Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

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.

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...

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.

from the minds of Wondermark Listen live on the CBC audio player , at 3:49 PM Pacific!

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 .

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 .

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.

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

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.

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...