TALKING ABOUT FASHION

From the salon of, a whiff of La Grande Couture and something of what makes- and what made- a great designer. An ambient, artist's life led to the sale of some sketches of hats- and dresses, to the workshop of Robert Piguet- and then Lelong, and finally the formation of his own house. Here is the whole (if short) life cycle of a collection, from its original ideas- pardon- inspirations, to its later crises, and the dream world of lovely fabrics, models and mannequins gleams and glides and disappears in a haze of bouffant beauty. Something too of the client, the vendeuse, the fashion editor, and helas- the copyist, adds a more commercial footnote to the trade we here call ""rags"" but to which he lends temperament and distinction... An accessory, for the luxury trade.