Two years ago, at an auction in Paris that set new records for couture, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum acquired twenty-six ensembyes by Paul Poiret that his granddaughter had put up for sale.
That's good, because you need a lot of stamina for couture.
"It was my period; the excess, the high demand for couture and there were plenty of fabulous balls".
The event Sunday, which drew 50,000 participants and spectators (entry: $175 a ticket), was the grand finale of a frenetic classic car week that included vintage sports car races, an 80-mile tour and the high-roller RM Auction in Monterey, in which collectors — mostly men — shelled out a total of $68 million for couture cars that twirled like models on a runway.
There has been some heated discussion on Radio 4 recently about the politics of ageing fashion, but this affectionate documentary finds nothing but cause for celebration in the extravagant couture of its later-life subjects, one of whom describes her age as "somewhere between 50 and death".
Since 2012, they have staged Alta Moda, collections of highly detailed bespoke couture designs presented at lavish invite-only events for couture clients in January and July.
She had been booked to make up the runway models for the couture shows of Christian Dior, Yohji Yamamoto, and Valentino.
That may be a touch strong, since some of the uses for a new couture line of bandages have nothing to do with personal injury.
Instead of the crisp geometric pattern one might expect from a modernist like Thomas O'Brien, Porcelain, one of his new rugs for Safavieh Couture, features a series of childlike depictions of Chinese vases.
An artist with a lot of goodwill, Murphy's solo albums were well received, and attempted to move things on, but for all the couture madness of her presentation, they seemed locked into some familiar modes: stirring Massive Attack-style symphonic beats, or chirpy drivetime house.
