CTVOlympics.ca caught up with Jeanne Beker, host of FashionTelevision and CTV's Olympic Fashion Expert, to get her reaction to The Bay's 2010 Canadian Olympic clothing line, released today in Vancouver. 

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Jeanne Beker, Host of FashionTelevision

CTVOlympics.ca

What are your impressions of the collection?

I think it looks great! It's got a real Dsquared2 (Dean and Dan) vibe to it. When we think of Canadian cool, it's what we expect to see.

I don't want to say the ‘R' word, (Roots!), but in a Roots window on Bloor, I saw one of those chunky sweaters with the deer, which I think is totally going to sell out. I love it! I would put it on immediately. But it's certainly not original. It's based on the 1950's; we all had these sweaters that our moms or grandmothers used to knit for us. It's comfort clothing in that way. It plays on the nostalgia and tugs on those heartstrings, and that's what I love about it.

The fact that they went with black to such a degree I think was very smart, because these are clothes that are practical. We all love the red and white representing Canada, but at the end of the day, we want clothes that are practical. We're not just going to buy something because it's part of the Olympic uniform. We want to get wear out of it after the event. That black jacket is like, hey, I'd wear that any time. It makes a bold, blatant Canadian statement without looking too flashy.

The little scarf that has the lumberjack check on it, Joe Fresh had that fabric as a pea jacket in their collection last year and it was so popular and did so well that they resurrected it for this year. But who really glamourized that (after Bob and Doug MacKenzie did!) was Dean and Dan, with their Canadiana collection when they brought out all of those funky beaver hats and everything. That kind of fabric really had a big part in that collection. It's wonderful to see that it's so on trend. It looks hip in that way.

When we think of Canada, what do we expect to see? We expect to see a kind of modernity, clean lines, and hats and zipped tops, but it still looks like something a very athletic person would wear. It looks no-nonsense that way, and that's how people are shopping these days. We all want stuff that's practical and not too out there, except maybe the odd piece. For the most part, we're looking for wearability. The Bay obviously knows what they are doing when they are trying to talk to their customers here.

Did The Bay play it safe with this collection after their 2008 line for the Beijing Olympics was so poorly received?

Ah, that was so bad! They couldn't give that stuff away. I don't want to blame them, sometimes that happens. This is definitely a safe collection, it's not going to offend anyone. It has a little bit of whimsy with that chunky sweater but like I say, that's not an original kind of notion at all to revive that because a lot of people are reviving that this season. Those sweaters are on runways all over the world, and they are in the window at Roots now too. But I don't think we can afford to be too out there at this time. As a retailer, they have to make sure to come up with a product that's really going to sell, that the athletes are going to be proud to wear, and that people from around the world will also want to buy as a little piece of Canadiana.

Is it what you would expect from a collection designed for a home Olympic Games in Canada?

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Speed skater Jessica Gregg sports Olympic apparel designed by Hudson's Bay Company. The iteams were unveiled in Vancouver on Thurs. Oct. 1.

The Globe and Mail

I think they could have gone even further with the Canadiana. But for the most part, I'd be happy to wear most of that stuff. I think it's cool. It's not jaw-dropping or revolutionary. But it looks solid and it's got a really nice vibe to it. It has a little whimsy with that sweater, which I'm sure that's going to be a huge seller. People from all over the world will like that. It is a signature thing for Canada. You think of the cottage or those old skating sweaters kids wore in the 60s. Some of that stuff is highly collectible. Vintage shops are filled with that kind of thing. It's really cool. People will want it. That's the first thing I thought ‘I want one of those sweaters. I was talking to another guy who is very fashion forward here at FashionTelevision who said "oh, I want one of those hats for sure." So that's a good sign, because we've seen it all here!