Tuesday, 6:53 p.m.

Before the show: Forty nine anxious graduate designers and countless proud supporters waiting for what will be 143 looks down the runway at Blanche Macdonald Centre's annual fashion design show.

About Town

Photo: John Goldsmith, Waxy Photography

I did not see the picture coming and only looked over after I heard the shutter. Thanks to the photographer for capturing the moment.

Mismatch

A touch of mismatch between items of clothing brings depth to a day's look. The pop of color of an accent piece. The shine of a bag against a matte coat. A silk scarf on a cable-knit sweater. A patterned shirt under a solid suit.

Contrast and compliment. As the saying goes, the only two things that should match are your shoes and your socks.

Grey flannel trousers. Brandy calf oxfords. Patterned cotton socks.

Flare

Folds and Waves

Greens And Oranges

Carried Away

Personal preference can easily lead to owning multiples of a given item. How many shades of red lipstick or nail polish can a person own? How about blue shirts or brown shoes? Granted each item is different in its own way from the other, there are other things to get stuck on. Something about variety being the spice of life.

Best Foot Forward

I make it a point to put my best foot forward. Not content with just a daily shower, I gravitate towards ironed shirts - tucked, no less - polished shoes, gentility and charm to face the day. If that makes me dull, so be it. It is what I do and what I am good at.

Olive calf derbies.

Play on Black

As It Goes

Friends

Twelve Hours On

Saturday, 9:56 a.m.

Designer lineup: What started at 4 pm the day before stretched down the street and around the corner. All for the chance to be the first to select from H&M's latest designer collaboration. And still four minutes to go.

Silver Lining

Nuanced

A Break in the Clouds

Setting the Tone

Point of View

Warming Up to an Idea

This is a story of apprehension turned joy.

A sensible Englishman, accomplished in his many years. He who has worn all manner of menswear from virtue of his profession and time in the trade. He who has never worn loafers for fear of looking old or American. And there before me, as I was being helped in his store, he put on his first pair of loafers, looking ever young and elegant, a smile on his face.

Tell Me About It

I have a thing for hats, with a budding collection that I can see get out of control if I let it. So I promised myself not to get a hat this fall. I was doing well, up until I stumbled onto Downchild's new album. Now I find myself needing a hat.

To Tell a Story

On Form

Insights and Commentary - Jonathan Quearney

Jonathan Quearney is a bespoke tailor from London who travels to North America bi-annually to meet with customers. He is visiting Vancouver for the first time, and will be at the Wedgewood Hotel on October 21 and 22. Visit him at www.jonathanquearney.com/weblog to make an appointment.

You are…
Jonathan Quearney - Bespoke Tailor and Outfitter.

The road traveled…
My introduction to tailoring was through working in my father's business in Dublin, this then took me to fashion design college and then onto Savile Row. Here I worked for Airey & Wheeler lightweight and tropics specialist, followed by time spent with my mentor Thomas Mahon founder of English Cut. This gave me a grounding in British Tailoring and that lead to conversations about it where I met other people trained in shoe making, shirt making, textile printing and embroidery. These fortuitous meetings inspired me to establish Jonathan Quearney Bespoke Tailor, Outfitters & Clothiers in 2003.

The more things change…
A big change is how today fashion is consumed almost like fast food. Garments are produced mechanically and the relationship people have with fashion seems to be more about the experience or aspiration, than with the clothes we buy. The science of the retail experience may have gone too far.

The more they stay the same…
People's will to be individual has stayed the same. This decade the outlet people used to be individual was combining fashion from the mass market with vintage clothing. Being individual will always be a part of human nature as long as we have an outlet.

On style…
It's a process of discovery and I think generally speaking men and women approach it very differently. When men buy clothes from a bespoke tailor they choose practicality first. When they feel comfortable with the process they then take more risks and their personal style begins to emerge. Men want you to tell them what is going to work best for them whereas women are happy to try experimenting without considering what they want.

