated in the 19th century.

One of the most famous contemporary wearers of this style is Prince Charles. The young Prince Charles, when he married Diana, used to wear a double breasted with eight buttons. The buttons were brass and gilded golden.

In the buttons is where we find the reputation for ostentation. They are indeed flashy.

Another reason for the reputation is double-breasted require more fabric. They tend to be more expensive to make and often require custom fitting and are rarely seen off-the-rack.

The form of jacket has always had association with the wealthy and those who wish to emulate old money like gangsters like Al Capone.

Q. What are the rules on buttons? Does one have to button them all?

May I say it is not an easy one to answer.

If you look at the coming images of men in double-breasted jackets for fall winter 2011 and next spring summer 2012, and they are everywhere, you will see men wearing their coats open.

Before, regular men like us emulate this style, take note: the coats on the runway are exceeding short and the coats overlaps are short as well. Even unbuttoned, the coats do not have extra fabric flapping about.

Most coats, unbuttoned, will look bad. The most famous offender in the unbuttoned double-breasted hall of shame has to be David Letterman.

For years, Letterman on his talk show wore his double-breasted suits unbuttoned. He wore full-cut versions with lots of overlap. The unbuttoned the lapels would flap about like
shutters on a house in a windstorm.

These last few years, Letterman has given up on the look and reverted back to single-breasted suits. But he is a fine example of the tragedy of wearing a DB fully open. It can ruin the line of the suit. Button up.

Q. Okay, there are many buttons on a double breasted. Which ones
are meant to be fastened?

To understand this, we have to think of the buttons in pairs.

On the most typical double breasted suits. We would have a six on four arrangement.

What this means is you have two buttons on the top which are vestigial buttons. They don’t close anything.

Then you have a middle pair of buttons around waist height. And those you should always fasten. I means always! Even when seated.

Then on the six on four, you will have a bottom set of buttons.

Europeans and the English will leave these buttons open. However, if you look at Prince Charles and his son, Prince William, they both always wear all their buttons fastened.

So it is a matter of taste. Unbuttoning the bottom set always makes the suit more casual. I personally think lower button should be fastened to keep the hem neater. When unopened, the sharp corner of the bottom tend to droop. Perhaps, I'm too fastidious.

Q. Double breasteds are thought of as more fancy, more formal than a single-breasted suit. How does one dress down and make the DB more casual?

I spoke with the general manager of Dunn’s Tailors today. Jordan Smith told me one has to first avoid power suit fabrics like blue pinstripes.

Personally, I think shorter jackets, more informal fabrics with patterns or texture help.

Jordan says look for a shiny grey this fall. It says "party" according to Jordan.

I also think blue silk and wool hopsack can be fun in warmer weather.

You have to be daring to wear a double breasted. It is according to Jordan a fashion forward fringe trend.

You’ll see more pictures of DBs on the runway than on the street. To keep the DB modern one as to make sure it is well-fitted with high arm holes and good suppression which means the coat is trim against the body.

DB's are hard to find off the rack but do check places like Harry Rosen. They had it for summer 2011 and will have them in the fall as well. Expect going the made-to-measure route.

Fewer buttons and smaller overlaps, less length do well to ease the formality.

Q. Who suits the double-breasted suit?

I think it is always a mistake to wear the double-breasted suit as a corrective for weight or height issues.

One shouldn’t wear a DB because they are short or they wish to look thinner.

I’m not saying the short and portly should avoid the DB. But it shouldn’t be the main motive.

I think if you’re going to wear a DB you have to like buttons. You need to feel comfortable wearing the coat buttoned at all times.

My next suit will be a DB because I like to wear bow-ties. Double breasteds show less shirt. and they do a nice job of filling up the space usually filled by a long neck tie.

Also one has to be comfortable standing out in a double-breasted. The DB is really a state of mind. And I think trying to look more snazzy or flashy or classy in a DB is a poor motive.

I'd prefer one who wears it because he find his chest cold and dislikes vests. That'd be a good motive.

I don't care about Harry Potter, except for his corduroy bomber, barn, Harrington, what the hell is that jacket?

2011-06-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's not a Barbour jacket because that would be too posh for English cockney kids. Not a trucker. Not enough seams.

With classic bomber jackets, I see shearling and welt pockets. Or pilot jackets with no shearling and patch pockets mid-torso for navigation maps and cigarettes.

Need more detail?

Sorry, didn't mean to cut off his wand. It was especially made, presumably, by UK costumiers, Angels.

I would describe it as a zip-front ranch jacket.

Belstaff, the motorcyle jacket company, refers to this kind of cut as a blouson.

Quiksilver (below) has something close but the collar is different. It also comes in gunmetal grey.

#CANUCKS: Showing your colours without dressing like a member of the fourth line

2011-06-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to show their support for the Canucks. Even if it means wearing a hockey sweater over ones work clothes.

However, it isn't the best look. It is loyal but not flattering.

The only people who don't look dumpy in a hockey sweater are hockey players.

Here's how I handled wearing team colours for Game 6.

Church's bench-made Oxford lace ups. My particular colour is no longer available. And the company has changed ownership over the years.

Joe Fresh white denim:

"Getting Canadian men into a pair of white pants can be very difficult...but at the height of summer, if you can figure it out, it can change their mindset for summer. Whatever you put on top, you're full-on into summer." -Joe Mimran of Joe Fresh

Self-tailored (tight), Tommy Hilfiger, purple button Oxford button-down shirt with large-scaled collar points with lots of roll (this means the collar buttons give the collar loft). I admit my favourite shirt. It seems it's the only one I am photographed in the most.

Vintage shrunken blazer (literally, I washed it, threw it in the dryer, and then repaired it).

Vintage green and blue striped tie.

Green silk pocket square.

Of course, we lost. So all these items will NO LONGER be worn again on game days.

For more on alternatives to dressing for big games.

Digital makeover of Kelly Hrudey on Hockey Night in Canada

2011-06-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

My suit, tie, and shirt makeover of @KellyHrudey of @hockeynight at Stanley Cup Playoff Makeovers.

For the details on the makeover, check out: http://t.co/oGcPvpm

Stanley Cup Final beards!!!

2011-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I confess I had to shave once these last five weeks because of a promo photo shoot.

But my current state of furtive hirsuteness are officially my official Stanley Cup Final whiskers. Not impressive.

But if you've grown yours and don't know what else to do with it ... advice!

Q. Fostering facial hair for, dare we say, a bit of care and style know-how. To aid in this hirsute endeavour, we have JJ Lee, our man of style. First of all, before getting into specifics I noticed you’re developing your own plantation there...what would you call it?

I should tell all, I’m not an expert Beard grower. I’ve never had thick facial hair. However, with my deep journalistic skills I’ve been able to figure out the type of beard I am growing, however thinly.

I have hair on the chin. I have a small bit under my lower lip. I have a moustache that’s not too patchy BUT my problem is none of those parts connect. It’s kind of like the lost overland connection between Asia and Alaska. You can see where they could connect but they don’t.

If they did, I would technically have a Van Dyke or sometimes it’s called an Imperial and it is a chin beard plus a moustache.

Need to identify your beard? Visit my Round 1 post.

Q. What do you think about the beards on the Sedin twins?

They both have a moustache, soul patch, beard, and they have also grown hair along the cheekline which connects the beard to the sideburns. They’re sometimes called the short box beard.

What I really like about their beards is they are letting them grow out.

Sometimes I think it’s Daniel, he over-grooms the beard so it looks like a pencil line (early in the playoffs).

That look has been called the Ben Rothleisberger, after the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, for his notoriously over-trimmed beard.

Glen O’Brien, GQ's Style Guy, wrote against the Rothleisberger beard because it requires shaving the neck which “makes guys look like they have double chins, even if they don’t. “ He says the look is”self-conscious and a bit vain.”

Luckily for the Sedins, they’re letting their beards get a bit more full. So, yay to a deep run!

Q. So, overly groomed is not good. What would be the best advice for playoff beard grower?

I spoke with Farzad Salehi. He runs Farzad’s Barbershop in Yaletown at Homer and Davie. He is one of the few men who will give a straight razor shave.

Farzad’s advice is just let it grow. He says, “Don’t do anything fancy with it. If you you have to work in the office, trim under the chin.”

So it won’t catch on the tie and shirt but more importantly, trimming will give you a professional looked but avoid making your neck look like it’s been waxed. Don't shave who sections off. It’s just odd.

Just avoid looking overly shaggy.

If you have to trim, make it look like George Clooney instead of George Michael with his permanent five o’clock shadow. If you google the word sleaze-beard you get a picture of George Michael, so you might want to avoid that look.

Q. One of the things people have about growing out a beard is in-grown hairs. What advice do you have for them?

Farzad says massaging the skin in the growth area always helps. Part of combating in-grown hairs is you have to wash the hair properly.

Farzad says use shampoo for the beard. And then use cream for the skin because the skin can get dry down there.

Obviously, never pick at it. Farzad says you can try pre-shaving oil. It can help short hairs stand up and grow out.

And remember to treat the beard part like your hair. Keep the soup out of it. Somebody is going to have to kiss your face during the next two months.

Q. What can a person do about overall itchiness?

I spoke to Graham Bingham, he runs a shaving store called Momentum Grooming at Burrard and Davie.

Obviously, in-grown is the number cause of itchiness.

If it’s persistent. You can try to exfoliate using In Grown Hair Treatments. They cost $26.50.

They’ll last for two playoff seasons. They have acids in them that will help exfoliate and free the hair plus it will reduce swelling and redness.

Now, if the person complaining is not the beard grower, but the beard kisser, consider using beard creams.

They can soften a beard. They smell good. Graham sells one called Bluebeards Beard Saver, it has a hint of lime and goes for $24 (they may not have it in stock any longer but they will recommend another).

There’s also beard shampoo, if you don’t like the taste of soap in your mouth and they’d make a good present for the Playoff Beard grower in your life as well.

Q. What would a real NHL player say about it all?

Glad you asked. Dave Tomlinson, fellow Montrealer - his dad was an Alouette, played with the Leafs and is the colour-commentator for Canucks Radio at Team 1040.

Dave says:

"I used to either grow a playoff beard or I would shave it into some pseudo-intimidating fu-man chu creation. Anyway, those days are long gone for me...but a real playoff beard should just be let go to grow wild and wooly.

Problem is, they get itchy to the uninitiated...so shaving after each round is permissible:)

Pretty much anything goes in terms of shaving creation...but if one does try and pull off a reverse goatee...you better hope you win the game/series(or you might end up looking like a goofy guy who just lost a hockey game)."

