Fashion Q&A


  • Stylist Derick Chetty, left, and Fashion editor Bernadette Morra answer your fashion questions every Thursday at noon during the Naked Lunch, with a new topic each week. Send your fashion q's or style points to nakedlunch@thestar.ca.

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  • Rob Salem at fall preview
    Sunday, July 9 12:15 p.m. Welcome to the annual “TV Critic’s Fall Preview,” where the American networks and cable companies pull out all the stops to try to drum up some enthusiasm for their new season product from an increasingly haggard assemblage of major-market print press. Or, as one wag famously dubbed it, “the Bataan Death March with cocktails.” Not that I’m complaining (well, not yet anyway). There are worse ways to spend your mid-summer than three weeks in a luxury hotel with gala, star-studded parties every night. If it weren’t for the round-the-clock press conferences, interviews and screenings, and having to file copy pretty much every day (twice, now that I’m also “blogging”), this would make one helluva vacation. The “TCA tour,” as it also known (for it is hosted, not by the studios and networks, but by the 200-plus members of the Television Critics Association), has returned this year to the Ritz Carlton Huntington resort in immaculately scenic Pasadena, California, where it was housed several years in a row before the membership started shopping around for alternate accommodations. None of which really measured up to the elegant and opulent Ritz – though the retro glamour of last year’s site, the Beverly Hilton, did provide a welcome change, and a convenient proximity to L.A. restaurants and shopping (the cab trip in from Pasadena runs a good $60 bucks each way). On the other hand, there’s not a lot of time to get “off campus” for that sort of thing anyway. In fact, today’s pretty much my only day off – the press sessions don’t really get going till tomorrow, when we start in on an eclectic week of cable programming (Shannen Doherty! Mr. T!), before moving on to the networks, and PBS, and of course our annual TCA awards ceremony. All of which I will duly report on in the daily paper and, more intimately, here. I arrived last night, passed out in the middle of unpacking, and started writing, jet-lagged, at about 6 o’clock (local time) this morning, the second I got my laptop plugged into the hotel high-speed. The second I send this (and tomorrow’s column) off, I’ll get busy checking in with all my L.A. buddies. My old high-school chum, Maurice LaMarche, has some good news. The go-to voice guy in L.A. animation (Pinky and the Brain, Harvey Birdman, The Critic, etc.), he and his cast-mates have just signed their contracts for the return of the cancelled Futurama. Another cartoon star of my long acquaintance, Bill Fagerbakke, is the voice of Spongebob’s Patrick Starfish, best known in live-action as dumb guy Dauber from the sitcom Coach (the first season of which has just come out on DVD). His wife, Toronto actress Catherine McLenahan, tells me he has just opened here at the Geffen Theatre in the new Sam Sheppard play, The God of Hell. Gonna have to take a night off to catch that. Also performing in town this month, my pals The Wet Spots, a deliciously lascivious musical lounge act I wrote a cover story about in What’s On last New Year’s. Yippee – another excuse for a night off-campus. Other L.A. friends will show up here at the tour at some point. Leslie Hope has been busy back in Toronto, shooting her new CW show, Runaway, with Donnie Wahlberg. But they’ll both be here to help launch the show (one of only two new offerings on the melded network’s new lineup) in a few weeks. I gather Tom Cavanagh also has a new show, which he richly deserves after having the very promising Love Monkey yanked out from under him so abruptly last season. Nothing on the schedule yet though. I know that I will hook up with Ike Barenholtz, and his posse from Mad TV, as usual at the Fox network party, and probably continue on into the night on some debauched Entourage-like night on the L.A. comedy scene. Eric McCormack, I know, is busy on stage in New York, returning to his theatrical roots after his stellar run on Will & Grace. Biggest regret: Lucy Lawless, my TCA Awards date now two years running, is busy in Vancouver, repeatedly killing off her reincarnating character on the third season of the fabulous Battlestar Galactica. How the hell am I ever going to be able to top having Xena, Warrior Princess on my arm at this year’s awards ceremony (I wonder if Jolene Blalock is busy?)
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October 12, 2006

Joe Fresh Style

Joe Fresh Style's two urban locations open today bringing the high-style, low price collection designed by Club Monaco founder Joseph Mimran downtown from the 'burbs. Fashion editor Bernadette Morra and stylist Derick Chetty had a sneak peek at the Queen's Quay location yesterday. Here are their thoughts. Please add your own comments to the end of the discussion.

At the outset, we should probably state that they were still pulling the new Joe Fresh store together when we were there yesterday morning. So it felt a bit sparse. But that might also be because the aisles are very wide so that shoppers can stop in as they are on the way to the parking lot with their grocery carts. They have even expanded the change room area to accomodate grocery carts. That could lead to some interesting Saturday traffic jams! Bernadette

I find most low priced fashion stores just too crammed with racks. I actually found the spacious aisles refreshing and the layout very easy to take in - your eyes were not assaulted or easily distracted. Mind you, that could be because the merch is very basic, especially the menswear. Derick

It sounds like you didn't like the menswear. I thought there were some great pieces. Like the very "Prada Sport" down-filled parka in grey with apple green lining. And the price was amazing - $49. Though I agree the menswear is not as "fashion-y" as the womenswear. But then men generally aren't as into fashion as women. Bernadette

It's not that I didn't like it, I felt that the women got the better end of the deal with a lot more options. From the men's side, I loved the white shirts - you can never have too many of those. And they were something ridiculous like $19. You're right, I was eyeing that down-filled parka. On the women's side, standouts were the flats for $14 and $16. There was also a great flat front chino. And an amazing down filled blazer - very much like one I saw in Milan except that was 500 Euros. Derick.

Yes, I tried on that blazer  ($49) in cream, but on me it added too much bulk. It would be better on someone a bit taller. But I love the bright green down-filled vest I bought for $29! Perfect for chauffeuring the kids around on cool days. Bernadette

With puffy jackets, lined in down and feathers and starting at $39, no one needs to go cold again in this city this winter. And that's great news indeed and I hope people find out about that great bargain and buy one for someone in need or even to donate it to a charitable organization.  Derick

Did you notice, however, that $29 burgundy fleece baseball jacket with "Canada" spelled in cream across the chest. Doesn't Roots have a very similar design? Joseph Mimran knocking off Roots...that will make Roots' Don Green and Michael Budman crazy! Bernadette

October 12, 2006 at 11:57 AM |

Comments

Alex Yeh

Joe is amazing. JFS is all about simple, stylish designs at unbelievable prices. I think that knock-offs are part of the design strategy that is followed because Joe understands that Canadians don't want to pay more for style.

Its true that men's linen is not very exciting. But the target market is women, since women after all, are the majority of shoppers for food.

Posted by: Alex Yeh | June 02, 2007 at 10:58 PM

YourMomma

I LIVE in Joe Fresh clothes! I hope they stick around. Who doesn't love a $4 white t-shirt??

Posted by: YourMomma | June 10, 2007 at 04:39 PM

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