Favorite memory/experience…
My first Savile Row suit was a real moment. I was training on Savile Row and the boss gave me a length of cloth for my birthday so I was all set. The head cutter drafted the pattern and I struck the cloth and selected the trimmings and innards for its construction. I was on good terms with the best coat maker working for the firm who is now sadly no longer with us. The first fitting was prepared and I stood in the fitting room waiting to try it on. The cutter dropped it on the back of my neck patted it down on my shoulders. "So how does it feel" he said with a serious inquiring tone in his voice. God I thought how does it feel, I couldn't think of what to say. "Well" he said staring at me in the mirror, he could see that I was a bit lost for words. "I can't really feel anything" I replied. "Good that's how a bespoke suit fits. You can't really notice it because its cut to your body and so it feels the same everywhere and that creates the feeling of nothing" and it was as simple as that.

Your style…
I used to be very conscious of what others might have thought about how I dressed. In my teens my style had a nativity that sometimes created unexpected juxtapositions in my dress sense. In my twenties style was probably more about communicating and executing a style. So far my thirties style seems to have a nonchalance that I suppose is a confidence I have gained through my work. Ultimately style should be a discovery that changes as we become more aware of what we like.

Big fan of…
I love clothing that reminds me that I haven't been around for a very long time. Softness in my clothes that gives me a comfort and confidence. If an item of clothing can wear a stain for an evening I feel pretty comfortable in it. My tailoring construction is inspired by old clothing, lightweight canvasses, the thinnest 1/4" shoulder padding and bias cutting all give that softness and most importantly comfort when worn, so the clothes are immediately familiar.

Insights and Commentary (this is a blog after all)...
A large part of my work everyday is to assist, direct or observe the creative process. This is working with a client to build a wardrobe using color and cut to reflect who they are and has different results every time.

Winter Whites

Nicely Worn

Fall's Rainbow

Shoe Tree

A dead tree alive with shoes, in the name of charity. A discovery all the more sweet as it was marathon day in Victoria. Now, if shoes only grew on trees.

Party in the Street

Life how it should be lived. Carefree. With others. To one's tastes. And clothed of course.

Insights and Commentary - Jennifer Angers Daerendinger

Insights and commentary from people involved in style and fashion in Vancouver

You are…
Jennifer Angers Daerendinger - Makeup Department Career Director, Blanche Macdonald Centre; Art and Fashion lover

The road travelled…
I got there the old fashioned way, through hard work! I started my career in fashion at a low end junior store and moved on to Chanel years later. From Chanel I moved to Tiffany and Company, managed the Holt Renfrew cosmetic department and now have my dream job at BMC.

The more things change…
The biggest thing I have seen change is the consumption of Designer Labels. When I started to work at Chanel in 1989 the women that shopped there were the "well heeled" women of Toronto that could afford to buy whatever they wanted. Now if someone wants to buy a Chanel bag they will do whatever they have to to own it.

The more they stay the same…
Great accessories never grow old. I just pulled out a pair of Chanel motor cycle boots that are probably 12 years old and I will be wearing them this fall.

On style…
I think that if women dress true to what they look great in they will always make a statement. If you try too hard it usually comes across as contrived and not fashionable. Always take one last look in the mirror and if you are questioning something change it.

Favorite memory/experience…
There are so many from my days at Chanel that it would be hard to pick one..... humm..... how about when I had to attend a relative's wedding years ago and decided to wear a spectacular cream silk Chanel pant suit. I did all the makeup for the bridesmaids and moms and had literally 10 minutes to get ready myself. I can't remember ever receiving so many compliments on how I looked. Rocking the red lip certainly sealed the look.

Your style…
I love fashion. Having said that I wear what I like and what works for me. I am a nonconformist when it comes to what's hot and what's not. My closet is filled with great separates that I wear depending on my mood and paired with great accessories. I was once referred to as being an "expensive hippie" and I loved the analogy!

Big fan of…
Basic black. You can never go wrong.

