A moment...

Before I post the next round-up of shows from today's London Collections: Men, and before I delve into a milieu that seems to many to be extremely frivolous and shallow, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the horrific incidents that have transpired in France and Germany over the last many days. I have spent a great deal of time in Paris and can only imagine the texture and feeling in the city and amongst its citizens at this moment. Our hearts and minds go out to the victims, their families, and all who are touched by such a tragedy...which, ultimately, is all of us.

The world is a tighter, uglier, more volatile place than it was, say, even ten years ago. But there is also such tremendous hope and potential. And art plays a part in this potential, whether it is a satirical political cartoon, a film, a play, a painting, or a sculpture. And couture at this level and in the hands of artists who work in cloth and fabric, is certainly an art whose concepts and execution can either offer a mirror to our troubled times or a soothing balm to remind us that there is still beauty to be had.