TORONTO - "Fashion Television" host Jeanne Beker has taken TV viewers and fashion lovers alike on a globe-trotting style journey for 25 years, acting as on-air guide to the world of design at home and abroad.

But some may not be aware of Beker's extensive experience in the industry away from the cameras. She has helmed fashion magazines, became editorial director of the web's first fashion site and has also racked up a couple of design credits along the way.

The Canadian fashion pioneer is making yet another off-screen foray with the launch of Edit by Jeanne Beker, an affordable women's clothing line for the Bay.

Beker said the collection is a collaboration between her and the Corwik Group, a Montreal-based importer and designer of women's apparel.

She said the collection's name was a "no brainer," a reflection of her involvement in editing the line of separates.

Edit comprises pieces Beker sees as essentials that can be mixed and matched and serve as the "bare bones" of the wardrobe.

The 25-piece capsule collection comprises style staples designed to help women transition from work to after-hours.

Symbolic of the mix-and-match approach, tunics, wool sweaters, boyfriend jackets and cardigans can be paired with knee-length skirts, leggings, jeggings and jeans in the line.

Outerwear offerings include luxe faux-fur coats, camel cape jackets and boiled wool coats.

"These pieces are for women who really want to wear clothes, who don't want the clothes to wear them -- for women who really have a strong sense of their own style," a noticeably slimmed-down Beker said in an interview. She said she lost 20 pounds on a diet.

Beker said those capable of showcasing that flair for fashion can do so through using accessories and the way they put their outfits together, like perhaps mixing pieces from the line with high-end designer, "cheap and cheerful" or vintage items.

She showcased her own distinct sense of style, decked out in a little black dress and sequined-collar black cardigan from Edit matched with statement jewelry including a long necklace, bracelet and belt.

Beker's previous design credits include a limited time only clothing line for Eaton's in 2001, and a line of bodywear sold at Sears Canada in the fall of 2003.

Her roles as travelling stylewatcher and modern working mom give Beker a one-of-a-kind perspective in her approach to style.

"No question, I'm in a very unique position because I am a real woman. I'm a real working woman. I can't really afford to buy some of those incredible garments that I get to report on and I get to see come down the runways of the world," said the mother of two. "But I'm always looking at what's going to work for me, what is going to help me move through my life with ease."

"There's a real high-low aspect to my life, and I need a wardrobe that's going to suit all that," she added. "And in this limited focus collection that we're putting out, I think there will be pieces to address all those situations."

Beker said the biggest change she's seen in fashion over her years of coverage has been "the democratization of fashion" -- namely it has become more accessible to the masses.

It seems fitting that her own line would be in step with the prominent shift seen in the industry. Pieces from Edit range from about $80 to $195.

"Fashion used to be really directed at a very elitist kind of group. It was for those people who could afford the luxury of indulging in these fabulous designer visions," she said. "But now, clothing has become much more affordable, much more accessible."

"The consumer has become very fashion-savvy, and people aren't as afraid of taking risks and stepping out a little bit and pushing their own personal envelopes just a bit, and that's been really refreshing, exhilarating, it's been incredibly inspiring for designers everywhere."

Above all, when it comes to putting together a line, Beker said she believes it's important to have a point of view.

"It's about telling a story," she said. "It's about understanding who's going to be wearing those clothes, the kind of lifestyle that she's going to be leading, and the kinds of fashion crises that she might come up against."

"It's one thing to just create art for art's sake or fashion for fashion's sake, but it's something else to create wardrobes for real women that work with them."

Edit by Jeanne Beker is launching at 65 Bay stores across Canada in September.

Adding to her ever-growing resume, Beker also has two books slated for release next year: "Strutting It!: The Grit Behind The Glamour," about what takes to be a model, and "Life Lessons from Fashion's Trenches."

In the meantime, don't expect to see Beker -- or her award-winning program -- disappear from the airwaves anytime soon.

"'Fashion Television' has just become such a staple in our viewing diets," she said. "I think it would be a shame to ever see that show go anywhere."