Back In Fashion

After hopping from boutique to flagship to department store, in person and by proxy—a lot of the latter—I am delighted to bring back hot news: Fashion as we know it survives around the world and will, perhaps, live on. I write perhaps because I personally cannot fathom how a global industry entirely predicated on design, actually “owned” by designers, can be so hell-bent on pretending that we are all built like clothes hangers in order to stubbornly keep attending to about 1 percent of its natural market. . .and still stay in business. This is a bit of a personal issue for me, yet it also explains my gladness and relief. If fashion can make it through, operating according to these astute business “models,” interiors should soon thrive again. Graffiti sprayed around the corner from the retailer Moss says it all: “Will design anything fo’ anyones.” That may sound sad to some, but I find it scrappy and peppy.

The Anyones in our April issue include Vera Wang, Alberta Ferretti, and even Barbie herself, celebrating 50 years at the height of fashion. And these illustrious clients have partnered with some of the biggest names in interiors and architecture: Zaha Hadid, Michael Gabellini, Peter Marino, David Rockwell—the list goes on. By the way, I wonder if everyone is savvy about the architects’ billing index. It actually rose a couple of points in February. Maybe this thing has, at the very least, stopped nose-diving?