Prada/The Flower

 

Call it the curse of Gutenberg...literate peoples tend to forget the magic not of words, but of sound with meaning...flower is one example for English-speakers.

Think about it: flow-er. An ordinary word can have very deep associations.

Why do I mention this? Because fashion isn't necessarily about the style of the moment. "Fashion" can mean everything that humans make - from pottery to clothing, to even the ideas we choose to hold. But those "fashion moments" which seem - sometimes like a crack high - to come less and less as we see more and more collections make one wonder: what are we really after each season?

So, ponder the recent Prada collection with all its reported "missteps" and one may be able to see that there is a bigger message than just the key item, the "must-have" of the season. There are deep associations in the collection.

A bit roundabout, but Prada got it right, for so many seemingly wrong reasons.

- AP

The Miro

 

This is the last photograph from my series in Chicago. This sculpture by Miro doesn't get as much attention as the Calder, Picasso, or Chagall that populate the political/financial center of Chicago.

There is something rather Carthaginian about it...both modern sculpture and ancient totem at once.

Future Fashion: Men

It is almost a certainty: pants will not be the only option available to Western men. Lately, there has been talk about Marc Jacobs during the New York shows - yes, Mr. Jacobs appeared in what has been various referred to as a skirt, kilt, skort...you get the picture: clearly not pants.

Initial resistance is to be expected...something on the order of what the late Nan Kempner experienced in the 1960s when wearing a YSL pantsuit. Let me be clear: menswear is indeed changing. It won't be the revolution, we all won't be wearing the new fashion - but for those who will, enjoy it while it lasts.

- AP

Lighter Times

We are currently in a transition. A focus on lightness can ease anxiety. A fashion thought for next season.

- AP

When Giorgio Met Yves

There was a quick trendspotting note online from the New York Times: the number of hommages to YSL.

For those who seek YSL's aesthetic, it is probably best to study the 1977-1983 period of Armani. Fashion sometimes has a very short memory, but Armani was one of the first to take YSL's suit proportions and free them up - inside and out.

It's all very nice to be reverential to the master, but as Lagerfeld can tell you, it does not make for good fashion.

Sphinx: New Utterance (Hors Serie)

This just in: Marc Jacobs bridged the ancient/future chasm in menswear. The skirt is now the revolution.

Cairo Shops

 

Shops such as these do not sell designer wares, to be sure. But they do offer fashion at the lowest levels. These places are some of the last stops for trends.

- AP

Picasso in Chicago

 

How many cities have a sculpture by Picasso sitting within a town square of any sort?
In the next few decades, will Chicago have to place this work in its own glass case? The similarity between this square (known as Daley Plaza) and the Piazza della Signoria in Florence may be a bit of a stretch, but the connection is there.

- AP

Flip Flops

 

That's how these things are known in America: flip flops. The thong sandal is one of the most enduring forms of clothing; examples exist in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, albeit a bit more eco-friendly. Those ancient examples, made from papyrus reeds, show a sophistication of workmanship that astounds in our age of mass replication and production.

You should know now that many of our future trends look to ancient models for inspiration. Why do you think we use a stylus or have the ability to "scroll" through digital media? Similarly, the ancient civilizations were ultimately much greener than we.

While we may not all end up in robes and togas, flip flops signify a continuum...and a likely revisit to sensibilities that are now awakening once again.

- AP

The Future Past

Here is Cairo behind the busy boulevards. The city is a curious mixture of progress and decay - as all cities are in their individual ways. This is just a moment in this 1039 year old city.

- AP