Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

Crazy. But all my recent stories about fashion and politics (Palin, sweaters and May's green wardrobe woes) has ignited my interest in politics again. So much so I've started a new political blog called: liberalparty20.blogspot.com I'm not a card-carrying Liberal. I vote differently but I think a strong Liberal Party is good for the country and good for political stories. Look for original interviews and views and maybe one day guest contributors on the site.

Q. What would you do with $150 000 to spend on clothes as a vice-presidential nominee? A. Nadine Spidla of Imaginary Friend : I think it worked for Sarah Palin...She is definitely pulling off the business-person blazer. I think that's working for her. And she's choosing red which works perfect with her complexion. While Nadine of Imaginary Friend recommends a long great coat, your spending spree could put Imaginary Friend's swing coat on the shopping list. And it won't cost a million bucks or even $150 000. Q. What fashion item would you get with an unlimited budget if you had to run as VP? A. I think a great coat polishes up any look. Even if you have to run to store and pick up a carton of milk - you put on a great (over) coat - you look like a hundred bucks, a million bucks. A. Megan Dengerink of Imaginary Friend : You want it to be tailored because the camera adds ten pounds. But for us, while it's not a long coat, our swing coat because it's shorter will ...

I am fascinated by the story. Not because I think it's appalling that someone running for office needs a makeover - but I'd love to know how she dressed before the GOP makeover. Next time around, I'd like to be picked to run as VP. The Republican party has spent $150,000 (£92,000) on clothes and accessories since late August for Sarah Palin and her family, according to records of party spending. ( more from the Guardian ) In my run, I'd buy the Fitzgerald line of suits from Brooks Bros. I'd get knitted ties from JPress. I would still cut my own hair. Admittedly, I wouldn't wear a bow tie. The world may have a US president who is black but the ugliness of prejudice still remains against bow tie wearers.

( Ocean Drive Leather's B-20 and B-18 jackets make fit and proportion the secret to looking good in leather. Courtesy Ocean Drive Leather/Gordan Dumka.) Besides crimson leaves and pumpkins, is there any surer sign of autumn than the arrival of leather coats and jackets? Leather warms against chilly winds and can shed water. Leather also captures perfectly the seasonal melancholy of rain-slicked streets, longer nights and the sense of rebellion a man feels when he leaves behind the summer of childhood and is forced to embrace the cold hard reality of adulthood. As fashion historians Richard Martin and Harold Koda once wrote in their book, Jocks and Nerds, leather is 'wild' and 'the essence' of men 'who sign their defiance of civilization by wearing black.' Leather is totally cool or should be - and it can be if men know how to wear it correctly. Too bad many don't.These last few weeks I've identified a number of atrocious leather faux-pas and found a...

Tonight, Sir Paul Smith presented a slide show about his 30 years in fashion at Holt Renfrew Vancouver. Starting with a 12' x 12' shop in Nottingham, which he rented for 50 pence a week and opened only on Fridays and Saturdays, Smith has built an empire that wholesales to 35 countries and owns 14 shops in England. Smith's talk combined autobiography, fashion philosophy and retail pointers and really underscored the importance of finding inspiration in art, architecture and travel and appreciating colour found in everyday objects. Smith draws ideas from Lithuanian churches painted in aquamarine to seed packets (leading to floral patterned shirts) to tomatoes on a vine. Here are a few of the things he said tonight: On his Spring 1996 cerulean blue suits - "I like to pretend they were Yves Klein blue but the colour really came from a security guard uniform." On his Guatemalan inspired collection - "I didn't go to Guatemala. I went to the library and opened...

JJ Lee - our man of style - brings us little simple items that have stood the test of time and will hold their value no matter where the market goes. Levi's 501 reissue brings back an iconic jeans for women. Q. What will bring fashion dividends regardless if it's a bull or bear market? I think they should be affordable. I see classic iconic style as a form of austerity measures because you're buying something that never goes out of style. Q. The idea is to go from head to toe. What do you have for the top? People are willing to pay $300-$400 for glasses by Gucci, Prada and Calvin Klein. Then, there are hipster brands like Moscot - which do nerd glasses for a hefty price. Instead, I recommend a true stylish frame: Ray-Ban Wayfarers . This style of frame has been worn by the likes of Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello, and Audrey Hepburn. Wayfarers have been in production for the last 55 years. For $140, you can pop out the tinted lenses and have a true fashion frame. Q. What d...

I'm going to do it. Buy a digital camera. I will buy a Nikon D40 at 6.1 megapixels because megapixels don't matter. It's enough. To have a leap in quality one would have to use a 24 megapixel camera to double the resolution of an image. Not needed. And my suspicions were confirmed by the New York Times tech columnist, David Pogue . Now why do I need a digital camera. Well, it seems Vancouver designers are under-served by photographers. Certainly it can be expensive. Also, it's hard to get the shot you want for the articles you are writing. If I had Kris Krug or Fiona Garden in tow with me all the time, that would be different. I would shutter up and let them shoot. But we all can't be graced with such lovely company and artists...so I'm doing my own thing. So I may catch what I catch. I'm going digital. To check out my film stuff, go to my photo project: Everybody in New Westminster . Nikon D40 here I come.

