I’ve been following the online news of the embattled fashion/retail industry for a while now on WWD and the WSJ, and the bad economic news continue the whole time that I’m here. Which makes it very difficult to shop in good conscience; hence, these pictures of window-shopping in Prague. I sniff my way to the most expensive shopping area of the city,
and it’s quiet here just like at the boutiques back home. All the usual suspects are around…Dior, Vuitton, Prada, Hermes…but not a single swishing of shopping bags can be heard for blocks.
The global belt-tightening is hitting all industries, but when it comes to fashion it feels a little personal to me. As fashion houses shutter–even the most venerable ones are not immune–I shudder to think about my shrinking playground. Where will I find my sweet escape if haute couture becomes extinct, fashion magazines suffer even worse cases of anorexia (have you seen how thin even the fashion issues have become lately?), and designers can’t sustain their imagination when investors disappear? There’s already a shift in how fashion is delivered/presented (less show, more tell), so who knows when that catwalk will become entirely obsolete?
It’s definitely a sign of the times when Target advertises in W magazine. I still remember when, many years ago in an advertising study group, we were asked to select out of a group of elite advertisers which would best fit within W’s overall image as an avantgarde, artistic fashion magazine. La Mer, yes. L’Oreal, not so much. I suppose now that the fashionista readers have morphed into recessionistas, the often elitist world of fashion will learn to adapt to a new way of finding its own relevance. The chase for cash tends to tear down the ivory tower anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for leveling the playing field. And I’m a happy consumer when I can find Thakoon guest designing at Target. Can’t beat pairing my $20 pair of Exhiliration skinny jeans (full price no less!) from there with my Prada jacket either.
But in my heart of hearts, in my weakest moments of giving into my girly girl calling, I truly hope the decadent fashion world survives long enough so that when we buyers come off the sidelines, the playing fields will still be open. Retweaked and retooled, of course, but hopefully just as irreverent as before. When the time is right, I will still crave the tulle, chiffon, organza, feathers and all the irrelevant, impractical, unnecessary bits that make being a girl worth all the hassles.
There will be no bailout when fashion companies go under. The lucky ones get saved by white knights only to be reinvented to court the public. Consumers have never had it so good in terms of access and sales, but for the dwindling spare change….and therein lies the saddest irony of all. Fashion has never been so near, and yet so far.
But I’m optimistic. In time, we’ll walk past the windows,
only to turn around and go through the front door.
Tags: Dior, fashionista, haute couture, Hermes, Prada, Prague, recessionista, Vuitton, W magazine, WSJ, WWD
Every hour, on the hour, you can catch a show of sorts at the Prague Astronomical Clock in the Old Town city hall, which is where I left you yesterday. The mechanical clock and its astronomical dial, representing the positions of the sun and the moon, were constructed in the early 1400s. The calendar dial and accompanying figurines were added almost a century later.
The other moving parts of the clock include several wooden figures. Together they represent vices or just things generally disliked. On the left are Vanity (man looking at himself in a mirror) and Greed/Miserliness (man carrying a bag of coins while shaking a stick). Then to the right there is Death, the skeleton that strikes time on the hour, holding an hourglass. Next to Death is an “infidel” in a turban; he shakes his head in response to Death. Hey, I just report this stuff…
Just below the clock is the calendar flanked by nonmoving figures consisting of an angel, an astronomer, a chronicler and a philosopher, so I suppose these would be good guys below the bad guys:
Way up above, as the hour strikes, the windows slide open and the “walk of the apostles” begins with the figurines moving clockwise. Blink and you’ll miss it. The first time I view it, I stand way in the front thinking I’d have the best view. When the apostles complete their journey, the golden cockerel (seen in pics below) at the top crows–sounds like a whistle blow–and flaps its wings, the bell rings, and the clock chimes. The crowd applauses and the show is over… but I’ve barely caught the act. As you can see in my video below, I’m standing too close to see the apostles clearly:
So I come back in the afternoon (then once more at night) and stand way in the back, behind all these people,
to try to get these few shots of the 12 apostles as they shuffle behind the windows:
It’s one of those things where the hype is bigger than the show itself, but like I said, I catch it 3 or 4 times just to make sure I didn’t miss anything! Since this is city hall, I also catch at least a couple of wedding parties throughout the day here:
By now the sun is somewhere high above the square but hiding behind clouds. I’m leaving the clock and square behind me in search of …
I told you they were there. All those tourists! So after a few random lefts and rights,
and stopping inside that door above:
I discover that I’ve wandered into the narrow streets of Staré Město (Old Town)…
and finally into its heart, the main square. And as you can (and will) see from my photos of Prague, the most striking thing about this city is its fantastic representation of architectural styles from Renaissance to Baroque to Gothic to Neo-Classical to Art Nouveau … There’s something for everyone:
This is a 360 video of the square:
Woo, dizzy now so I’ll sign off. Tomorrow we’ll pick up right here:
Tags: architectural styles, Old Town square, Prague, Stare Mesto
On my first morning in Prague I do NOT have a breakfast of champions. All I can say is I’m glad my first meal in Prague was great last night or else this hotel breakfast would have been culinary buzz-kill and not a good way to meet a new town. I’d really rather not grab breakfast at McDo but we’ll see tomorrow.
