hodgepodge

every time a new designer releases a collection (is that what i should call it in this context?) at tar-jay i get excited. until i check out the merchandise. isaac mizrahi's seersucker a while back was all the rage, but when you checked the clothes close-up, they were pretty shitty. poor stitching, mediocre fabrics...this couldn't have been what they'd had in mind.

then came paul & joe, luella bartley, etc. : all crap.

can't say i'm exactly holding my breath for proenza schouler's new line.

on an unrelated note, i recently tried to watch american dream (speaking of barbara kopple, i can't wait for shut up and sing to come out on dvd) and found it quite depressing. we thought the state of labor unions was bad in the 80s and look at us now. oh samuel gompers, where have you gone?! [ed note: this is no way endorsing gompers's offensive stance on immigration.]

speaking of documentaries, if you haven't watched the Up Series, please start. i found 49 Up to be the most affecting of the lot.