Saturday, January 22, 2011

Harper’s Bazaar calls on the Polyglot


A few months ago I received an email from Harper’s Bazaar, who had read my piece from May 2008 on Dodie Rosekrans, the well known Lebanese-American couture client who supported John Galliano early on in his career.

Mrs. Rosekrans passed away in November of 2010, and Bazaar was doing a piece on the couture client for the upcoming February 2011 issue. As a thank you for assisting them with some research on the piece, they sent me a kind note and an advance copy of the article in the February issue, which I thought would share with you. It goes to show that being a little nice and respectful goes a long way.

When I originally created this blog, it wasn’t about becoming famous or even sitting front row at a fashion show, even though I’ve been lucky to have experienced that in the past. Instead it was about bridging cultures (particularly between the West and the Orient) through a shared appreciation for fashion, design, art and culture.

The biggest satisfaction I’ve gotten over the years, are the emails I’ve received from individuals thanking me for the site’s content and the stories I’ve covered in the past. Many of those people have now become friends and it has lead to collaborations on different projects. This is especially important to bring up within the context of the magazine and fashion worlds, which are arenas that are particularly difficult to break into unless one knows the right people. Despite this I’ve always believed that if one knows their information well and presents it objectively, it is at least a start in the right direction.

I’ve always been intrigued by this notion of combining social responsibility with blogging, by exploring subjects that aren’t meant to shock or offend, so much as broaden the definition of the Middle East today, while pointing to a long history of positive interaction with the West. That said, I do often post pieces on subjects unrelated to the region. As a couture historian and someone who has studied the craft for many years, I also use the site to share information on a segment of the fashion world that may be dwindling yet still presents important lessons; in particular about where industry is heading in the future. This doesn’t only include the study of dress, but also the “culture” of haute couture: the clients, the directrice of the salon, and even the way garments are packaged before they are delivered to customers. Even better is when the world’s of the Orient and Couture come together.

© THE POLYGLOT (all rights reserved) CHICAGO-PARIS

2 comments:

Confashion said...

You earned it so you deserve it :)

The Polyglot said...

Thank you Confashions. Your blog inspires us all. Please keep doing what you do.

Best, Alex