I moved into a new apartment in August and the cable television package included in my rent has a twenty- four-hour fashion channel. Lovely, lanky models dressed in the latest outfits from big name designers strut down runways all day long showing off their bodies in all kinds of outrageously expensive apparel.  I admit as I’m channel surfing I sometimes pause and become almost hypnotized, by all those perfect beautiful people, in all those perfect beautiful clothes.

          The international school where I teach in Hong Kong has a highly respected and very popular art program.  Some of our graduates go on to study fashion at prestigious institutions. This year four of my former students are at Parsons- The New School for Design in New York where the popular television reality fashion show Project Runway originated.  For those of you who have never watched the program, it chronicles the efforts of fashion designers who compete with one another to create the most stunning outfits in a given amount of time, using only certain materials.  My students have been e-mailing and posting Facebook updates about their experiences at Parsons-encountering famous models and designers. It’s all rather intriguing.  In a few weeks one of my former students starts classes at the London School of Fashion where he will major in fashion photography. He came to say good-bye to me before he left and promised to keep me updated on his life in the world of fashion. I can’t wait to hear from him.

      Given my recent interest in fashion it may not be so surprising that last weekend I decided to pay a visit to an exhibit called The Golden Age of Couture at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.  The exhibit on temporary loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, celebrates an important decade in fashion history from 1947-1957. More than a hundred dresses are featured created by designers like Chanel and Dior. The Golden Age of Couture began just after World War II. People were beginning to have an interest in things like fashion again.

           I was particularly intrigued by the displays of fancy hats.  I can remember when a well-dressed woman always wore a hat. Going to church as a little girl I often entertained myself during a boring sermon by studying the hats of the congregation members. My parents got married in 1952 and in their wedding pictures all of the female guests, including my grandmothers, are wearing stylish hats.

       I also paused at the display case of cocktail dresses. One reminded me of a dress my mother owned. My father was a medical student during the first years of their marriage and there wasn’t money for fancy dresses. Mom sewed her dresses and the ones my sister and I wore. However for my Dad’s medical school graduation she splurged and bought a lovely blue and white cocktail dress with a flaring skirt and a short little fitted jacket. I can remember thinking how beautiful she looked in it.

         I enjoyed my visit to the Couture display. It brought back memories. I could see how fashion can be a way to chronicle history. I look forward to keeping up with my former students who are studying fashion. I wonder what kind of fashion history they will create? Will I see one of their designs on fashion TV someday?