Review: Filson Zipper Tote

2011-05-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

My Filson Zipper Tote, I can't do without it.

It carries my cameras, my manuscripts, my sketch pad.

It always garners kind compliments and envious side glances.

I bought mine at The Block in Vancouver two years ago

It's the only bag I use, even if it's ten days in London. Okay, I travel light.

It's not a murse. When it's new it will look like a giant canvas box. With use it will adapt to how you use it. My tote has a patina.

One of my sons says he wants it when I die (this is a common conversation). I don't mind. I teach them to appreciate things that last longer than a lifetime.

Single best purchase I ever made.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Makeovers: style advice for Canada's hockey media elite

2011-05-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

In the fine tradition of Joanie Loves Chachi (which when you think of it is a nice ode to multi-ethnic relationships 'tween Anglo-girls and Italo-boys), Canadian Politician Makeovers has spawned a spin-off: Stanley Cup Playoff Makeovers.

I've dropped the Fashionator persona. He was a bit mean and it was hard to explain the good, bad and ugly of prominent Canadian male style with his limited diction.

The question is always why?

Well, most Canadian men take their queues from what they see in the media, as most men don't have style role models in their lives.

We often dress like the people we see on TV (ahem, who hasn't thought of looking like Don Draper?).

Nothing wrong with that, except when the clothes are WRONG.

And since, we can expect one third of Canadian eyeballs to be watching the Cup this year, the clothes the male anchors, reporters, experts, analysts, play by play (Hughson is quite the natty cat) wear will have a huge impact on how men will wear suits.

So as a curative for the on-air faux-pas and an exhorter of the excellent, I offer you playoffs, playoffs, we're talking playoffs, baby.

Go, CANUCKS.

Menswear question of the day: "Wedding reception etiquette--is unbuttoning jackets at dinner okay?"

2011-05-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

SIMPLE ANSWER: No.

THE MORE NUANCED, LESS DOCTRINAIRE ANSWER:

Still, no.

If we were to take Prince William as an example, and after their royal to-do, who could deny the awe-inspiring elegance of the day (Pippa, call me), unbuttoning your coat is not consider correct etiquette.

In the case of Will and Kate, for the evening the newly-wed prince wore a double-breasted jacket for the evening to do, which one never leaves open as David Letterman eventually learned after years of complaint from men's fashion magazines.

What is correct for the double-breasted is correct for the single-breasted dinner jacket. Tuxedos look GOOD buttoned up. Why settle for less.

My rule is always this: if the jacket is too hot, get a lighter jacket.

Now, it's going to happen. When the cameras were gone and Camilla and Charles had left the young ones to rage on at Buckingham Palace, I'll assume they got down and dirty because, heck they're royals, what do you expect?

And I'm sure a few garments fell by the wayside but it is not considered a polite act. So context is everything.

If you are dirty dancing and working over a bridesmaid bodice with your teeth, by all means unbutton. I never do (unbutton that is, though undo bodices is one of my favourite past times). Standing, seated or dancing, I keep coats buttoned. But then I sometimes sleep with my socks on.

One thing to consider is what kind of jacket are you wearing? If it is one of those awful four-button jobs with framed stripes and notched lapels and accompanied by a white long neck tie, go ahead, unbutton, you look like total shite any way.

True colours: alternate, styling gear for the next Canucks home game

2011-05-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

Love the Canucks. But I can't bring myself to wear gear as if I were a member of the team, ready to jump over the boards.

But it'd be great to show team colours at the arena.

Above is how fans used to dress to an NHL game. Below is how I'd do it: a royal blue sports blazer, a Band of Outsiders wide stripe tie in Canucks colours, and seersucker pants from J.Press. Put on camel brown lace-ups and the look is complete.

Spring things, c'mon sunshine!

2011-05-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today, on Fashion Monday, we look at garments that chase the BLAHS away. That's right, clothes that puts sunshine in your heart if not in the sky. That's coming up when I hit the CBC for another Fashion Monday!

Spoke with Allison Smith of Allison Wonderland about clothes that perks her up, because face it, the weather has been atrocious. Check out her choice spring items as it appeared on Urban Rush. A show on which I once dropped my drawers.

And that's today's topic on Fashion Monday, by that I mean spring things. So tune into On The Coast (CBC Radio One in Vancouver) at 3:49 PM today!

What clothes do you wear to chase the blahs away!

Listen live on the CBC audio player, 3:49 PM Pacific!

Urban turbans, print mashing, harem pants (last gasp?) - this spring's oddities

2011-05-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Urban Turbans, Print Mashing, Low-crotched pants. Here are style pointers from the curious and daring mind of do-it-yourself fashion blogger, Niki Blasina of A Haute Mess. How to master this spring's more curious trends!

Niki Blasina of A Haute Mess mashing clashing prints.

Of course, it would be great to talk about hot weather spring and summer fashion trends, if only the weather would warm up.

Luckily, there a few looks this season that are not temperature dependent. They are challenging trends.

Specifically:Urban Turbans, Print Mashing, and Low-Crotched pants for women. Exactly how are they supposed to work?

Host Stephen Quinn and I spoke about it last week on CBC Radio's On the Coast.

Urban turbans?

Okay. Yes. The fashion trend for head scarves however are not related to the killing of Osama bin Laden. The urban turban, or the hair band, or the head scarf has more to do with Rosie the Riveter, economic recovery and Beyoncé, the American pop star, even the royal wedding, than any Al-Qaida leader.

That’s good news. What is an urban turban?

Obviously, it’s a head accessory for women. They came out last year, but without much of a splash. They showed up again on runways for this spring’s collections and they’ve made a showing even for fall 2011.

As the name implies, they are fabric wraps that go around the head. Visually, they range in look from

Carmen Miranda

Carmen Miranda – the lovely and outlandish Brazilian film star of the 1940s and 1950s (If you ever see a woman or a cartoon with a pile of fruit on her head, you have Carmen Miranda to thank for that popular image) – to the more utilitarian style of head scarves worn by Rosie the Riveter.

They’ve showed up in videos by music performers such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Pink in the past. And it seems they’ve jumped into the mainstream.

How does one wear an urban turban?

For advice, I turned to the really great and fun Vancouver fashion blogger, Niki Blasina. She posts on a blog called, ahautemess.ca.

Niki calles the urban turban an “edgy, chic” alternative over the spent straw fedora of the last few years.

When we talked this morning about it, it really matches with garments evoking the 70s bohemian revival that’s suppose to be big this season. But it can also be worn with a basic outfit, like jeans and a t-shirt.

It’s always a dramatic look. If you decide to sport one be prepared for comments.

The way to wear it is to think of it as a replacement for the summer toque or, better yet, as Niki told me, the slouchy beret knit hat that has been kicking around.

Niki says, you can find them in stores. She mentioned: Fine Finds in Yaletown has them. The brand is called Head Mistress from Toronto.

But on Niki’s blog, ahautemess.ca, she will show you how to make one if you want to save a few pennies. Niki just says go for the urban turban and have fun with it. It’s a great way to take care of a crazy hair day.

Before we move on to the other spring trends, what behind that head scarf trend?

I think it’s recession and recovery related. When a woman controls her hair through hats, which are big again, or head scarves, it suggests the control of the unruly.

Traditionally, like in images of Rosie the Riveter, the headscarf keeps hair out of the way when a woman is working. So its functional. The more women work, the more they control their hair. Albeit, the urban turban is a casual fashion, not a workplace one.

And as men’s fashion trends have become more severe and masculine, I think this trend relates to the idea of an assertive woman even though the head scarf is often thought of as a playful accessory.

Another trend I mentioned was “Print Mashing:” what’s is print mashing?

I call it Print Mashing. Most people call it PATTERN MIXING. But the way Niki does it is closer to Mashing.

She breaks all the rules when it comes to mixing polka dots with plaid.

I always say on this show, to choose patterns of different scale and Niki says beginners should follow that rule.

But in practice Niki loves to crash patterns into each other and actually, she personally is pushes matching scales to the edge. Every pattern is nearly the same size.

They clash.

But she can’t help herself, It’s one of her favourite things to do. And she says, bring clashing patterns together, one can surprise oneself.

How does one print mash well?

Niki says, it works best if both patterns share a colour. She has an example on her blog of wearing a bright floral blue top and a navy skirt with polka dot.

She calls it a Flinstone-esque mixing of patterns.

But how she pulls it together is to use strong, bold accessories of simple block colour to anchor the two clashing patterns.

In the case of the micro print floral top and polka dot skirt, she used bold blue baubled necklace to anchor down both patterns and it works.

What does Niki have to say about low-crotch pants – and by that I assume she means harem pants? Are they still on trend from last year?

They are. Women in droopy pants will last one more season.

Niki says your harem pants have a present but will have no future. This is the final summer of harem pants.

Niki says wear it shamelessly. And be prepared for comments. Last week she wore them out on the town and women complimented her and men kept on asking her if she had lost a bet.

So, harem pants, drop crotches, what have you are having their last 15 minutes in the sun.

But, I should mention, an easy to do, emerging trend, to look out for is loafers for women.

I’m not talking about oxford lace-ups anymore.

The emerging trend are simple slip-ons. Niki calls them Hugh Hefner shoes. They are simple like slippers not quite elaborate as penny loafers. But simple,traditionally stitched loafers with a plain, pointed toe and small stitches, like Bally loafers from the 70s are the next big thing. So bye-bye to Harem Pants, and look out for Playboy mansion shoes this summer.

Niki Blasina www.ahautemess.ca

Interesting Vancouver: My talk about why men wear suits

2011-05-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

JJ Lee @Interesting Vancouver 2010 from Interesting Vancouver on Vimeo.

A great event last year. I loosely adapted it from my manuscript with changes of all sorts to suit (pardon the pun) the occasion.

Memoir-izing, copy edits, a blog memoir about writing a memoir - aka the Very Meta Post

2011-05-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last night at 2:30 AM, I finally sent the copy edit they sent to me back to my publisher, McClelland and Stewart.

I think I was supposed to read through and approve stuff. But as I read it, I made a FEW changes.

One of the great difficulties about writing this memoir (which is an embarrassing thing because it's like getting a greatest hits album when you think you're actually putting out relevant music still - it has a pre-emptive retrospective feel and makes you want to protest, "Not dead, yet!"), is synthesising the present, the past and the use of the present tense and the past tense.

I know, it's confusing, and that's why I felt it was very important to contract the sense of time in the book.

