Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

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

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

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

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

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 in...

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.

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 t...

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

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 Asi...

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.

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 ...

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.

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, 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 sta...

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.