Muse at Work

 

Ah, if it were only as easy as this statue group suggests! Muses may provide the vision, but they never do the work!

This does not apply to fashion muses, however. Their entire way of life, their being, must be inspiration.

And that is more difficult than working.

- AP

Bonn?

Once there was city called Bonn...

Of course the city still exists, but no one ever speaks of it. Hamburg, sure. Munich, of course. Frankfurt and Cologne, on occasion. Berlin, without question.

Bonn's brief moment as the capital of West Germany has done nothing to keep the city in the spotlight.

Yes, yes, Bonn is the birthplace of Beethoven, and for that, the city will always have a place in history.

Places like Bonn fascinate me: not great cities like London or Paris, but capable, every so often, to produce contributions to the world.

And then the quiet sets in again...

- AP

Fashion Magazines

I am amazed sometimes when I look through fashion magazines. Sometimes everything looks the same, no matter if the publication is French, English, American or Greek.

And sometimes, there is such differences of editorial opinion!

The next time you have a stack of magazines at your disposal (whether they come in the mail, or just browsing at your favorite bookstore), see how many trends converge. Or differ. What do you like or abhor?

- AP

The Water Tower

 

It seems that every major city has a tower of some kind. One of my favorites is the Water Tower in Chicago. It's a functional building that became a monument, thanks to the Great Fire of 1871. And it's one of the few that is completely accessible to pedestrians. Note the stone work involved here - at a time when most of Chicago was made from timber. It's almost a hint of the great "schools of architecture" that Chicago would produce.

- AP

Not Place Vendôme

Actually, this is Monument Square in Baltimore, and this column happens to be the first monument to George Washington. The resemblance to Napoleon's Column in the Place Vendôme is rather striking.

Fashion, whether in clothing, food, or architecture always has the ability to move. It's that mobility of trends from one place to another that in part gives fashion its power.

- AP

Sphinx: Utterances #223-#225

#223: Too tight with too loose will be the new play of silhouette for the next five years.

#224: Supersonic travel must return to the available options for travel, not just transport.

#225: Disaster fashion will be an unfortunate outcome among populations that may never be covered by major media outlets.

Sphinx: Utterances #220-#222

#220: The robe defies the rise and fall of civilizations.

#221: The spirit of the classical world has returned. But who will recognize it?

#222: The next return of gothic clothing should well remember that the Middle Ages were a time of illumination.

Sphinx: Utterance #219 - Important

#219: The era of the fashion designer is over. We will all become fashion designers. There will only be companies that can produce the designs of our choosing.

This is not new, but a return to the days before Charles Frederick Worth.

Sphinx: Utterances #216-#218

#216: Bottle-green velvet and gold-thread messenger bags can lend an air of the 17th century.

#217: Tel Aviv. But not Jerusalem.

#218: Salvador (Bahia) is a pool of cultural potential that may bloom once more beyond Brazil.

Sphinx Week: Utterances #213-#215

Welcome to a Week of the Sphinx - utterances on the future of fashion and culture...

- AP


#213: Translucent damask is suitable for St. Barts.

#214: Totemism is bound for a renaissance in jewellery.

#215: Let the chopine return during the Venice Carnivale.

Sphinx: Utterances #210-#212

#210: Fragrances will make the transition from scents to homeopathic compositions.

#211: A "future index" of nations will be established. They will find that Canada is ahead of the U.S. by 8-10 years. South Korea is ahead by 20.

#212: Parisians will let go of Haute Couture in favor of Creation.

Alex Outside

 

To some eyes, it is no more than a jumble of clutter. To others, it is joyful clutter. How do you see, and why? Think about this the next time you open up your favorite fashion magazine and either frown or smile at the "impossible" clothes.

- AP