Tales of the unexpected

(From top left: Proenza Schouler asymmetrical jacket, Stella McCartney pendant, Nowhere fuzzy knit, Stella McCartney scalloped skirt, Pierre Hardy geometric pouch,  ACNE silver booties, Balenciaga coffee table book)

Million dollar question. Why is it that the human brain equates all things silver to the future? Whereas holographic is just another word for over the rainbow, or so I've been telling myself all morning to justify some new season Stella spending, a splash of metallic cannot happen without the result being immediately dubbed otherworldly. So I wonder, why is it that in our minds the future comes wrapped in a sea of foil?

There was only one way to get to the bottom of this. The oldest trick in the book, and a particular favorite of mine when learned background knowledge is severely lacking. The name of the game? Word association. You can play too. So far my unknowing entourage have come up with rockets, space suits, apple products (not the vegetarian kind, mind), robots, the Wizard of Oz (or is that playing the rainbow card again?), Tom Cruise, expensive sports cars, and Doctor Who. None of which are particularly silver at the best of times.

My verdict? An overwhelming majority of us seem to be suffering from an acute case of back to the future. What we perceive as futuristic is in fact what society pinpointed the future would look like circa 50 years ago. Flat earthism all over again (although some of us are still vehemently arguing that one - 'beware, you can fall off !') ..

So despite the alien skin scaly skirt, the shimmery footwear, the astronaut jacket and the Tron-like geometric pattern (feel free to ignore the family heirloom pendant, I just threw that in for good measure), the only thing that could mean future here comes as a hardback showcasing Cristóbal Balenciaga's world. Tales of the unexpected from way back when. Now that is where I hope the future will take me. Somewhere I have not yet been before. Ghesquière knew. And here's to hoping commercial-driven Wang can take me there too.