En route

BA 107

On the London-Dubai leg of the trip and have already had my first 'we're not in Kansas anymore' moment. Headed to the rear lav and in my left peripheral vision noticed a man seated on the floor perched over a multi-colored rectangle. For a moment, it recalled a street artist at work over a sidewalk chalk drawing in New York or Paris. But in another instant, as I watched the man bend his head to touch the rug on the floor of the cabin, I realized what I was witnessing. The last time I experienced prayer at the rear of the plane was during my prior trip to Israel, and the 'dahvening' of a small group of black-coated Orthodox Jews. On my return from the lav, I noticed him again, this time standing, eyes closed. Tall, slender, young, handsome. I smiled. Vive la difference !

****

Allowed myself one movie on the way over, and it was 'September Issue', RJ Cutler's documentary about the Sep 2007 issue of Vogue, with a (fashion) all-star cast and, I thought, a reasonably good portrayal of life in the magazine fast lane. I think the reviews at the time pointed out how well Anna's #2, Grace Coddington, comes off in the film. A woman of enormous skill, tough and tender, and a complete romantic at heart. My kinda gal !

The Sep 07 Vogue might very well have been the last gasp of an industry at the cusp of (choose one) fundamental change/collapse. Could it have been only two years ago? What I found remarkable was the complete absence of discussion or impact of the digital brand and the financial challenges which were about to swamp Conde and the rest of us. In this film, fashion magazines give us new saddles on an old horse. Insightful documentary, but not for the reasons probably intended by the filmmakers.