I placed Elem Klimov’s 1985 anti-war work Come and See on my watch list years ago. The film’s title comes from the Book of Revelation, “I heard the Beast say Come and See”. When the restored print was released in 2020, there was universal acclaim for the 142-minute film. At times shocking, numbing, unforgettable, the …
Author Archives: Editor
Fantasy vs. Reality
The Dior Fantasy is of a handbag made with passion in a stylish factory. The reality is very different. Dior’s handbags are made mass produced under sweatshop conditions.
Au Revior Galerias Lafayette Berlin
A sad goodbye to Galerias Lafayette Berlin, the five floor department store gave the city a bit of affordable Parisian Chic. After 28 years in the Mitte District, the celebrated building housing French Cuisine, handbags and perfume closes the doors at the end of July. Once a staple for shopping in the city, the establishment …
More Zara Than Luxury
Luxury industry has adopted the same appalling production model as their fast fashion counterparts. Today, Dior faces charges of exploitative production practices. As the lust for high end products grew the business model changed to satisfy consumer wants. Mass consumption means mass production. Luxury went from exclusive to inclusive. Many highly sort after brands morphed into …
How Much? The Dior Markup
The expression “a sucker is born every minute” applies to luxury fashion these days. Paris label Dior knows the world wants to belong to the bourgeois club. Buying an expensive handbag is an arm reach into another social circle. Emotions of supreme consumption in boutiques satisfies those temporary upward mobility urges was not lost by …
Vintage Denim History
The history of denim was displayed in Berlin. While walking around a trade fair I came across a stall with vintage jean pieces. The Jeans Museum located in Zurich Switzerland contains over 14,000 pairs of jeans and jackets. Curator Ruedi Karrer is a walking encyclopedia on the textile subject. The Jeans Museum is on Kochlistr …
Divinity and Sins
Spanish fashion designer Juana Martin themes for this year Paris Fashion Week Couture collection blended the age old conflict of Divinity and Sins. Fruits and fish motifs mixed with lace and gauze for the twenty four looks on the June runway show.
A Before Tacky Brief
Fashion designer Brett Johnson talks about creativity in this Before Tacky Brief. Check out the entire podcast here:
Paris Fashion Week Goes On
From Paris Fashion Week July 2024, some images from our visit in the city.
Is Paris the Same Place?
Traveling to Paris for Fashion Week can come across as glamour meets pretentious. However, for this visit, clothing was front and center. We hit some shows, but decided to focus on behind the scenes by getting the low down on the business and trends. Designers, press relations and stores gave us opinions on topics ranging …