Tea at Trianon: Fashion Shows are Back

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Fashion Shows are Back

From Vogue:

With normal lockdown restrictions loosening, NYFW will be back in a “big” way, says Leslie Russo, president of global fashion events for IMG.
Physical runway shows are powerful in the way they harness the presence of the “right” people — executives, editors, celebrities and influencers — who travel between the world’s fashion capitals, to keep the wheels of a multi-million-dollar industry that brings both investment and tourist spending into New York, London, Milan and Paris whirring. Over the past year, all of that had been erased by the pandemic. The four cities missed out on more than $600 million in economic activity at the most recent Autumn/Winter 2021 season, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“Rebuilding begins with a collective commitment to New York Fashion Week,” says Russo, who added that NYFW has more economic value than any other fashion event across the globe. “In that regard, we see the success of NYFW as critical… and we hope others follow in our shared path to really fortify a robust fashion economy post-pandemic.”
IMG’s Russo expects brands will supplement their physical events with digital features that enhance the experience and enable consumers worldwide to take part. “Last year gave everyone an opportunity to step back and try different things, to see what worked for their brand,” she says. “That said, it’s really hard to replace the energy of being in the room for a live show, so I would absolutely expect a lot of ‘live’ in the future.” (Read more.)