The Notebook

on culture

Reflections on how objects and clothes acquire meaning. Memories, habits and inherited tastes shape the things we choose to keep.

My Notes1–3 of 3 notes

Fashion in Search of Renewal

Black outline illustration of a woman seen from the side and behind, pinning muslin onto a dress form, with faint garment sketches on an ivory background.

From superstar designers to today’s fashion students: a personal reflection on creative authority, commercial pressure and the time needed to develop new ideas.

The Friday Column

The Patterns We Keep Reinventing

Original outline illustration of a courtly gentleman and a ballerina on pointe, surrounded by passionflowers, physalis, treble clefs and three discreet frogs.

Toile de Jouy, Liberty florals and paisley invite a personal reflection on how familiar patterns accommodate changing tastes.

Design

Why We Keep Returning to Familiar Designs

Minimal ink drawing of a hand turning an archive sketchbook page, with sketches of a bag, chair and vase.

Personal reflections on luxury reissues, nostalgia and the creative space left for unfamiliar designs.

Design