In the recent federal leadership debates, the Green Party leader adopted masculinist-politico outfits. Many female politicians feel and look comfortable wearing the standard uniform. However, May did not during the debate. And what do her clothes say? For better or for worse, the dress of female politician comes under greater scrutiny (though both male and female dress choices make an equal impression). The take-away: May IS NOT Margaret Thatcher. Nor is she Hilary Clinton. She doesn't have to be. May's masculinist suit choice had a negative impact on her visual branding. May wearing an out-dated Ghillie collar - that's a suit jacket with a shirt-like collar - paired with an open shirt collar OVER the Ghillie was the most notable. It's just too much. Look at the collars. They crowded the face and presented too many downward angles which gives the impression of slumped posture. I'd like to see her finally put together some of the elements she's rel...

Never say, "It doesn't really suit your body type. Can I try it?" Also never say, "It's a great look. Everybody in New York was wearing it last season You can ask a woman about her shoes and where she bought them but you're not allowed to go out and buy them unless you plan to never see this woman for at least a year Don't even ask about the handbag if it cost more than $1000 When buying the Hermes watch - you know the one your friend arbitrarily wanted since she was 13 years old - make sure you're buying it for that friend and not yourself

From the CBC , Elizabeth May on the release of The Green Party's Green Plan 2 on September 27, 2006. Here's Ms. May from a still at last night's French debate . What does this all mean? Is she staying tried and true to the Green Ethos of reduce, reuse, and recycle. I called out Ms. May on CBC Radio One's The Point today. I DARED her to wear the same outfit again during tonight's English debate. With Ms. May as a role model, no longer will women fear being caught wearing the same outfit twice, no longer will women loathe finding themselves wearing the same outfit as another woman. In the masculine world of dress, two men in the same tie (see Layton and Duceppe) is only an opportunity for convivial recognition - "Hey, we have the same taste!" - perhaps women will now feel the same way.

Today, on The Point I'll be going over the fashion sense of Canada's federal party leaders as they appeared in last night's French debate from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The Point segment will air between 3-3:30 PM local time....however...if you live in a major market like Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver, you'll have to tune in online at CBC.ca and listen to a live link from a different city. My particular point will be: Did Ms. May's sweater-skirt outfit pass muster? TUNE IN!!!

Regardless of today's high temperature, it 'tis the season to be wearing sweaters and I spoke with a twin set of designers - Anthony Castro and Scott Walhovd of the local label and boutique, 212 - about the warm and fuzzy. Bold...fetish...architectural are the trends governing womenswear this season but how do they apply to this season's sweaters? They do and they don't. The idea of bold silhouettes can't manifest in knitwear the way they can in leather goods or structured tailored clothes. That said, Sweaters are chunky with bold collars and details. Another trend s a low-slung aesthetic. It's like gravity has taken hold of dramatically cut soft materials and dragged it down to create the slouchy look. Think swooshes, downward hem lines and neck lines. It's a relief after years of high-cropped clothes like belly shirts and layered looks that have segmented women's bodies between the bust and waist. Now, it's time to look at layering action around ...

This season is about taking all the trends you've been hearing about and wearing these last few months and mashing them together so the separate trends for ankle boots, gladiator sandals and metallics converge in one brassy, black-heeled Gucci. The trend towards SHAPE, TAILORING and ARCHITECTURE melds in to a houndstooth tweed, leather and wood block heeled platform by Marni. And there's still room for subtlety in a Christian Louboutin limited-edition peep-toe pump, the platform is covered and peeps at the toe. Cheeky. All can be found at Holt Renfrew , right now. Thanks, Carla for bringing it to CBC.

Amy Lapsley asked via Facebook: Amy Lapsley at 9:51pm September 17 what do you think of obama v. mccain in the fashion department? My response: JJ Lee at 11:31am September 18 Obama looks great. McCain seems feeble but that's an age thing. I find their attire more invisible than the attire of our candidates. One of the great goals of sophisticated masculine style is to make the clothes invisible. The focus should be on the person. Both McCain and Obama have done that. Because, our leaders are less skilled in dress, they often wear things that draw attention to their clothes - mistakes are noticeable, dressing well is all about "je ne sais quoi"! And you, Amy Lapsley always achieve the quoi!

The Conservative party's strategic deployment of the blue sweater vest to soften Canadians' impression of Stephen Harper has turned the sartorial sensibility of all the candidates into a campaign side issue. Taking the initiative, Harper now owns the sweater. While in previous campaigns politicians have pulled out sweaters to show solidarity with the regular folks, something is different this time around because it worked. It would seem no other candidate can now wear a cardigan, vest or pullover without cuing close clothes watchers to reference Harper's first strike (as seen in the above still from the first volley of Conservative election ads - this one titled, " Family is Everything "). It reminds me of Nike's attempts in the 1980s to initiate branding by electronic colonisation. The athletic shoe maker faded their famous swoosh logo into a field of TV static with the hopes of making electronic snow a visual cue for viewers to see the Nike logo where it wa...