There was a past past and a present present. And some memories felt like they happened just yesterday rather than years or decades ago.

So like an good tailor trying to get panels of wool to fit together when they don't, I pounded, steamed, invisible pin-tucked and set-in the parts to make a near seamless whole. I opted for narrative elegance over chronological exactitude.

Any how, more thoughts on all this later.

I'll be blogging about the memoir process at jj-lee.com. So subscribe or whatever one does to find out more about this strange and difficult, vexing, near mind-bending process.

I'm working on a little post about exactly how the book came about and for budding writers you may find it interesting as I really thought I would never write one myself. So check the other site out.

Also, the cover is finally up at McClelland & Stewart.

The Measure of a Man
The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit

by JJ Lee

published by McClelland & Stewart

Available September 20, 2011

The Copy Edit of book! It's been a long road and the end is just round the corner

2011-05-10T09:44:00.001-07:00

So sloth: on to do list is having to beef up a chapter (writing is scant, notational in this part - obvious result of crushing deadlines), write a denoument regarding time at Modernize, copy edit and approve book design.

Cold hard realities: need to get it done.

On today's Fashion Monday on CBC's On The Coast at 3:49 PM: Playoff Beards

2011-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

from the minds of Wondermark

Listen live on the CBC audio player, at 3:49 PM Pacific!

Understanding why super hero costumes can only exist in comic books

2011-03-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Thankless job of the week. Trying to pull off a Wonder Woman costume for a television show.

How unwonderful.

Why it won't work... read Michael Chabon's unitard theory in the New Yorker.

Nice to be appreciated

2011-03-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

A short and sweet post about Fashionator 1000 and his campaign to improve the fashion sense of Canada's federal leaders on Jen Gerson's blog.

Sartorial semiotics of politics

2011-03-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

I've recently created a mildly sub-intelligent alter-ego known as the Fashionator 1000.

He has made it his mission to comment on the sartorial choices of party leaders running in Canada's federal election (aka #elxn41).

He is a cross between Conan the Barbarian (not O'Brien) and Stan Lee's version of the Hulk ("Fashionator angry! Fashionator smash spatula toe loafers!).

To wit, there is a blog called Canadian Politician Makeovers, but I find Twitter and Twitpic are the best ways to catch this fast-moving parade of men in suits (oh look, without a tie, it must mean he's a man of the people OR hey, pink tie, pro-gay people and anti-bullying).

I have yet to comment with any focus on the Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper, but both Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton have caught my attention.

I give Layton kudos for trying to evoke something beyond fiscal responsibility or fuzzy sweater avuncularity.

There is a certain pathos to Layton's campaign look so far. He is world weary, much like Humphrey Bogart's Rick in Casablanca. His choice of a black medium fedora and black trench coat (above) is more dire than Bogey's look. In terms of his health, I wish him well.

The Liberal leader has a Boston Brahmin style that I love (please, this is not a Tory attack ad). His penchant for narrow ties, knotted four-in-hand style, is fetching. It's a simple thin knot best worn by young men. However, at certain angles, he looks more Abraham Lincoln than Kennedyesque.

Ignatieff has a long face and could do with a thicker, sturdier, half-Windsor or Windsor knot. It provides a wider knot, more triangular/less tubular in shape. A thicker knot would break up the long verticals of his face.

Problem is Tories own that knot. I'm not sure why they do. Perhaps fellow conservatives in the States have worn it well and they have followed suit. There may be even an element of Anglophilia in the wide collars. But there is an entire squad of chubby-face Conservative Party of Canada types who would do well to give their ties a diet.

It's not working for gents like Minister James Moore or even Harper's director of communication. And I have been providing digital makeovers to make my point.

So check it out, enjoy. The Fashionator 1000 is a total bitch but I hope he will also make you smile and pump your style UP!

2011-03-19T21:42:00.001-07:00

Andy Warhol’s Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.

They are described as Brogues…they are in fact plain-toe Bal-type Oxfords. Am I wrong here?

Brogues usually refer to shoes with punches in it. An Oxford will have v-shaped lace opening or closed lacing. I like the shabby chic of Warhol’s.

Need I say, I LOVE them.

Buying vintage prom or grad dresses

2011-03-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Carly Lenarduzzi of Mintage Vintage in Vancouver about a few tips on how to buy a classic prom dress that's a blast from the past.

I shared them with Stephen Quinn of CBC's On The Coast in Vancouver.

She's online on Etsy and has a store in Vancouver:

www.mintagevintage.com
carly@mintagevintage.com
1714 commercial drive, vancouver, bc

604.mintage

How to buy a vintage grad dress

2011-03-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today, I will be talking about how to buy a vintage grad (vintage prom) dress.

What details to look out for and how to buy online.

My advice comes from the lovely Carly Lenarduzzi at Mintage in Vancouver (also on Etsy.com). She has an expert eye and know what makes a great vintage find.

Tune in today by live stream at 3:50 PM PACIFIC, on CBC Radio One in Vancouver, 88.1 FM or AM 690, for tips on going the oldie but goody route.

I, Cinder-Fella's Fairy Godfather of fashion

2011-03-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

CINDERELLA PROJECT!!!!

I had an amazing weekend being a Fairy Godfather.

Yes, I had a magic wand. Made of chocolate. I received as my reward for helping three senior high school grads pick out their graduation suits as part of the Cinderella Project.

My Cinder-fellas, that’s what they’re called, are students who have overcome lots of adversity and, to tell the truth, have survived heart-breaking life experiences to finish their studies and stand forth as graduates.

The Cinderella Projects rewards them by providing suits, ties, shirts, shoes and more for free so they can be decked out to perfection for Grad Night (in the US, it’s Prom Night).

Thirty teen boys and 130 girls went through the experience. The young women, of course, received beautiful dresses.

Later today, I’ll be talking about my experience this weekend on CBC Radio One in Vancouver at 3:49 PM Pacific.

Listen live with a pop-up player here.

If you can’t wait to hear what the Cinderella Project experience is like, check out my radio piece from last year. It’s the story of my experience last year as an opinionated style reporter who couldn’t stay out of the fray. Just click the player.

I also have to mention. Big ups for Dion Neckwear. They provided 100 ties and pocket squares to the Cinderella Project on short notice (one week). They sell ties at Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew and the West End shops of The Bay.

The ties were amazing!

1:12pm |

URL: http://tumblr.com/x9y1p9qggl

Called a Perfecto for a reason

2011-03-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

For Spring 2011, Barneys New York has a special edition Schott leather jacket. They originated the classic asymmetrical-zippered design of the Perfecto.

It was made famous by Marlon Brando in the The Wild Ones. Schott will tell you it also appeared on the cover of Born to Run (love it, and the way the jacket looks there).

Like jeans, a great jacket should be tight as a second skin but also comfortable as one.

I wrote about the Perfecto a few years back - the pointers are still relevant.

The ultimate cool coat
Choosing the best leather jacket for that just-a-bit-dangerous feeling

Leather should be totally cool -- and it can be, if men know how to wear it correctly. Too bad many don't.

These past few weeks, I've identified a number of atrocious leather faux pas and found a few fixes:

1. Dressing like a cast member of The Matrix. To the dude on the C-Train who wears sunglasses and a long leather trench: Hello, you're not Keanu Reeves and the public transit system is not a computer-simulated environment designed to suck out your life force, even though it may feel that way.

For an appropriate cinematic role model, consider Jason Schott's recommendation. He says the ultimate icon "has to be the Marlon Brando jacket. Everybody knows what I'm talking about."That said, it's OK to be inspired by the leading men in movies. However, you must avoid dressing exactly like a fictional character. That's for Halloween.

Schott should know. As a fourth-generation member of the family running Schott NYC, he represents the clan that created the classic Perfecto Motorcycle Jacket that Brando wore throughout the 1954 film, The Wild One.

An asymmetrical, double-breasted masterpiece with angled zippers and just the right amount of hardware and pockets, the Perfecto imparts to its wearer a mixture of menace and anti-hero morality. Schott has been reported saying, "Yesterday, my daughter saw a man wearing a Perfecto and she said, 'Daddy, that's a bad man.' "

You can buy the good, kind-of-bad Perfecto online at schottnyc.com for $500 US.

2. Poorly fitted jackets. Most men dress in something that's two sizes too big, coming across as deflated leather balloons. It's totally emasculating. A proper jacket should make you look and feel like a coil of masculine energy -- and just a little bit dangerous.

Keith and Darryl Christensen certainly agree the fit is "it." The brothers construct both custom and off-the-rack wonders at their luxury leatherwear boutique, Ocean Drive Leather in Vancouver's Yaletown.

"I see a lot of ill-fitting jackets and you can tell they're inferior quality," Keith said.
Darryl warns against slouchy leather with a one-size-fits-all mentality. A good coat should be a second skin.

"A jacket should start out in a nicer state and then become a well-worn jacket that gets more beautiful with age . . . and moulds to your body," Darryl said.
To make his point, he pulls out the military-inspired B-20. With a band collar, epaulettes and waistband ammo pockets, this short jacket is an essay in macho detailing.

Trying it on, the sleek modernity of an Ocean Drive jacket becomes clear. The B-20 at $2,200 feels nothing like army surplus gear. It clings and, without being cartoony, the B-20 makes the wearer feel like a superhero.
"Sexy and modern," Keith said.

3. Not all cuts are equal. Leather blazers are the opposite of sexy. A man in a leather blazer often looks like a person in need of matching leather pants and a leather tie. A calfskin sports coat may be just the trick for business casual or a night on the town, but it can also come across as fussy and prim.

This season, seek out simple motocross-sport versions with standing collars and very few, or no, piping details for a minimalist edge. Ocean Drive has a killer called the B-18 for $1,600.

Also consider a slim-fitting field coat. The Gap will have their interpretation, the Private, for $368, in stores this month.

If you just have to have a bomber-flight jacket with the woven hems and cuffs and a pair of belly-high slash or patch pockets on the front, beware.

Bombers are what gave leather a bad name in the first place. Remember those fake unit badges, bulging midsections, truly gross "distressing" and overly heavy hides?

Instead, stick with updated styles like the kind you will be able to find at Roots, where they've embraced the idea of the "new" leather.

Michael Budman, co-founder and creative engine of Roots, says contemporary leather has changed.

It is "lighter because of climate change . . . tighter . . . and you have to be fit. You can't have a gut."

Right now at Roots, you'll find their new MB jacket, at $498. It's their softer, lighter and fighting-trim take on the bomber.

