IS THIS THE WORK OF KIM JONES?

EDITORIAL PAISLEY FROM T MAGAZINE

France has always been in love with technology. It has even figured out a corporate way to have a mother ship in the U.S. that links into all Louis Vuitton stores. There are phone agents who take your requests and contact the appropriate store. In my case, I just wanted the name of the PR agency that handled Vuitton menswear or at the least affirmation that the LV's menswear style director, Kim Jones, was responsible for the outstanding paisley shirt that appeared in the spring-summer T Magazine from The New York Times.

No go. After many, many tries at the mother ship, I called Paris LV. When I told them what I wanted, I was disconnected.

The shirt in question featured a brilliant fabric design, bringing bandana-inspiration to a new level of sophistication and worth every bit of the $815 listed as the retail price. And if it is the work of Mr. Jones, someone please give him my congratulations.

However, I am concerned about the model. It seems as if he is role-playing the waif, having spent $1,020 on those Bottega Veneta pants with their paper-baggy-looking front. It appears that he hasn't had enough money for food in quite a while. JP