I would like to have lunch with Karl Lagerfeld one day. My list of reasons is fair in length but one of my top two burning questions for him is about his dramatic weight-loss some years ago.
How does it feel to now be able to hide behind dental floss, I wonder? But being a true fashionista he probably doesn't 'do food' (anymore), so perhaps coffee is a better idea.
The other question I have would allow me insight on how the designer feels about seeing the Chanel logo on plastic earrings around the globe. I'm not normally inclined to spend my time thinking about fashion designers, but Karl has been on my mind this afternoon as I've just come back from Central Market and seen more double C's than the interior of any Parisian atelier could ever house.
Costume jewellery at Central Market is what set off the Lagerfeld musings.
I have a soft spot for earrings and Central Market delivers- and then some! Rings, necklaces, bracelets… the thing that really impresses me is the variety- the chances of sitting next to someone at dinner wearing the same earrings are most slim indeed.
Whilst one can certainly find the real deal as far as gems are concerned in the main body of the market, the true entertainment resides on the counters of the first ring circling the exterior of the building, where the costume jewellery is housed...
Be warned however, as necklaces really wave the bling-flag in full glory and unless "uber-bling" is a description you are comfortable with, I wouldn't spend too much time perusing items to adorn your neck with. Diamante chokers with massive diamante hearts or big black crucifixes with the words 'God' and 'remember' on it didn't make it to the cover of Vogue for a reason.
A couple of months ago I noticed a new style of earring adorning the racks of market jewellers, a silver disc hanging in a silver hoop with a pattern on it.
Now, as this "collection" expands, the pattern has been replaced with all kinds of different objects- motorbikes, dogs, Dior, the cruxifiction, roses, roosters…my best friend was delighted when I showed up to an art opening with a monkey hanging above the word 'monkey' on my earrings…quite what the inspiration behind this collection is may very well remain a perpetual mystery.
Mickey Mouse can appear on quite a few body parts if that appeals, in silhouette, with diamonds, in plastic- he is rather popular and shows an off-screen versatility that I was unfamiliar with.
Hello Kitty makes her usual local appearance too, giving Mickey a run for his money. As does the Playboy bunny. However, unlike the mouse and the cat, seeing young girls with the bow-tied rabbit all over them- stickers, t-shirts, bags etc- is rather disconcerting, despite the innocence of it all.
As I browsed through rows and rows of jewellery I sometimes found myself being taken back in time to the 80s with sweetie-coloured plastic bangles and earrings, the type that matched your eye-shadow. Back to the days when girls saw nothing strange about having a crush on George Michael from Wham! A time when black and white posters of bare-chested muscled men holding babies didn't make anyone laugh; they were taken seriously and hung in bedroom walls.
Focusing on the jewellery at Central Market can open all kinds of doors in the realms of the imagination, and I guess that must be where many of the designers go to get their inspiration.