Back in the dark days of winter, the fashion world lifted a perfectly manicured finger to protest the war in Iraq. But now for fashion’s sake, mais oui all that seems to have changed.
According to Cathy Horyn of the New York Times, designers with couture shows in London and Milan last winter staged fervent antiwar rallies, displayed peace flags and, in one instance, staged a love-in that featured a couple in a bed [and] Tom Ford, the creative director of Gucci and a fellow Texan, told reporters after his women’s show in February, “I’m embarrassed to be an American.”
But the recent fall shows told a different story! Fall fashion shows included Mr. Ford’s, which struck an image that symbolized the virile Texas cowboy in boots and broad hat. More American-as-apple-pie images dominated the runways, too: think 1950’s country-club attire, 1960’s inspired TV-cowboy looks, and well-scrubbed young men in tennis whites and navy blazers.
Patriotic haute couture? Sign us up for a spin on that catwalk!