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Ready To Rumble

Cindy Allen -- Interior Design, 4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

This issue's portfolio of all-stops-pulled, no-holds-barred design turns out to be a real gripper, not only because of the flagships and boutiques we've reported on but also because of the long-running, mortally engaged game of "chicken" between interiors and fashion. Racing full throttle at each other across our glossy-white pages, our champion contenders know all too well that—when it comes to merchandise and environment—it's basically a matter of shine or be outshone.

In Tokyo, pearls by Mikimoto go up against the architecture of Toyo Ito and the interiors of Ichiro Nishiwaki. In Paris, the wafting fragrances of Guerlain compete with the equally ethereal white sheers of Andrée Putman. New York sees Abercrombie & Fitch's distressed jeans competing with old-fashioned bronze-finished vitrines by Annabelle Selldorf.

Which, quite frankly, can lead us to only one conclusion. Despite professing professional fraternity, rhapsodic collaborations, and a flawless symmetry of need and fulfillment, no one is going to be the first to blink. If anyone did, we certainly missed it.