Melt London
09-10-2008
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Not that any working visitor can have much energy left for warm, fuzzy emotions. From the Eurostar snake line at an ungodly 6.30am we scrape into the last carriage of the 8.00am train and arrive in Paris fortified by only a lukewarm cup of coffee, tightly clutched like a winners medal, won after an hour-long queue in the buffet car. Not I must admit, my hour-long queue, and for that I was very grateful.
Transport doesn't improve, due to a wildcat train driver's strike on the line leading to Premier Vision and Texworld, both of these are the fabric shows that we, and thousands of others, are visiting. Ahh Paris, city of few taxis but much love for the trade unions.
By various meanderings via the metro, the over ground train, a shuttle bus and even the occasional taxi we do spend 3 days immersed in fabrics, and the fabric predictions. These include the headline making descriptions "shifting boundaries," fantasy without guilt," and unusual behaviour." Very evocative, in a soft porn entwined with the News of the World sort of way.
For winter fashion 09 I can share the top colour trends, although imagination will be needed if a clear picture is to form. "Algae" will grow on you, "North Sea" will chill you, "Chemical Cloud" will poison you, "Vinegar" will be handy for chips, "Rubber Band" will hold it all together, and my absolute favourite, "Cats Tongue" will be poked out rather often. For those visiting tourists mingling along side the citizens, welcome to planet fashion!
The show's buzzwords, are, Energy and Optimism!
I'm not really sure how these words translate as fabric; maybe it's in the bounce factor. With a forward eye on next winter this may have been offered as a Parisian war cry against the economic climate. It's definitely a positive approach that perhaps we should all repeat over and over as a mantra for success.