LEATHER POINTERS
Before you drop some heavy coin for a jacket, here are a few good shopping pointers:
Shoulder-to-sleeve seams must hit exactly at the shoulder joint. If you go too far past it, the leather, which stretches over time, will sag. If the jacket has no shoulder seam (a raglan sleeve, for example) avoid it. The armholes will most likely be too big.
Cuffs should end just past the wrist bone. They should not cover any part of your hand.
Waistbands should fall no lower than the bottom of the belt on your pants. I like the waistband above the belt line, but that's a matter of taste.
Avoid complicated details; they will date the coat.
Hardware details are fun, but make sure the extras are proportioned properly. You don't want oversized pockets to add pounds to your frame.
Speaking of pounds, skip dessert and forgo a few pints; leather favours the thin.

Matters of the heart: breast pockets and the things we put in them

2011-02-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

As a recent San Francisco Chronicle article declared: pocket squares, handkerchiefs, puffs, what have you, are returning to the menswear lexicon thanks to TV shows like Mad Men.

In Vancouver, a city which takes going casual seriously, the spray of fabric has become an acceptable replacement for a tie. It is dressy but not too dressy.

But what of the pocket that holds it: the breast pocket?

Imagine if the breast pocket were not there. What would be lost? Angled correctly a breast pocket, distinguished by the tab of fabric known as a welt, has the desirable effect of visually lifting and broadening the chest. Sometimes careless suit makers will make a breast pocket dead, flat horizontal, in which case, it would only visually fatten the wearer’s torso by making it look boxy.

But a great breast pocket rises slightly towards the shoulder. Not too acutely. If done right it can enliven the dead zone between the lapels and the shoulder and through the introduction of a slight diagonal sharpen the look of the wearer.

It is also the psychic hot spot of the suit for it lies over the heart. When you think of it, the suit jacket has two pockets in that special location. There is the one everyone sees. There is another that hides in the lining.

The inside pocket is an intimate holding place akin to a purse for women. Passports, bill folds, the notes for a speech. Famously, people may still keep a bible in the inside breast. And the cliche goes it may be able to save more than your soul. Both in the memoirs and correspondence of Union and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War, there are numerous accounts of how bibles stopped bullets from entering the heart.

Of course, pocket squares, pocket puffs or handkerchiefs do not have the same anti-ballistic properties but they too provide insight into a man’s character. When a man makes a consistent habit of ironing a square to have four peaks poking out of the breast pocket, it may signal a fastidious nature.

I think pocket squares are best when they reflect the wearer's mood the way a face does. It should change depending on the circumstance rather than be frozen in the perky smile of rigidity that is the peaked hankie.

For example, if you have a business meeting in the morning, make the kerchief a rigid square but by happy hour there’s nothing wrong with scrunching it up into a little rosette.

Now, back to matters of the heart. Wearing one is best when it is a gift from a lover. This practice has its origins in chivalry. Originally, kerchiefs were considered underwear. People weren’t supposed to see them. But in the Middle Ages romantic love became a viable idea. A lover’s handkerchief could find a place of honour on the armour of a knight. He would tie it underneath the plume of his helmet. The term “wearing your heart on your sleeve,” which is derived from Shakespeare’s Othello, refers to the practice of maidens giving their sleeves to their knight. And they in turn would tie them around their gauntlets.

If the modern man has yet to receive such tokens of affection, he might echo the tradition by wearing the favourite colour of a loved one.

For the rookie pocket square wearer, I recommend never matching the tie with the square. Try loosely folding it and plunging it into the breast pocket and pulling it out just a bit. Avoid fiddling. Menswear writer Russell Smith, author of Men’s Style, says do place the hankie with your eyes closed. I concur. I like my pocket squares heedless, unmediated, unguarded and without guile.

Sometimes, I don’t use cloth pocket squares. Paper do wonders in a pinch. On TV it looks just like a linen one.

The finest paper square I ever wore came from one pf my 7-year-old sons (yes, twins). He was angry at me. I had to go out for a fashion event. He had hopes we would spend the evening together playing board games. I suggested he make me a paper pocket hankie for me.

He squiggled and coloured an elaborate pattern with a richness equal to a Hermes or a Salvatore Ferragamo printed silk.

I told my son I would wear it all night and, if anyone asked, I would tell him or her who made it.

“Really?” he said.

I promised, “Cross my heart.”

Robert Pattinson plays a vampire but his tuxedo shouldn't suck - a Golden Globe reaction

2011-01-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

The big news is broody boy's hair is looking kind of red.

I didn't really notice because I couldn't help see past the sheer mundanity of his tuxedo.

On the left is how he appeared on the red carpet Sunday evening. The only concession he made to the black tie protocol was the satin-faced peaked lapel and the single button.

The paucity of true dinner jacket details is dismaying. Is looking elegant such a crime?

In the picture on the right, I've altered and added a few touches essential to a refined evening look:

Bow tie - Yes, there are young men who hate wearing long ties during the day. So why do they wear them when they have to dress up? Why not skip the working man's leash and knot a bow instead. Nothing says, "I'm here for a good time," like a bow tie.
Pocket square - take a white handkerchief and iron it into a square. Put it in your breast pocket. If you don't have a white handkerchief, fold a piece of paper into a square, it can even be a drawing or a doodle from a note pad, stuff it in. It looks better than that empty yawning space which begs for imagination. If you really need to be a recalcitrant rebel, put an index card in it. Maybe include an acceptance speech. A little bit of white above the welt looks good on camera.
Cuffs - let people know you're actually wearing long sleeves.
Side pockets - This is a detail people often overlook. A dinner jacket is one of the most modern forms of the suit jacket (the daytime business suit dates back to the late 1800s - the sleek tuxedo only become popular in the 1920s). If you want to be hip and contemporary, forget the extraneous pocket flaps. Go sleek. Tuck them into the pocket's. That's the right way to wear them.

Remember, Mr. Pattinson, a great tuxedo is a balance of black and white elements. Take any of them away and the whole composition loses its graphic punch.

My complete list of pocket luxuries came out in the Vancouver Sun

2010-12-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

Read the online version here (hip hip hooray) - but it lack pictures.

So, here are a some of the items (abbreviated) in living RGB colour.

At Crabtree and Evelyn, West Vancouver, Kent hand-made comb with case. The comb-maker of seven British monarchs. Brush your hair like you're Prince Harry. William, well, he doesn't have enough to use a comb, now does he ($29.75)?

UGG Australia's super comfortable Ascot slippers in suede with shearling. Wear them in our out. Can be found at the Australian Boot Company $149.95.

Designer Paul Smith, while visiting Vancouver's Holt Renfrew, put things this way: "Be brave. Do things more punchy, more special." Smith's signature stripes and bashful cowgirl hit the mark (at Holt Renfrew, starting at $105). They're dry and wry and give man jewelry a good name.

Killer dice at Birks, $125. The glinty numbers are crystals. Box is crocodile stamped leather. For the nerdier Dungeons & Dragons-type man, ie me, we can only hope Birks come out with a 20-sided version next year.

Metrodome collapse - would be no surprise to roof's designer

2010-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, BC Place stadium experienced a roof failure.

As CBC Vancouver's design columnist, I spoke with one of the designers of BC Place's roof, Horst Berger. As a partner in the engineering firm of Geiger Berger, they designed several air-supported roofs including Minneapolis's Metrodome.

Here's the original piece:

"Original BC Place roof engineers split over design issues

(This Vancouver by Design column originally aired On The Coast on CBC Radio One in Vancouver)

January 9, 2007 - Vancouver - One of the original partners in the design company behind BC Place's roof told Vancouver By Design he left the company precisely because of a dispute over the design of such structures.

Horst Berger was one half of Geiger Berger - the company which designed the stadium's air supported roof; it collapsed last week after tearing.

Described by local engineers, as "daring, innovative, and pre-eminent" in the field of fabric roofs, Berger ended his partnership with David Geiger in 1983, the same year BC Place was completed.

Berger, 80, spoke to VBD by phone from his residence in New York state. When told about the tear and subsequent deflation, Berger said, "I'm not surprised."

"The air-supported structure depends on a mechanical system and that is it's Achilles heel."

Membrane roofs like the one on BC Place require pumped in air to keep the dome inflated and further require heaters to melt the snow.

Berger says, "You can not possibly design it [an inflated roof] to counteract a snow load. And I'm a conservative engineer. I want my design to last a thousand years."

But Geiger Berger's inflated roofs are entirely dependent on building owners following maintenance and operation protocols to keep the them up.

"And that's why I broke up the partnership," says Berger.

According to tent designer and engineer, Gery Warner of Tentnology, a large tent design firm in Vancouver, engineers specialized in the field of membrane or fabric roofs considered David Geiger, who is now deceased, as the "air-supported guy and Horst Berger as the tensile structure guy."

In tensile design, cables are used to hold the membranes up. Air-supported membranes use cables to keep the roof from billowing up - this cheaper technology was actually the brainchild of David Geiger.

But Berger says, "The structures are too unstable. It has to be air-tight to perform. Once there is a tear, it loses stability and the roof fails."

"That's why you haven't seen new ones being built."

After his breakup with Geiger, Berger started his own engineering firm with a focus on tensile structures like the sail-like roof of Canada Place in Vancouver, which Berger designed while at Geiger Berger. Berger points to the Denver International Airport, which he designed, as an example of the comparative robustness of tensile design. Denver has experienced record snowfalls this winter.

It is still unclear why BC Place's roof has failed though snowload and high-winds are possible causes.

Technically speaking, the present deflated position of BC Place's roof makes it now a tensile structure. However, in that position the roof will not be able to used its heaters to melt any accumulating snow and as of Tuesday night, the forecast is for up to 5 to 15 cm of snow.

Geiger engineer Kris Hamilton, based in Bellingham, Washington, says the roof in its inverted condition can sustain a snowload of 12 pounds per square feet. Under the building code, structures in Vancouver are required to endure snowloads greater than three times that amount.

BC Place general Howard Crosley told CBC Radio reporter Terry Donnelly the roof will not be damaged by the expected snowfall."

Apparently, this is the Pantone colour of the year...Honeysuckle (aka I used to call it fucshia or fuchsia or however you spell it)

2010-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

#12things

2010-12-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Blackfeet Indian Pencil - I own only this stub now. It is no longer manufactured on the soil of the Blackfeet Nation. It has a natural cedar finish. The graphite is dark and smooth -- sometimes lesser pencils have grit in them.

A favourite followed by the Dixon Ticonderoga natural finish with a green and yellow ferrule (the part that holds the eraser).

