Jeanne Beker's return to TV

This Thursday marks the premiere of  Style Matters with Jeanne Beker, a new live show on The Shopping Channel that features great buys and behind-the-scenes designer access. Flare's Tara MacInnis sat down with the Canadian fashion icon — and brand-new Shopping Channel style editor — to chat about her approach to fashion, and why Beker's “chomping at the bit” to be back on television. Here's what she learned.

Jeanne's a rulebreaker.

“You give me a fashion rule, and I want to break it! For example, black and brown go beautifully together. Ralph Rucci once gave me this beautiful sweater that was reversible, and it was brown on the inside and black on the outside, and I thought it was the most sumptuous thing I’d ever seen. They used to say don’t wear black and navy together, or white shoes, but if you’ve got a pair of go-go boots and you want to run around in them in January, do it.”

Her personal style mantra, in five words:

“Comfortable, contemporary, eclectic, glamorous… sometimes.”

She gets fast fashion, but doesn’t love it.

“I know there’s a lot of fast fashion around that’s cheap and cheerful, and it’s wonderful sometimes, because it gives us that quick fix. But after a few washings, it’s down the drain. So save up for something classic, and have a few of those really good pieces — preferably in colours that you’re not going to get tired of.”

Style Matters isn’t about high-fashion runways.

“Don’t expect it to be like Fashion Television. At the end of the day, The Shopping Channel is a retailer, but we are going to educate and inform you so you can make better choices, or understand why a certain trend is all the rage. I visited some of the designers behind the brands at The Shopping Channel, and I got up close and personal with them. We’ll get more of a chance to talk more about the state of style and personal style philosophies, rather than just hitting you over the head with a sales pitch.”

She doesn’t care if you don’t know who she is.

“The show is about real women who love fashion, love accessories, love to shop and love to share. And if they’ve never heard of me before and never seen Fashion Television, all the better, because they can turn on The Shopping Channel to find out who who I am. I have this incredible wealth of experience, and I’m just chomping at the bit to share my stories.”

This article was originally published on Flare.com.