Before everyone had their own “fashion blog”, there was Fashion Television.

In surprising and unfortunate news, it has been announced that Fashion Television, one of the most iconic fashion news programs on Canadian broadcast, is now cancelled. It really is a shame. I remember watching the show as a kid before I even understood what fashion was, wondering how models could walk the runway in such elaborate and ridiculous couture. And I still remember being slightly scandalized by the braless-ness of some of the outfits. (I was a kid.) But at the center of it all was Jeanne Beker and her bright and insightful interviews with the designers, including and definitely not limited to, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and Betsey Johnson. These were not just relegated to brief comments after a show, but also included some intimate and personal interviews over several years that went beyond the clothes and into the minds of the designers who made them, which really gave the program more depth.

She was always out there, the perfect link between us, the spectators looking into a runway show halfway around the world from a television screen, and the very designers who created these new styles that would soon end up inspiring ready-to-wear collections at your local shop. The democratization of fashion. Perhaps that was the point of it all, making what seems to be luxurious and exclusive more accessible to everyday life. The show was a glimpse into the industry we all secretly wish we knew more about, and though there will always be new and maybe even better sources of this, after 27 years on the air, it’s still sad to see this one go.