Number 3 - Filson Zipper Tote

2010-12-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

The 12 - little things that count

Instead of making a list of new things I want for the holidays I'm reflecting on the dozen items that make a difference to me - kind of like counting blessings.

I'll be at the Vancouver Foodbank - CBC Open House today at 3:50 PM

2010-12-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

CLICK TO DONATE OR GET INFO

I'll be there by 2 PM with a fashion treat for the right donation!!!! Our Foodbank show is on right now!

"MAN “Fix your Falalalala Face” with JJ Lee!

Prize: Personal style and grooming session with JJ Lee just in time for the holiday season!

Value: $800

Description: CBC Fashion expert JJ Lee will guide the lucky winner with a new look, focused on putting your best face forward.

The package will include a men's hair treatment, cut and style at holts salon & spa. JJ Lee and will then assist the winner to choose a new designer shirt and tie from menswear at Holt Renfrew.

The winner will also leave with a gift back our some of our favorite men's shaving, grooming and fragrance products, for a total prize value of $800.

Information: This prize has no cash value, is non transferable and valid only in the Vancouver store. Appointments are subject to availability and certain blackout dates and times may apply.

Prize may be redeemed after January 15, 2010. Selection of merchandise must be made from regular price store stock.

The session with JJ will be approximately 1 hour long."

The 12 - little things that count

2010-11-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

Instead of making a list of new things I want for the holidays I'm reflecting on the dozen objects that make a difference to me - kind of like counting blessings.

Number 2. I had this idea I should buy a foot treadle Singer sewing machine from 1911. And I did. I had a dream of making jeans without the use of electrical mechanical devices. Nearly hand-made kind of concept.

These days I use the sewing table as my writing desk. It has six drawers in cherry wood. In one of them I found this key chain mixed in with buttons dating between the First World War and the Seventies (there were some very groovy buttons in there).

The key chain was wrapped up in tape and attached to it was a metal rod. I freed it from the rod and unwrapped the tape to find this very, simple utilitarian key chain. I like it because its not as grandiose as those wallet chains. And don't need very many keys (because I don't own any stuff).

It's just right. The key chain clips nicely on a belt loop and wears just a titch on the front edge of my right front pocket of my jeans. Plus its short enough it won't wear a hole at the bottom of the pocket. Best of all, I use it everyday, unlike my 1911 Singer.

The 12 - little things that count

2010-11-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

This week I am compiling a new pocket luxury piece for the Vancouver Sun.

The idea is small gift ideas for men which are of superlative quality and yet fall under the $150 price tag. I think of them as heirlooms of the future.

And considering our austere times, and by that I mean my austere times, it nice to give fine objects, which have a greater destiny than the landfill, as gifts. (I finally saw Toy Story 3 and the garbage incinerator was a vision of hell and existential despair. Thank goodness for squeeze toy aliens, "The Claw is our master.")

BUT, it got me thinking about the little things I already own that matter to me. That I use everyday.

Here is the first of The 12 Little Things That Count.

The 12 little things that count

Number 1. This pocket knife belonged to my great grandmother. The larger blade is broken. The smaller blade has been sharpened so often it has changed shape. It doesn't quite close.

My paternal great grandmother was terrible to my mother. But she adored me. I loved touching her hands and her face. They were wrinked but always soft. I never learned Cantonese, so I never really got to know her, but I always felt special around her.

As a baby, she collected scraps of fabric from the garbage bins of the garment factories along St. Laurent and made me a quilt with them. Even though she lived in a one room boarding house in Montreal's Chinatown. Every time we visited she made a meal for me out of a rice cooker. My siblings were allowed to balk but I always had to eat some or she wouldn't be happy. Salted fish. Chinese pork sausage. There was always something.

There were occasions I begged my parents not to visit her. The rooming house had cockroaches and there was powdered cockroach poison along the floor moulding. Eventually, she became to feeble to live there and she was moved to an old folks home. Most of her belongings were thrown out because of worries of infestation. But I remember opening her night table and palming this old knife.

In university I used it as a palette knife in painting class. Now, I save it for opening CD cases and opening boxes. It's always right beside me.

Kdon - Maps and legends

2010-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

(CC) Phillip Jeffrey. www.fadetoplay.com.

Kim Cathers, I've decided, was destined NOT to win Project Runway Canada.

Don't get me wrong. She is a great maker of clothes.

But reviewing her latest collection of Fall Winter clothes, I now understand Kim Cathers is a fairytale teller and urban fantasist with strong regional inflections. Her sense of fashion is very hard to digest through television and the fast hard cuts of reality television editing.

Cathers' clothes are like a dusk snowfall among a stand of arbutus trees. It is poetic, frail and very West Coast.

She is telling a story about a place where a city of millions and a massive rain forest sit side by side. A mountain could shrug its shoulders and what we call civilization could be flung into the sea.

Cloak-ish hooded coats, bloomer- or britches-like knee pants and horn buttons combine into a tale from the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, if Little Red Riding Hood carried an iPhone and loved buying studded riding boots.

I once met a bearded man who lived in a log cabin on the edge of the town of Hope.

Against the back wall where the fireplace was located he had carved an entire bas-relief inspired by JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit -- with a chainsaw! To Cathers' collection--somehow they are connected.

Magical.

Tux redux - wear a tux like you really own the night

2010-11-11T12:06:00.001-08:00

To rent or to buy is not always the question.

What really matters when it comes to wearing black tie is looking like you belong in a tuxedo.

Admittedly, all men can't be James Bond or Barack Obama, but it is possible to achieve some true panache, thereby avoiding any associations with Batman's flightless adversary, the Penguin (who technically wore a tailcoat and therefore was dressed in white tie), or high school graduation.

Guy Voglino, New York-based divisional merchandise manager for Brooks Brothers, offered the following advice: "Buy something that is classic, that will stand the test of time. When you stay classic, you'll never be ashamed to take it out of your closet."

Look for traditional lapels. Notches, at Brooks Brothers, are the most popular and easiest to wear of the classic cuts; peaked lapels are considered more formal; shawl lapels are re-emerging as a classic option favoured by the very hip. The softer line looks good on the thinner man. If you have rounded features the peak will sharpen you up and maybe even shave some pounds.

Personally, I would avoid patterns of any kind or odd colours or details. The lapels should be fully satined, not "framed," which means there is only an edge of shiny trimming. It is impecunious and I mean cheap.

You may feel like a peacock, standing out in full trim, but black tie is party clothes. Half-measures are pointless and erode the sense of glamour one may wish to convey.

If you can't handle the full sheen, try grosgrain lapels. They are ribbed silk without the super shiny qualities of satin. It is very elegant.

Striped suits must be avoided at all costs. In the secret language of experienced black tie wearers, they come across as callow and in snobbier environs striped pants are worn by those who earn their living by opening car doors and hefting luggage. Don't be surprised if someone hands you his car keys and a five dollar note when you're wearing stripes.

Even if you own the striper, it will simply give off a "return by Monday" reek.

When it comes to buttons, Voglino says: "If you're more average height, I'd steer you into a one-or two-button cut. It definitely gives a longer look to the individual." With three-button jackets, be wary. The tubular torso created with too many fasteners can ruin the careful balance of black and white in a tuxedo. Only use the middle button on a three-button. Ultimately, one button is all that is ever required.

On the opposite end of the button spectrum are double-breasted dinner jackets. Offering sometime up to six fasteners, they are considered one of the Duke of Windsor's contributions to menswear. His reason for championing the DB are still relevant today. It dispenses with cummerbunds, vests and braces. It prevents one from indulging in a major faux-pas: unbuttoning a dinner jacket. Almost never do it. It is considered very rude in some circles. I avoid doing so nearly at all costs.

DB's also prevent a man from sticking his hands in his pant pockets. What are we rummaging for anyhow? A slingshot? My next dinner jacket will be a grosgrain DB - though I should check my closet. I might already have one.

Voglino also emphasizes fit. "One of our things is making sure people are walking out of our store with a proper fit and that he's comfortable and feels his best when he is in his tuxedo," he says.

For the final touch, a man should always tie his own bow. Nothing says "ownage" like a knot with a little personality.

Fashion Icon: Interview with Jeanne Beker of Fashion Television on the EDIT collection at The Bay

2010-11-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I used my flash video as a microphone (because audio is everything to me) and the camera kind of catches odd angles but it's kind of funny, so I hope no one minds.

Jeannie Beker of Fashion Television has been asking fashion designers questions for the last 25 years.

Today, I had the chance to turn the tables and ask her some questions.

Fashion has a lot of surface and spectacle to it. But I wanted to understand how Beker connected to fashion and clothes personally, so I asked her about her personal view of fashion and the influences in her life. So check out the RAW interview above. Note, I used my Kodak ZX1 as a microphone. Don't mind the wonky images (though I find it kind of cool).

Now regarding the EDIT collection at the Bay:

Overall, it’s very smart. It hits a middle demographic. I think it would do well with woman who are older than 30, who have a bit of money but they are not millionaires, (they’re fashion conscious and don’t want to settle for middle of the road looks.

I see it as a suitcase collection. If you want to fly off to Paris and still feel glamourous on a budget, this might be the clothes for you.

Two items I really like are her jeans and Beker's take on the cape coat.

The jeans are $85. They are skinny but the aren’t low rise. They have a nice medium rise which can be very flattering and is, as Beker told me, muffin-top proof.

The camel coloured cape coat $195 is really chic and classic and would look good on the street in Vancouver or Paris. Of course, the camel has nearly sold out. But they also come in black.

Overall EDIT is an easy on the go look – it has the feel of the clothes fashion designers would wear as opposed to what a fashion desinger would put on the runway – it's glamourous, simple and casual not a bad combo and you can find it at The Bay.

Hon. James Moore obviously deserves his own makeover blog...

2010-10-28T22:00:00.003-07:00

http://jamesmooremakeover.blogspot.com/

James Moore Makeover Project: Side by Side

2010-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Before and after.

Okay. I'm starting small but if you want to know the background of this Project visit:

http://fashionmonday.blogspot.com/2010/10/makeover-why-james-moore-culture.html

PS, it actually deserves its own blog:

http://jamesmooremakeover.blogspot.com/

MAKEOVER: Why James Moore culture minister needs JJ Lee

2010-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

James Moore is a very important man in my life. First he is the minister in charge of the CBC.

Second, he is a fellow Anglophile. And tries his best to follow one of the best axioms ever put forth: "Dress British, think Yiddish." Except Moore goes with: "Dress British, think Canadian Alliance-ish."

