One woman, thousands of designers. RUTH FINLEY organized the NEW YORK fashion calendar for 70 years, and she’s the subject of a documentary, out next year. The list of people she mentioned at this Nov. 21 panel, hosted by NYU COSTUME STUDIES, was a veritable run-down of NEW YORK CITY’s fashion legends. BLASS. DE LA RENTA. HALSTON. NORELL. There were other—perhaps less familiar—names floated as well, such as ORBACH’S, a department store known for its licensed designer copies. It makes me think about individuals (of any particular calling) who bring with them a kind of unimpeachable experience. What can we gain by simply listening to them, and what's lost if we don't? In this case it helps that Ruth is irresistibly charming… There’s definitely an urge to find meaning through handcraft (or the idea of it) these days, and here's one young designer who explores that sentiment through fashion… WWD presents to you (drumroll) an opposing view to nearly all articles on the subject thus far… As fashion's history stretches on, here's more evidence of our fascination with the archive, on the cover of the DEC/JAN print issue of HARPER'S BAZAR—spelling intentional. The magazine debuted under that name in 1867, named after a publication from BERLIN. You may notice something different about the cover. That's right, this 2016/2017 issue is set in a (originally hand-rendered?) typeface of yore, and it's attention-grabbing in just the right way. When you're conditioned to see a proprietary masthead over and over again, these kinds of changes produce a whiplash effect. And it's a good thing... The theme for PITTI UOMO this year is #dance, and the trade shows' organizers ask us to think about the intersections of fashion, rhythm, movement, and style. Yes, please... FashionREDEF will be on holiday the rest of the week for THANKSGIVING. Enjoy the weekend, and au revoir ’til MONDAY.