Paper 1, Draft 1 - Sept. 8, 2008

Dear Editor,

I am writing in reference to Cathy Horyn’s piece, “Fashion, But Maybe Beside the Point,” from Monday’s Fashion & Style section. While it is true that the piece is a review, and therefore subject to the author’s observations and interpretations, it does not necessarily follow that the Horyn needs to inject the first half of the piece with her lamentations about the state of commercialism in today’s fashion industry. Horyn states, “now that the runways are a medium for just about everything…you can never be sure of the message, if there is one at all,” then follows this line closely with, “Ultimately tens of millions of dollars will be spent on collections, but since only a small percentage will ever reach stores, you have to wonder what you’re supposed to understand?”

Although Horyn does not say so directly, she apparently assumes that her readers would prefer to hear her wax annoying on such trivial matters as what hors d’oeuvres were served outside the tents than hear details about the actual collections. My own view, however, is that if one is reading the review of New York Fashion Week in the New York Times, one perhaps might have more than a passing interest in the fashions shown there. By failing to capture the magic and escapism of fashion, it is insulting to the reader who is capable to seeing them. In the future, I suggest that Horyn focus her comments on the subject her readers want to read about, and leave her irrelevant remarks out.

Sincerely,
Katherine Vatter