Third. James Moore needs my help.

In the picture above, the culture minister is wearing a classic English-styled wide spread collared shirt with an equally classic Half or Full Windsor-like knot in a handsome regimental-styled strip tie (in North America, its a Repp Tie because it poor taste to fake being part of a regiment you are not part of). It looked good on Tony Blair back in the day because Blair had a weak chin and a narrow face.

However, it doesn't work for Moore. Though knot and collar are legitimately tres Anglo - with a nod to Savile Row, it fails to flatter the Rt. Hon. It makes his face look heavier and his torso too.

How good could he look if he adopted medium spread or even longer pointed collars? (The below image has altered only the tie and collar. Nothing was done to his face or overall dimension.)

What I've changed is the collar points of his shirt. I have a wide head like his. I know the following works: he needs a collar scaled to suit his noogin size. I've chosen long points with medium spread but not narrow.

For the knot, I've altered the width of the knot and also given it LENGTH. (Okay, I've also made it so his shirt cuffs actually emerged from his overcoating suit sleeves - hello, alteration!)

The tie knot width is narrowed and lengthened to elongate his face and give better proportions. The sharper angled collar shaves pounds off his face. The knot would be a standard four in hand with an extra loop. This makes the barrel of the knot longer! It's sometimes called a Milanese. But Anglophiles be calm, in England it's called a Prince Albert. It's easy to tie.

As a young MP, he has tried for years to dress in a mature fashion. But now that's he is a full-grown man, he can risk wearing things that make him look younger or at least spry.

The war historian John Keegan once wrote the shape of the hero embodied "impatient boyishness". This applies to Alexander to David to Wellington and it applies to the man in the suit.

With a new shirt and a new approach to ties, I think he could look twenty pounds lighter and more ministerial and less wannabe. Plus he should always button his coat before rising in the House. Manners, please.

Can we have a referendum on this?

To see the side by side image: http://fashionmonday.blogspot.com/2010/10/james-moore-makeover-project-side-by.html

Altered states

2010-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is a vintage Joseph Abboud lambswool jacket from the 1980s. It is unstructured and HAD huge honking shoulder pads.

It is of course inspired by the unstructured jackets of Armani. If you've only read about coats of this vintage, wearing a high-fashion sports coat from this ~~error~~ era (duh) is all about a feral posture. The coats are designed for men with heavy back and forward hunched shoulders. Insouciant swagger.

Another note is the middle button is very low slung. It hits about belt high and not mid-sternum as in contemporary jackets. You will be seeing button dropping down again soon and I'm beginning to like this style. It creates a longer lapel line. Though as a bowtie wearer it can show too much shirt (I don't mind show three shirt buttons but four is just too awful.).

The last few days I've been slowly altering the jacket to make it meet more contemporary tastes.

First off, the wool is gorgeous. A very loose woven, nearly feels like a knit. To make it fit, I threw it in the wash and machine dried it. Which made the coat tighter. Because it was unstructured, this left very few elements to suffer differential shrinkage. Canvas, linings and the wool all shrink at different rates.

I then tightened the back seam. Removed the shoulder pads - gigantic bales of cotton swab! Now I am narrowing the shoulders. Setting sleeves is hard for me. This will be my third try.

I've started ripping the seams on the shoulder on the left. The right is already done to my satisfaction.

I will be swaggering in this very soon.

Father and son

2010-10-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

An image from a 19th century fashion journal.

I actually find it touching.

Menswear trends that won't make your head look fat

2010-09-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Certain fashion trends, even if they’re ballyhooed and blogged to the heavens, fail to lift off. Some just take time to build.

For example, take wide-leg trousers. For the past four seasons, retailers have been tempting women to peel off their skinnies and buy newer, more swishy pants. The trend has been packaged as neo-hippie groove, North African harem pant chic, and as plucky yet romantic Amelia Earhart androgyny. The reception, however, continues to be lukewarm. Women prefer squeezing into their tight denim.

The male approach to change can be even more glacial, no matter how hard fashion labels and retailers strive to quicken the tempo of men’s clothing consumption.

Once men adopt a look, such as the spread-collared shirts, they find it hard to let go. Even if it makes many of their heads look terribly fat.

So, with that in mind, change can be a good thing. Here are a few fashion-savvy types with their fall trends. You may find some very familiar. All are worth adopting:

Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/fall+fashion+takes+retro+classics/3552597/story.html#ixzz111w2mqnt

New York Magazine's look at what Michelle Obama has worn in 2010 so far

2010-09-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's here.

Featuring mixed prints from large florals (top) to small florals (skirt), the nicest arms in the Free World, a overly boho patchwork trapeze meets kimono dress and a husband who isn't gaining weight but IS wearing heavy bullet-proof armour (see tuxedo).

Trend? Joan Jett Wigs

2010-09-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Joan Jett hair hit the runway in New York's fashion week.

I saw the real Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and the Pacific National Exhibition with the boys.

It was a sad night. Her mother had died the night before and dedicated the performance to her.

To get a feel of how it looked, here is Joan in encore mode from a concert from last summer during happier times.

Doing the double denim, disaster or just daring?

2010-09-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yours truly (left) will be delving into the dangers and derring-do of donning double denim.

The look is known as a Canadian Tuxedo – on both sides of the 49th parallel.

I am speaking of when a man or a woman wears double denim with jeans on the bottom and more denim on the top.

For years it was considered a fashion disaster. Now it’s on the comeback.

For a breakdown on how to do double denim, tune into CBC Radio One's On The Coast at 3:50 PM today!

Tom Ford speaks to WWD on why he doesn't want his clothes on the internet

2010-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

This fashion immediacy thing — yes, if you can order the clothes immediately, if you can see them and press a button and they can be shipped to your house, I get fashion immediacy.I don’t get the need for this immediacy. In fact, I think it’s bad.

The way the system works now, you see the clothes, within an hour or so they’re online, the world sees them. They don’t get to a store for six months. The next week, young celebrity girls are wearing them on red carpets. They’re in every magazine. The customer is bored with those clothes by the time they get to the store. They’re overexposed, you’re tired of them, they’ve lost their freshness, you see somebody wearing it and you say, “Oh, that’s that jacket that was in blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” Or [a] customer doesn’t want to wear that jacket that was in blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. In addition, all of the fast-fashion companies that do a great job, by the way, knock everything off. So it’s everywhere all over the streets in three months and by the time you get it to the store, what’s the point?

I’m holding everything back, controlling all the photography. I’m sure there were some leaks last night from people shooting with cell phones. I wish that that hadn’t happened. I don’t know if it did — I’m sure it did. I’m holding the photography back. I’m holding all the clothes back. The clothes are not going out to magazines before January issues. The clothes are not going to celebrities before December. The images are not being released online until December, when they’ll go online on my Web site.

-Tom Ford

I think he should be applauded.

Windsor knot

2010-09-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

It will create a very thick knot. Only best to wear with a wider lapeled jacket.

Natalie Purschwitz's year of dressing dangerously

2010-08-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

Natalie Purschwitz has done something unheard of in our times: she wore clothes for a year made by her hands only.

Not just clothes. Underwear, socks, shoes, even home-made sunglasses.

Bras exploded. Clogs killed. Some days she just wanted to go shopping. She had become a person on the outside of our culture of instant fashionistas and super consumers. She wanted to quit.

But she never did. And today she finishes off 365 days of wearing her makeshift clothes.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

To see her journey of self-made styles, check her blog, Makeshift.

Final Makeshift Day, H&G website update, BC Creative Achievement Award and upcoming show at JCNM
At last - it's the final day of makeshift.

It's been a long year for me. If you ever hear me making any remarks about doing something like this again, please dissuade me or suggest that I consider a shorter time frame. I am so sick of homemade socks.

Though exhausted, I do feel some satisfaction at having fulfilled my goal. It was surprisingly difficult in some (most) ways but also painfully boring in other ways. In the end I've confirmed that we humans really are very adaptable.

I will continue to occasionally post on the blog for a while as I try to wrap my head around things and figure out some new processes. And I've already had a lot of requests to see what I wear on my first day of freedom. Please don't get too excited about it as this is not something that I have been planning for weeks in advance. In fact I still haven't even unpacked my old clothes yet.

I thank you all for leaving comments, talking to me about the project and following the blog. Please stay tuned for future chapters!

Yours truly,
Natalie Purschwitz

My vote the best tux at the Emmy's

2010-08-31T08:19:00.001-07:00

The break down. While notch lapels are not my favourite. Shawls and peaks are. This example of a trim notch with a nice James Dean-like skinny bow tie (the only way to interpret the skinny trend in this type of tie) is youthful and modern.

Perhaps too much shirt is showing but what can be done. A higher button stance would lead to showing the white triangle at the bottom in this era when most men choose not to wear a cummerbund.

I often go without, however a photographer insisted I open my dinner jacket. I refused. The best man became piqued and I obliged.

Later that year I bought a cummerbund.

One solution to the belt line triangle is to wear higher waisted pants. For semi-formal wear, where one should never open their jacket in polite company, this would be a great solution.

If only I became a real tailor, I could do these things myself.

Why does Dev Patel look so good in this picture (or how to handle the contradiction between spread collars and narrow lapels)

2010-08-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Dev Patel is featured in GQ.

While the spread concerned itself with Fall's new suits, what I liked about the images was how young and fresh his suits looked without making the cardinal mistakes some men are making as they attempt to modernize their suits.

I dislike how some are trying to match heavy English spread collars into suits with narrow lapels. If one likes a wider spread, go for a medium spread with shorter (Edwardian-styled) collar points.

Also, if one adopts thinner ties, the horizontal spread collar won't work. There's too much shirt space to fill. There's one CBC weatherman (Kalin!) in Toronto who does it far too much. Wide spread, narrow lapel, skinny ties. Not good.

Medium spread with short points on a shirt is the way to go.

Doing the Mad Men thing

2010-08-30T09:12:00.001-07:00

Is it okay to dress like you're a partner in a 1960s ad agency in the 21st century?

Today when I go On the Coast, I talk with host Stephen Quinn about Mad Men style, the hit AMC show, and its growing influence on menswear.

The Case of the Sagging Jeans

2010-08-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Twenty years and going strong or rather still riding low. Sagging jeans have always been controversial. A New York Times article attests to its restriction in the US south.

But policing sagged jeans has reached new lows with a court hearing in New York.

It might be a fashion disaster but is it a crime?

I spoke this week with Stephen Quinn, host of On The Coast, CBC Radio One, about the Mystery of the Sagging Jeans, its cultural origin and why it's still in style.

