PARIS, JANUWARI 24, 2016
ngu-ALEXANDER FURY
I-Nostalgia iyinto enamandla, njengoba le sizini ikhombisile. Uma abantu bebengakugxeki, bebekumemezela njengesikhuthazo sabo esikhulu esilandelayo. Isikhumbuzo sezinto ezedlule sinokudonsa okunamandla kwemfashini, lapho ukuvuselelwa kwamashumi eminyaka adlule kuhlala kuzungeza emibuthanweni eyehla njalo. Phela, u-Yves Saint Laurent wayethanda kancane i-Proust-kunecala likaLouis Vuitton elenzelwe ngokukhethekile ukuthwala amavolumu akhe okwamanje aboniswa e-Grand Palais, embukisweni ogxile emlandweni wezindaba zalolo hlobo. Vuitton, ngisho; nakuba kukhona imnyuziyamu yaseSaint Laurent phezulu nje kwe-rue.
Amandla okukhumbula kwakuwumbono uThom Browne awuhlola: Umbukiso wakhe we-Fall, wathi, kwaba abafana abangaba ngu-13 abaphinde bavakashela iklabhu yabo yamadoda eminyakeni engu-30 edlule, mhlawumbe ngokomzimba, ngokungenangqondo. Ngakho-ke iqiniso lokuthi ingubo ngayinye yavela ku-triptych: eyokuqala ngama-rags; bese kuba nezinga elilula lokucindezeleka; ekugcineni, kuhlanzekile. Ngayinye yayinezinhlobonhlobo zezingubo zamadoda zasendulo—amajazi omsila, amajazi ezempi, ama-chesterfields alungiswe ngoboya—futhi yayifakwe isigqoko se-bowler esiboshwe ngendlela eshaqisayo ebusweni. Kwakungeyona inqubo yokuhlakazeka, kodwa yokuzalwa kabusha, ukubuyela enkazimulweni yangaphambili. Ekuqaleni, amamodeli amabili akhiphe uthuli emgqeni weqoqo labafana abadala, okuhlanganisa i-chandelier enkulu, izihlalo ezingemuva, kanye nenqwaba yamafreyimu aqoshiwe ombhaki.
Ku-À la Recherche du Temps Perdu, u-Proust uwela ekuhlwithweni ngenxa yezinkumbulo ezivuswe i-madeleine efakwe itiye. Bekunokuningi kokudla okucatshangelwayo okufanayo embukisweni kaBrowne: izinkumbulo ezizenzakalelayo-imibono evuswe kungahlosiwe, kodwa evame ukuba namandla njengawo. Njengoba amamodeli athatha indawo yawo, i-original ephelele ebhekene ne-duo "engaphelele" yokukhohlisa, kwakulula ukubona i-shades ye-Dorian Grey-hhayi nje ngenxa yombala woboya obuthandayo buka-Browne. Labo onobuhle abanonya kungase kube isithombe sakhe esinamafutha, onkanuko yakhe yobusha ebonisa isimiso semfashini. Ingabe sonke asiphoqelekile ukuba sibone ukubola kwethu kulezi zinsuku? Futhi akusona yini isikhathi into eyodwa ngisho nabacebe kakhulu abakwazi ukuthenga? Asikwazi ukukubuyisela emuva, ngokuqinisekile. Isikhathi sasiwukuthatheka komdwebi u-René Magritte, futhi kwakunokunanela okungangabazeki komsebenzi wakhe ezigqokweni ze-masking bowler, ukuphindaphinda, amafreyimu angenalutho.
Isikhathi yinto abaklami abavame ukuyichaza njengokunethezeka kweqiniso, ikakhulukazi eminyakeni embalwa edlule, lapho isiba yigugu kakhulu. Kwathatha isikhathi esiningi ukwenza lezi zingubo, nazo, ezaziwubukhazikhazi ngokungangabazeki. Okunye ukushwetshwa, okucindezelayo, kanye nokuklebhuka ngamabomu ngokungangabazeki kwenza abangaphelele badinga umsebenzi omningi—baphelele kakhulu—kunezingubo ezingenasici. “Kwesinye isikhathi iba yinhle kakhulu,” kucabanga uBrowne, wamapharele axegiwe ahlotshiswe ngekepisi elifushane kanye nejazi elihlotshiswe ngejethi.
Uphinde wakhumbula izindlela zezindiza ezikhathini zakudala, lapho abaklami bephume konke ukuyokwenza umbukiso, ukuze bavuse indaba ngezingubo zabo. Azikho eziningi ezisele kuleso sikole esidala. Mhlawumbe izikhathi zishintshile; noma mhlawumbe abaklami abanakho okuningi abangakusho, noma isikhathi sokukusho, ohlelweni olusheshisiwe lomzila wezindiza wesimanje. U-Thom Browne wenza umbukiso ngenkathi ngayinye yezingubo zabesilisa; wethula amaqoqo e-Pre-Fall futhi ukhombisa izingubo zabesifazane esikhathini esingamaviki amabili. Ngokungangabazeki isikhathi sisemqondweni wakhe.
Imfashini enhle ingakhuluma emazingeni amaningi. Ukuqhubekela phambili ngo-Oscar Wilde kanye noProust kanye noBrowne bangacwayiza bengenalutho (wakwenza kimi). Esisekelweni sawo, lo mbukiso ubumayelana nendlela yokusungula yokubonisa izingubo ezihehayo, ezenziwe kahle, kodwa ezinencazelo ecashile eshunyekwe kuyo yonke imithungo. Eyodwa okufanele ukhathazeke ngayo, lapho ukhumbula imibukiso yemfashini yesikhathi esidlule.