Insights and Commentary (this is a blog after all)...
Don't buy things because they are what's "in", buy them because they are what suits you. Go cheaper on clothes and spend your money on accessories, handbags and shoes. If you feel that a piece of clothing is wearing you get rid of it and don't stress about it. Be true to your style and have fun! It's just fashion.

On a Brisk Fall Day

In Line

Utility

Miss Bowtie

Workshop Visit - The Bespoke Tailor

Tailors abound, but good ones are few, and those who do bespoke tailoring are rarer still. It use to be that bespoke tailoring was the norm, when one could speak to their tailor and give order - to bespeak - for a garment to be made from scratch, according to their wishes, for them and only them.

Let us take a look at the workroom of a local tailor who is keeping bespoke alive and well in Vancouver:

A backdrop of natural light, exposed brick and wood highlights the expansive worktable, five sewing machines, two steam presses, bolts of fabric, countless spools of thread, tailor's forms and all the other tools necessary to a tailor's art.

Customer-tailor communication is vital for the tailor to deliver what the customer seeks. All aspects of a garment's design are open for discussion. Ideas take shape. Sketches turn into paper patterns.

In the making of a suit jacket, an initial fitting is carried out with a cotton garment cut to a customer's pattern. Any changes in fit and silhouette are made to the paper patterns as needed. Only then is the cloth for the actual suit cut.

More fittings follow, changes are made on the actual jacket, and the paper patterns are updated as needed. Countless hand stitches later we arrive at the embodiment of what the customer asked for. On this example, the pattern is matched from collar, down through the lapel, across the chest and through the sleeve.

Of note:

* A suit takes around 40 hours to make. All aspects of making a suit are done in-house, the majority of which are accomplished by hand.

* Suits, jackets, pants, shirts and overcoats lend themselves to bespoke.

* Clients are encouraged to be discerning, know what they want, and ask for what they want.

* This particular tailor has yet to make a black suit.

My thanks goes out to David Wilkes of David Wilkes Bespoke for sharing his time.

What You Make of It

Clothes are what you make of it. Sure there is the saying, "Clothes make the man", but that only gets you so far. It is the person who brings the inspiration, flair and quirk to what they wear, and more importantly, how they wear it.

Case in point, artist Brent Ray Fraser used donated suit jackets to create art: canvas imprints (on rack) and mounted works (on wall).

Candid

Photo: Byron Dauncey

I was out taking pictures and noticed someone else doing the same. Good to see street style photographers out in Vancouver.

New Beginnings

Around the Block

Graceful

Belt as Bow

Saturday, 3:01 p.m.

Made-to-Measure Event: first things first, wine and cheese; over 450 combined fabrics for coats, suits, shirts and ties; national representative on hand; discussions of fit and silhouette; and 6-8 weeks for delivery - all for that perfect piece tailored to you.

Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

Visual art installation: on-site tailor and photographer; racks and racks of clothes; hair and make-up; general public invited to play role of designer, stylist and model; and a $500 art grant up for grabs.

Memory Lane

Scrapbooks on display in celebration of 35 years as a standalone store in the retail clothing trade. Newspaper clippings, event invitations, thank-you notes from customers, images of the day's leading fashion - all captured in minute detail and worthy of perusal.

Everyday Luxury

It use to be that cashmere was just for sweaters, but over time the luxurious fibre found its way into a variety of clothing and accessories. There are the usual suspects, namely scarves, gloves and coats. But how about cashmere socks or corduroy fabric? No need to stop there. I saw a cashmere beanie not long ago, and now laces for boots! What is next? I put my vote in for the cashmere handkerchief.

Metallic Groove

Wednesday, 7:35 p.m.

A fall men's catalogue launch: three buyers from head office on the podium; 15 looks modelled by sales associates walking amongst attendees; wine and hors d'oeuvres; and prizes to end the evening.

Retirement

Retirement for some - boots that is - may mean a landfill, neighborhood vintage store or local non-profit, and yet for others greener pastures are on the horizon. No longer a slave to tasks or getting from one place to another, there is suddenly time to enjoy the sun shining down, the breeze in the air, the greenery around and maybe a flower in bloom.