Q. What's up with men and half-tucks?

2010-07-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

The front tuck, the half tuck, the belt tuck. The mullet of the shirt to pant interfaces. Both inside AND out. A great example is Dave Mullen's (of Save Khaki) in his designer profile in GQ.

Polo players do it. Hockey players do it. Gretzky did it best! But off the ice, on the street, why do men wear their shirts in a state of dishevelled limbo?

And how is it done well? I talked on CBC's On The Coast with guest host Grant Lawrence of Radio 3 about those demi shirt hem insertions .

I also received a great email from Dave Tomlinson, colour announcer and hockey expert for the Team 1040 in Vancouver. He played for the Jets and Leafs, most notably, and had the following insights on the Great One's half tuck (this column's contribution to hockey lore).

Gretzky did the tuck when he was a youngster because the jersey's were large and he was tiny, so he tucked in the side on the top hand of his stick...because without doing that, the excess jersey would get caught up on his stick knob.

Then it became a comfortable superstition, then a signature move where he actually had velcro stitched inside his pants to keep the tuck attached.

If ever it came untucked, he could certainly argue for a holding penalty as someone would have to grab the jersey pretty good for it to come out!

I did the tuck when I played, but on the opposite side, as my large jersey when I was a little guy, would hang down onto the bottom hand of my stick...and then it became superstitious for me to tuck...looks good too...as a droopy, oversized sweater is NOT cool:)

Enjoy, Dave

Very cool, indeed.

Q: What do you think of clogs (as in, on me)? I know they're one of this season's trends, but should I? Good idea? Bad idea?

2010-07-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

(Fashion Monday audio here or read on!)

If it's about "BUY OR DON’T BUY?" I say it’s a buy.

I spoke with Wendy de Kruyff, owner of Dream Apparel in Vancouver. Wendy says most women are wearing clogs in Vancouver as a mix of both fashion shoe and a comfort shoe.

Wendy says she’s seeing this season with skinny jeans. And as I was speaking with her, a customer walked in with clogs with wide leg pants. In other words, it’s a versatile shoe.

Because it’s a natural shoe with a wood sole, it’s good too keep things natural and fresh above it. Shiny black leggings may not work for most.

Jenna (who is a co-worker and posed the question) is a perfect person to show a lot of leg, up to mid-thigh.

Overall, I really like the look with a simple summer dress. Consider seersucker or chambray. Vancouver designer Allison Smith of Allison Wonderland came out with short shirt dresses in chambray. It would be lovely with clogs and it's on sale at Dream for $150.

BUYING GUIDE:
Clogs are made out of wood. They don't change shape and they certainly don't bend. To get good value out of your clogs make sure the FOOTBED, the ROLL, and the INSTEP fit you!

FOOTBED is the part where you feet touches the wood or the lining
on the wooden sole. Ken Rice, master shoemaker, says a good footbed provides arch support.

Because wood soles are static, nothing is going to move. The fit won’t change, if the footbed is not snug and the balls of your feet and the arch aren’t in the right place, you will not feel comfortable.

At the toe, one should look for no more than an half-inch of toe space. With a custom pair it can go down to just under a quarter inch.

Of course, both your heel and toe should be inside the footprint. Rice says overhang is just "dreadful."

ROLL is an important aspect of a well-designed clog. It’s the leading edge of the bottom of the shoe. It has to have the right curve or bevel to match your gait.

When you take a step forward, your wooden sole has to rock forward because it can't bend. Low heeled clogs need deeper rolls. High heels need less roll.

A simpler way to understand this is clogs need to be shaped to give you a normal heel to toe action. The rule of thumb is the clog should matche the way YOU walk. You don’t change the way you walk to fit the clog.

INSTEP is all important if you want the clogs to stay on your feet. The instep is the part of your foot where your laces would go.

Insteps matter because your heel lifts off the back in traditional clogs. At that point the only part holding your feet to the clogs is the instep.

Ken says, this is the only part of the shoe that will stretch so the correct fit is vital. If it’s too loose you will either bend or curl your toes to raise your instep to keep the clogs in contact with your feet. If you have to do that, that’s a bad fit.

Remember, you shouldn't have to alter your stride or the way you hold your feet to
keep clogs on.

Sneak peak of Larry

2010-06-30T09:51:00.001-07:00

Vancouver designer and fashion blogger, Terri Potratz, posted a neat video featuring images from her Larry collection's shoot for Fall/Winter 2010.

By Bienvenido Cruz.

Scrolling Through Aperture from Bienvenido Cruz on Vimeo.

Style advisor: Why men wear Speedos and what grooming is needed to pull the look off, plus swim suits for the less extroverted man

2010-06-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Not the best weather, admittedly.

But there's nothing that says men can't be ready to hit the beach.

Today, guest host for CBC's On The Coast, Lisa Christiansen, and I answered listeners' email questions about men's swimsuits and good beach grooming.

I turned to Swimco and Absolute Spa for advice.

Here's our delicate conversation about Speedos, grooming and how to look like Daniel Craig. Sort of.

Talking speedos, netherlands, trimming foliage and being beach ready

2010-06-28T14:59:00.002-07:00

Suitable swimsuits for men with a nod to Swimco and Absolute Spa.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/radio-popup.html#/networkKey=cbc_radio_one&programKey=vancouver

Fashion Monday Changes

2010-06-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Updating ones look is always a good idea. MAKEOVER!

From now on, Fashion Monday will be on CBC's On The Coast with Stephen Quinn at 3:50 PM.

Stephen and I will be reading your fashion questions and queries. Yes, Fashion Monday is a style advice column.

Today's topic are Speedos, men's swimsuits and how to be beach ready. I'll be visiting Swimco and Absolute Spa to get the latest information and will bring the answers later this afternoon.

Now, if only the sun would come out!

Fashion Monday is transforming into a fashion advice column

2010-06-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Once a week, CBC host Stephen Quinn and I will be going through your questions about fashion and style.

I'll be leaning on stylists, designers and fashion directors from Sweden to Shanghai for the answers and looking for practical solutions you can use.

Mind you, I will slip in my own opinions quite often.

This week, I'm taking on swim suits! Pose your questions here:

onthecoast@cbc.ca (put "dearjj" in the subject field)

Tweet me at http://twitter.com/fashionmonday (use #dearjj, if you can).

Oh, yeah, driving shoes with socks is a NO-NO!

Stripes, stripes, stripes....what's the deal with all those stripes

2010-06-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Call them Breton stripes or Chanel stripes or sailing stripes. A summer perennial. Super strong last year - and still going this summer.

But this season they're coming on all sorts of scales and colours for men and women.

Here are a few thoughts from my CBC column on why and how to wear them.

Seersucker suits smarter with Glenn Hoffs of Brooks Brothers

2010-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Seersucker. From the Persian, "milk and honey", it is a suit fabric identified with summer and the Southern US states.

It is a classic warm-weather suiting and a lightness and casual silhouette perfect for garden parties.

Typically found in fine blue and white stripes, the cotton textile features alternating smooth and nappy bands. The nap helps wick away moisture.

Here are some seersucker pointers from Brooks Brothers fashion director Glen Hoffs:

What is a now way of wearing seersucker?

Seersucker is one of those timeless fabrics that looks very current at the moment. The renewed interest in mid century dressing makes seersucker feel quite current. Of course how one wears seersucker is what makes it modern. I prefer it mixed with something unexpectedly casual- for instance a seersucker sportcoat with jeans or a more relaxed bottom.

Spread collars continue to be popular - do they suit a seersucker look?

Yes a spread collar shirt can be worn with seersucker but I would avoid one that looked too dressy. A white cotton spread collar shirt that is lightly pressed (or not pressed at all) can be a good look.

What do you like in shirt colours, patterns, and tie types?

I like some thing dark and simple, a dark madras or club tie can work well with seersucker. I prefer something that is cotton based or if it is silk not too shiny- the more shiny a time the more formal. So seersucker requires a more matt finish. A knit tie also works well with seersucker.

How should a seersucker suit works as separates?

A seersucker suit can be worn separately- the pant can be worn with just about anything. Worn dressed down with vintage style white tennis shoes or dressed up with loafers or white bucks. The Jacket can be worn with jeans, khakis, or a brightly colored pant. If you¹re going to wear the suit the tie will make or break the look. Choose something dark and simple.

Are there any faux pas with seersucker?

Tread carefully when trying to pair the seersucker suit with the straw hat
and white bucks.

Though seersucker is a humble fabric, are there ways of telling whether the material is of good quality?

Seersucker is pretty much the same and is usually in cotton. Look for something that isn't stiff. It should feel relaxed and have some drape to it. A silk cotton blend can also be found. The most important thing is the make of the suit. Look for something where the collar and chest don't feel stiff. If it doesn¹t drape well on the hanger it won't drape on the body. An inexpensive seersucker suit is going to look very stiff.

Under what circumstances is it appropriate to wear a seersucker suit?

Seersucker is perfect for a summer wedding, especially a casual daytime wedding. Some gentlemen in the south can get away with wearing the seersucker suit to work, but that's a very specific look that should remain in the South.

Ties that bind us - connecting sons and fathers with a bit of neckwear

2010-06-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today, JJ talks TIE. In honour of Father's Day.

Why did ties get all knotted up with the Sunday tradition? What's the best knot for different face shapes? And why ties still make a great present for dads.

Today at 5:40 PM on CBC Radio One in Vancouver instead of my usual 5:49 PM spot. Listen online live.

Fashion trends and the curvier woman

2010-06-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

On too many occasions I talk about trends in women's fashion saddled with caveats.

For example, I'll talk about how the Empire waist is out and waistlines are dropping down to the hip in certain clothes. Of course, (**caveat**) shorter women should be wary of this trend...

You see what I mean.

So yesterday, I went on air with a piece about current trends, skinny jeans and ankle-length hemlines, and how they would apply to curvier women.

For an informed perspective, I spoke with Laura Caravaggio. She runs the online boutique for full figured women called lolaandgigi.com.

Tale of the tape: socks with sandals - not white tubes and TEVA

2010-06-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I talk about women wearing socks with strappy leather things...

Socks, sandals, tea dresses and men without socks

2010-05-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Tune in when I get the opinion of Vancouver's finest designers and fashion thinkers on this summer's trends:

socks with sandals (HOT TOPIC)
mid-calf length hemlines
and men in dress shoes without socks

You'll hear from Jason Matlo and Carlie Wong and, of course, JJ and CBC host Stephen Quinn.
That's On The Coast, on CBC Radio One in Vancouver at 5:49 PM

Also you can listen online live.

