I am always struck, when riding the metro or bus, by the fact that everybody and I mean everybody has at least one signature piece of clothing or accessory.  Yes I know that today’s designers sprinkle their names liberally on all their garments, even if the majority of us have never heard of them.  Personally I don’t buy into the designer display of logo on my clothes.  I always feel that they should be paying me for advertising their products.  But it’s very difficult not to buy into signature looks, such as the quilted handbag of Chanel, or indeed the Perfume Chanel #5, which seems to be instantly recognised by a certain generation.

But back to the displays on public transport, even the humble anorak sported by most people of any age, displays a design logo.  Looking at the wearer, one is not struck that this person could be bothered to seek out designer clothes, but he/she has done just that.  The subtlety of one anorak versus another still escapes me.  To pass the time during my journey I read these logos and when the logos are either too small or not evident I try to guess the designer.  Again these logos will give a clue as to the nationality of the wearer and if they live and work in Paris or if they are visitors or maybe like me newly resident.

My bus route is often down Avenue Montaigne which has all the shops of “Grande Marque”.  That’s what the Dior’s, Chanel’s, Louis Vuitton etc. are called here in Paris.  In more recent years they have been joined by designers from other countries.  Ralph Lauren is big in Paris and his signature shop designs resembling a country house or gentlemen’s club “a l’Anglaise” make a nice visit.  My husband was especially pleased when they served champagne to all who crossed the threshold at Christmas.  He re-paid their hospitality by buying several Polo Shirts on the January sales.  He did his best to find a shirt where the logo was not too much in evidence and this presented quite a challenge.  The polo design had grown to be half the size of the wearer’s chest??

Fashion and logo’s - what is it that attracts us to them?  For me, I like to see the new concepts designers come up with and how they can re-think and re-arrange garments over and over so that they always appear new and “never before seen”.  They are wizards.  Having had a brief career in fashion many years ago, I found the process of producing a new season’s collection not all that interesting and in some cases quite boring.  It is not as theatrical as I would like, not even as creative as I would like.  The majority of garments produced are for “every-day” folks who simply have to get through their day in the most practical and acceptable way.  Most people do not wish to wear a “look-at-me” outfit for fear of looking eccentric.  They have to attend their daily jobs and appearance is part of “walk –the- walk” and “talk- the- talk” so “dress- the- dress” takes as much consideration.

It takes a clever designer to supply these garments, and could be looked upon as un-creative, but I suppose creativity can be as much about holding back their creative energy and disciplining themselves into providing practical needs.  This can prove to be commercially very successful for them, then, they can give vent to their creativity and create an original set of ideas which are a joy to look at.  But will we ever buy them?  I like to think that I will be one of those beating my way to their creative door.

Anne Campbell Crawford has been living in Paris for nearly three years. After a lifetime in the Ballet World she recently added Pilates teaching to her CV and gives freelance Pilates classes in several locations in Paris. She also remains a ballet teacher, coaching and working internationally. Before moving to Paris she lived in Dublin, Ireland, where she founded IRISH NATIONAL YOUTH BALLET jointly with the Dance Department of University Heidelburg and was Artistic Director for 11 years.

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