Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

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 s...

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 a bow tie) is youthful and modern. Perhaps too much shirt is showing but what can be done? A higher button stance would lead to showing more of the white triangle at the bottom. This matters as this isan era when most men choose not to wear a cummerbund. I often go without, however, one time 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. (And I wear it! - JJ, 2012) One solution to the belt -ine triangle problem is to wear high-waist pants. In any case, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ...

(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 ...

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 .

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 .

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

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!

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) OR Tweet me at http://twitter.com/fashionmonday (use #dearjj, if you can). Oh, yeah, driving shoes with socks is a NO-NO!

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. 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 a...

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 .