Flash thoughts on Obakki Fall Winter 2010

2010-05-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Obakki's collection featured stretched leather denim-cut pants with a luxurious sheen and suede wedge details and champagne-hued sequined silk in wraps, tops and dresses.

Body-hugging dresses of modal and viscose with panel detailing may not be distinct enough to compete with cheaper cotton jersey and rayon dresses.

Obakki's cotton floor-length strapless evening dress rises above the common place with stretched leather wrapped at the bust. It cleverly contrasts the matte cotton.

Overall, Obakki continues to explore asymmetry and monochromatic textures whilst creating a very wearable collection.

It always seems like the women's clothes are the classic fashion items (like a t-shirt or pair of jeans) from a not-to-distant future or an alternate reality. There everybody is wearing Obakki.

Debutante does JJ: my take of slim straight jeans for men

2010-05-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to be noticed. The Denim Debutante - aka a fetching Jaime Palmucci - posted about my latest piece for the Vancouver Sun.

Racism in fashion

2010-05-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I sat on a Vancouver fashion and media panel to talk about the NFB film, The Colour of Beauty.

Obviously, in a business where appearances are everything, the colour of your skin is a big deal.

Today, I spoke about the issue with Stephen Quinn on CBC Radio One's On The Coast.

shoe designer john fluevog a vancouver icon

2010-05-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

shoe designer john fluevog a vancouver icon

A shoe tour at the museum with John Fluevog.

Vog togs to talk about at MOV show

2010-05-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

The Fox Fluevog and Friends show opened at the Museum of Vancouver.

Some of the shoes to view, not in the cases, but in the WILD!

Interview: John Fluevog

2010-05-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

John Fluevog gets the retrospective treatment this week at the Museum of Vancouver!

For CBC's On The Coast with Stephen Quinn, I interviewed Fluevog this week about his 40 years designing and what makes a good shoe.

Flower Power - when a man goes for a florid touch

2010-04-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

There's nothing that suggests whimsy, elegance, and a degree of self-confidence as a flower in a lapel, or, as they say, a boutonniere. It rhymes with mutineer.

Especially, appropriate in the spring when blooms abound. I must admit I have been stalking about with the smallest of pen knives looking for the right one to put in my lapel.

Note, not all flowers are good candidates.

For a primer on perfect florals for the lapel, check out my conversation on the topic featuring Gloria Cheung of the Flower Factory.

New Fluevogs honour history and underscores how far the vision goes...

2010-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Very far. I like it. A lot. As in want to buy. Now.

Shoes shoes shoes from London to West Coast

2010-04-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Featured CBC Radio One's On the Coast with Stephen Quinn, an interview with William Lobb of John Lobb, shoemaker of kings, queens and stars.

AND

Joan Seidl's hunt for Fox and Fluevog shoes for an upcoming show at the Museum of Vancouver, Fox, Fluevog and Friends.

Sometimes you just have to iron your shirt - in a serious zen kind of way

2010-03-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

Scoop! Exclusive images from the upcoming John Fluevog exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver

2010-03-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned, I had a backroom pass to view preparations for the upcoming show on Vancouver's master of shoemaking, John Fluevog.

The shoes were being arranged in the vault/dungeon/archive at the Museum of Vancouver in readiness for installation.

Spanning from the 70s to today, featuring John Fluevog and early associates Peter Fox and Ken Rice, the show, I hope, will be the fashion event of the year.

It opens in May.

Searching for vintage Fox and Fluevogs

2010-03-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

I am super hyped about a show opening in May at the Museum of Vancouver.

It will be a retrospective of the work of John Fluevog and include wide array of work from collaborators like Peter Fox.

Fluevog is a real style giant and this city needs to give him his due.

Yesterday, I visited the museum and given a tour of the show (the shoes and drawings were on metal shelves deep in the bowels of the museum). It confirmed Fluevog is a serious designer with a thumb of a certain vibe that relates to William Gibson's science fiction, indy comic books and a feminine Goth.

Together, they really project a very specific vision of what it means to be a woman and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the topic.

Now, I've been scouring the internet and calling every clothes horse I know who may own a pair. Anything to make this great show even better!

And you can help to. Spread the word, WANTED FOX & FLUEVOGS.

A very excellent blogger

2010-03-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to love their taste.

Things to Love: a vintage Timex Automatic

2010-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

A Timex Automatic, square, gold-plate, Viscount, 1974

Catalog # 47860 Movement # 033

It's true. I get excited about things. I've always fallen in love hard and fast with certain vintage items like cameras. They need to be complicated but I have to understand them. For example, I can't get into solid-state radios or computers because I don't understand transistors or silicon chips. But give me a thing with gears, cogs, springs and levers, I'm in heaven.

So, I never had a chance. How could I resist this golden beauty?

Bold, chunky even, but with depth and lives lived, I found this old gold-plated Timex Automatic watch at a local antique store and I had to have it.

The scratches give it depth - I have no problem with them.

Plus, my boys love it. They're fascinated by the colour and the weight.

I remember feeling a similar way to my dad's watches.

He gave me plastic banded diving watch. It had a sharp crenulated rotating dial, the way a castle wall has teeth. I think it had to do with times zones or something. The dial was an ocean blue at twilight. Deep. Iridescent. It made me feel cool and afloat.

I used to just fiddle with it. Maybe too much. I overwound it and never told my dad. At that age, I didn't know things could be fixed. I only knew they could be broken.

This recent find reminds of the old watch. Also lately, I've been thinking about owning watches worth leaving behind to J & E. My white Swatch and my Casio just didn't cut it.

My quartz Timex Mercury broke down and wasn't really worth fixing - but this watch -- is it weird for a 40 year old to worry about legacies and bequests?

E. was with me when I bought it. He was totally bored with the shopping experience. He kept on saying he wanted to leave but as I climbed up the hill to head back home with him on my shoulders and my arms up to keep his steady, E. fingered the watch.

One day you can have this.

Really?

When you're older, if that's okay?

Okay, Daddy.

I told him he was getting heavier and I wouldn't be able to carry him home anymore. One day he would be too old for this.

Like when I'm ten?

Sure, E.

From the Inside of the Opening Ceremony: a fashion view at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics

2010-02-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Ravi Bansal, beauty queen, local plumbing magnate (really, not a joke), and Olympic standard bearer for Moldava (found between Russia and Romania but after Mexico during the march of nations) gives us the inside skinny on the opening ceremony.

What were you wearing?
I was wearing the outfit from Joe Fresh. It was a white skirt out of cotton. On top, a nice comfortable t-shirt. Like a two-piece slip, together. What you saw on television was a wrap-around dress jacket. A ski style with quilting on the inside.

It had a nice white leather belt to make a more hourglass shape. A very clean look.

Any favourites?
The shoes were cutest. They looked like little white ice skates. Just a small block with a little bit of fur on the top. I’ll never wear them again but they were cute. They were the icing on the cake.

I assumed all the athletes and bearer must have been sweating during
the athletes’ march...
No. It was quite cool while were waiting. It was such a great adrenaline rush you didn’t notice but during rehearsal it was warmer. I assume it was warmer with 60 000 in the stands but I was so excited I didn’t notice and no one else noticed.

Biggest fashion moment for the Opening?
I thought UK’s and Italy’s outfits were far the best.

What did they do right?
UK was adorable. They had a little Hogwarts theme going on. Very prep school. Very fashionable. Italy had beautiful wool blazers with gorgeous tan pants. They were definitely something you could wear again. Another highlight, Nelly Furtado’s dress. Gorgeous.

What’s next for you?
The closing ceremonies.

Any hints about what we should expect?
It’s going to be very exciting.

No Led Zeppelin?
I don’t know anything at all. It’s kept secret from us.

The very best video ever made of a man shining his shoes

2010-02-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

Fashion designer Yumi Eto's golden moment tonight at Olympic Victory Ceremony

2010-02-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Originally airing on CBC Radio One's On The Coast with Stephen Quinn, my main man.

Few designers have their own Olympic moment, but for Yumi Eto and the design team at Aritzia it has arrived.

Tonight, the gold medal for Canadian freestyle mogulist Alexandre Bilodeau will be presented at BC Place. And while he will be decked out in gear by HBC, the sophisticated clothes worn by the athlete escorts and the medal and flower bearers will be wearing Eto et al.

The Heritage Sweater is the standard look for presentations in Vancouver, while a black ski coat with a faint plaid and a flaring skirt is the choice for Whistler's outdoor Victory Ceremonies.

There was much excitement at the office during the interview. The Aritzia squad had marching orders to be backstage at BC Place for Bilodeau's big moment.

Their job will be to make the ceremony garb looks picture perfect when thousands across the nation tune in to sing the national anthem.

Oh Canada never looked so good.

YUMI ETO on Fashion Monday tonight on CBC Radio One

2010-02-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

At 5:45 PM on CBC Radio One, JJ Lee brings in an interview with the Fashion Designer whose work will be in the middle of a Golden Moment for Canada tonight. JJ Lee and Aritzia's Yumi Eto talking about Olympics and fashion.

Live streamed here, On The Coast.

Gold medal souvenirs for fashion-hungry Olympic visitors

2010-02-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

Walking down Robson Street, an Olympic visitor may see the same boutiques and clothes they find at home. So, you can't blame them if they find it hard to uncover truly unique Vancouver fashion items. But we can help.

For those in search of a stylish memento of West Coast style, consider a trio that is simply solid gold:

Cowichan sweaters. They're already the hottest fashion items of the Olympics. HBC started offering REAL Cowichan sweaters after a snafu with its Cowichan-like take for its Olympic collection. However, finding one at The Bay Downtown might be pretty hard. But don't give up. Authentic Cowichan Knits (424 West 3rd Street, North Vancouver) has been selling them for years. Give Suzanne Nahanee a call and find out what they have in stock, 604-988-4735.

Grab onto Erin Templeton's medium sized leather tote. Made at her shop at 511 Carrall Street in Vancouver, her bags give a woman the same saucy swagger of its charming maker. Be warned, and this is from experience, people will invariably ask you where you bought it. Bonus, Erin keeps a nice array of vintage clothes and a line of one-of-a-kind recycled leather bags too.

For jeans with a vertically-integrated idea of the West Coast, you can't beat Fidelity Denim. Designed by Jason Trotzuk from his studio in Vancouver, Fidelity are made and finished in Los Angeles. You can find them at all over Vancouver at Aritzia.