American; The New French

Moi

As hundreds of Philadelphians crowd this years flower show,"Springtime in Paris" Paris is embracing all things American. I will freely admit that I am an old school Francophile, I have always loved all things french, as do a great many others here in Philadelphia. I see the reason for this has to do with our three hundred year history,all the way back to Ben Franklin's special relationship with the court of Louis and his popularity with the Parisian ladies. The second reason has to be our mutual support through our respective revolutions. The final reason may well be a shared mistrust of the British, [although Phila has plenty of Anglophiles as well, the frustrated loyalists] The French have always had a passion for our American frontier,cowboys,Indian chiefs and DENIM Americas greatest fashion contribution besides jazz music. Rue St.Honore the most venerated all fashion retailing districts has of late become home to many American designers. Michael Kors,Ralph Lauren [which is strange considering he is such an Anglophile] and of course Abercrombie and all the rest of the teenage temples of fleeting style and novelty.

Preppy is back in a big way with the French. An ironic twist considering our dependence on looking to France our fashion cues du jour. Oui Oui they say to madras shorts and ribbon belts [the uniform of Philas mainline] The following article from the NY Times will fill you in on all the details...VIVE LA PREP!New York Times