It’s an overcast day in Prague, hence I’m doing a happy dance. The next few days are supposed to be scorching hot so I’m thrilled that it’s cool enough to wear my new Chanel jacket for now (see, I’m really trying to blend fashion and travel together!):
The street I’m on is a quiet one shaded by a huge church:
Anyway, you know how some days just don’t seem to start right? I’m now 15 minutes from my hotel and realize that I’d left all my research notes in the hotel room. Arghh. And the map I have is in Czech so it’s more or less blind walking today, at least until I can find the Tourist Information office. That’s why I end up on back streets like this one:
But I have to make the most of where I am and I do enjoy this:
Just as I’d noticed coming from the airport yesterday, grafitti is everywhere in Prague. Sometimes (most of the times) I want to pretend it’s not there, but once in a while it’s worth a second look, like on this wall…
that’s on this street:
Around the corner the city suddenly comes alive with people buzzing to work:
Everyone looks really busy and somewhat glum so I just focus on the buildings around me instead. Since I’m no good with directions, I have to commit landmarks to memory anyway in case I have to come back through here for whatever reason:
Want to peek inside St. Ignatius Church above? It’s totally different from any church I’ve seen so far on this European trek.
But where the heck am I? This sign doesn’t help much because I don’t remember the Czech names of the places I want to go see…
and I’m not feeling warm and fuzzy vibes from these two for help…
but I know I’m not far from wherever it is that I’m trying to get to. This is tourist central, I just know it. The Prague I’ve been reading about and fallen in love with through movies has got to be just around the corner–
but which corner?
Tags: Chanel, Czech, McDo, Prague, St. Ignatius Church
This is how it always starts, a few frazzled minutes through security followed by some uneasy down time before the cattle call to board the plane. Flying is always a yo-yo event with so many things that shouldn’t but could go wrong that my happiest moment isn’t until my feet are finally moving under a sign like this in whatever local language…
which reminds me of a conversation I had with someone in Belgium. When I lamented that everyone in Europe seemed to speak so many languages compared to Americans, he quickly told me that while that may be the case, at least Americans were lucky to know the most important language of all. But is that why we are generally unmotivated to learn foreign languages? I hope not, but no matter the debate behind that, today in Prague, in the Czech Republic, I am relieved to see English inside the airport because in a few minutes, once outside its gates, it will be interesting to see if I will have any trouble navigating the city on just a few basic Czech phrases. Like prosím (please) or děkuji (thank you). If anything I will be politely lost in Prague.
Happily it’s easy enough to buy bus and metro passes inside the airport. My hotel had already emailed me basic instructions about which metro line to take so I’m not too concerned. The bus delivering me from the airport to the subway station is where it should be,
and after 40 minutes of sightseeing local streets from a crowded and very warm bus, I’m relieved to find the subway stop:
English is getting fewer and farther in between already:
Once on the subway I scan the people around me, in an attempt to find some common denominator in the tired faces of people on their way home from work. I’ve not traveled far enough eastward or northward to see a significant physical difference. Perhaps here, in central Europe, the most tangible difference will be a cultural one.
Out on the street the architecture is immediately different, and it’s just row upon row of huge buildings…
but at this point I’m only interested in finding my hotel in a slew of many.
It’s too late to walk into city center for dinner so I take a chance at a restaurant four blocks away from my hotel. Its menu seems to offer a decent variety of local dishes and as I’m a bit outside of the touristy area, I’m hopeful that I’ll get to taste some authentic fare tonight. Plus the name of the first dessert, hot love, seems appropriate when dessert is misspelled as desert:
My main dish tonight is tuna with potato pancakes that are blended with cabbage and fried to a crisp. The pickled red cabbage adds an extra layer to the already delicious food.
I can’t quite place the flavor of the Czech beer, and after a full meal I pass on the hot love. So far my first meal here has been very enjoyable. That’s always a good way to start an adventure. Can’t wait to see what’s coming in the morning!
Tags: Czech Republic, potato pancakes, Prague, red cabbage
