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Things I Never Knew

May 06, 2021
by Caroline Miller
Bridget Foley, Chanel, Chopard, couture gowns, IRL, Jill Newman, metal and diamonds in jewelry, stiletto heels, Town&Country, Virginie Viard
4 Comments

Courtesy of wikipedia.com

Browsing through my latest copy of Town And Country, I learned some facts that surprised me.  Normally, I don’t expect to be enlightened by the magazine.  Mostly, I hope to be amused.

What I discovered wasn’t earth-shaking.  I’d heard about power lunches before, but I didn’t know it meant being seated with people important enough to order off the menu. (“How to Eat Lunch in This Town Again,” David Netto, Town&Country, May 2021, pg. 32.)

  Nor was I aware that pairing diamonds with metal was taboo until 1993 when Chopard, a Swiss Jewelry company, broke the rule, creating a stainless steel sports watch embellished with sparklers. (“The Well-Being Meter,” by Jill Newman, Town&Counry, May 2021, pg. 40.)

One article I stumbled across was about IRL and high fashion. I had to google the initials.  I’m glad I did. Otherwise, I’d never have linked style with living in real life (IRL) 

How could I when a day earlier, I’d observed a teenager painfully teetering along the sidewalk shod in spindly six-inch heels? They gave a slant of her gait reminiscent of the forward slash on a computer keyboard. What protected her from gravity’s pull was a pair of platform soles of equal height.  Hobbled as she was, had this young slave to couture been a wedding guest, she would never have escaped the church in time if the bride’s jilted lover had joined the ceremony with an AK-47.  To be blunt, those shoes were anathema to  IRL.

Despite my vivid imagination, Bridget Foley, in her article “It’s Actually Quite Simple,” insists couture is about clothes for women who lead bold, dynamic lives which demand  “numerous wardrobe requirements.” (Town&Country, May 2021, pg. 65.)  Even so, a few lines later, she admits, these gals she refers to are the ones we most fantasize about–celebrities or members of the superrich–not IRL people I’m likely to bump into at the supermarket.  

If pressed, Foley might agree. Couture, she admits, isn‘t focused on the women who wear these garments. Instead, it is a tribute to fashion as an art form with its dedication to fine workmanship. “There’s so much love in each silhouette,” says Virginie Viard, Chanel’s creative director. (Ibid, pg. 65.)

Despite my skepticism about IRL and couture, I get it   Some of these gowns are destined to live in museums or private collections. That a dress gets worn rather than framed doesn’t diminish it as a work of art.

As for patrons willing to pay a ransom for gowns designed to flatter the artist more than the women…well?  As Foley muses, “believers believe.” (Ibid, pg. 65.)   The remark isn’t as foolish as it seems.  Belief, as we know, shapes our view of reality.

Foley’s article forced me to ask, “Who am I to scoff at IRL and fashion?”  I‘ve never had the privilege of glimpsing a Chanel hem. Closing the pages of Town and Country, I confronted my ignorance and felt chastened.

Special Note.  This month on my YouTube program, Just Read It Anne Hillerman, author of the Navajo Indian mystery series featuring Jim Leaphorn and Jim Chee talks about her new book, Stargazer. Catch it here: https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/portfolio/just-read-it-guest-interview-with-writer-anne-hillerman/

 

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4 Comments
  1. louis wachsmuth May 6, 2021 at 2:23 pm Reply
    What you don't understand is that 'fashion' is extremely important for your standing in the 'afterlife.' This system is rather complex, but once a person understands, then all truth falls into place. There are invisible fashion guards that surround all humans. They have special recording clipboards. When you are in public with good fashionable jewelry and clothing, and as other humans observe you, they mentally make judgments. The invisible fashion guards can read their minds and then they record the judgments. Then after death, you stand before the Great Throne to hear your score. People like me are going to rate very low and I'm sure this must mean something really bad. I do know that I shouldn't mix plaids and stripes, because in public people point and laugh, but I was just born stupid.
    • Caroline Miller May 6, 2021 at 3:22 pm Reply
      Au contraire my fashion deprived friend. I send you a link that tells you how to mix plaids with stripes. Heaven can wait. You can indulge now. https://bellatory.com/clothing/stripes-and-plaids-2
  2. louis wachsmuth May 11, 2021 at 7:25 am Reply
    Actually I just hit 74 years and have enjoyed the wonderful freedom of not at all caring what people think about me. Wearing the same old clothes day after day is a blessing. However, I really do enjoy following the modern culture and fashion treads, as a study of human nature. Just read about the newest deal, PreachersNSneakers, in which the author exposes high profile preachers with thousand dollar tennis shoes. What would Jesus say?
    • Caroline Miller May 11, 2021 at 8:21 am Reply
      I don't know about Jesus, but you gave me a good laugh.

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