I can pinpoint the exact source of my passion for fashion writing. Sunday morning at the Hagerty household on Bedons Alley was never complete without Mom’s punishingly-strong black coffee, some Vivaldi or jazz, eggs & toast, a Persian cat or two and… the Times “Style” section. By late afternoon the living room was the site of the New York Times massacre: an almost violent dismemberment of its contents scattered over matching antique velvet loveseats while the other coffee-stained remnants were left dispersed over the worn-in dining room table. Devoured.
Before the pounce, most of the divvying-up of the paper was predetermined without complaint: Sports was pitched to Dad. Mom cozied up with the Book Review. And Style went to yours truly (if I didn’t have to fight my sister Curry for it first.) Wedding announcements of the recent unions between society’s elite (gasp! just to think that the new Mrs. Malcom MacDowell IV almost backed out of the blind date set up by her art history classmate at Princeton). The epic aches and woes of the contributers to Modern Love. Fashion documented “On the Street” with Bill Cunningham. Style editor Cathy Horyn’s ruthless reviews (“…but is it modern?”).
‘In Shanghai, I’ve had to settle for the online copy of the paper. The experience is not the same; but thankfully I still have access to my favorite thing to read in the whole-wide world. While digging into Ms. Horyn’s archived articles, I came across this little blurb:
“We talked for a while about the probability, given the direction of things, that the 21st-century fashion designer may come from China or India. He noted how the Japanese had exported their skill, their love of miniature, their user-friendly service. At the moment, China is a one-way street.
“We now live in a world where you can make anything in China,” Mr. Hooks said. “The problem is that China doesn’t know what the market wants.” As China gains confidence about its own culture and translates it to other tastes, watch out for the revolution.”
I am intrigued by this statement. I am still digesting it….taking it all in. After some more time spent observing and learning, I hope that I can return to this quote and be able to agree or disagree. Watch out…
Sunday buddy, Mom's Persian cat Rumi
