Fashion critics are some of my favorites to read. In researching the history of fashion, voices such as LOIS LONG, KENNEDY FRASER, JUDITH THURMAN, EUGENIA SHEPPARD, even JOHN FAIRCHILD (who often took on the role of bombastic fashion critic, though he was an editor) provide useful context for how fashion existed in the world at any given time. As with any critique, it has to be considered in context. This piece in DIGIDAY looks at the role of fashion critics today, and whether or not their impact is diminishing. The places in which criticism is read and received have definitely shifted, but critique itself is no less important. Consider MAXIMILLIAN ALVAREZ's look at the flaws of political critique—and how to strengthen it: "Without the challenges posed by internal criticism, positions become dull or just plain dogmatic." Fashion, anyone? ROBERTA SMITH recently spoke to JARRETT EARNEST about her decades-long work as an art critic, and offered "I think opinionated art criticism helps the reader find pleasure and also develop a criticality that can be applied elsewhere." When they have the ethic to stay the course, critics are useful in any discipline. What if critics left shrinking word counts and got into classrooms? Or took on side-gigs for independent journals? Food for thought... ALBER ELBAZ is always a welcome voice on the industry. In W MAGAZINE, he talks about creating a fragrance with FRÉDÉRIC MALLE. Their scent, named "Superstitious," was conceived and honed over several lunch meetings... "Sorry, I'm Not" is a brilliant name for a fashion label in 2017. NIKITA MOISEENKO is one to watch... FIORUCCI at SELFRIDGES... AMAZON debuts "Outfit Compare" feature, misses the point. Still rooting for Amazon... The company's long-term plans for retail are worth tracking... What's the opposite of critique? Raw fandom. Can never get enough of JOHN WATERS talking about his love for COMME DES GARÇONS. Thrill, humor, and reconciliation in his runway debut for REI KAWAKUBO, nested inside this gathering of praise for CDG.