Astaireway To Paradise

Next Tuesday, the 27th of May, I will be giving a talk on Fred Astaire here at Hereford College. Entitled "Astaireway To Paradise: Fred Astaire and the Art of the Movie Musical", it will be about 90 minutes and be an informal talk incorporating video and audio clips as well as a number of other sources.

I'm quite nervous, frankly. As much as I love Fred, and as much as people seem to regard me as an expert, I don't think I know enough or am familiar enough with Fred's work to speak fluently about it. Neither am I familiar with the eras he worked in or about the movies, so I don't know if I can give proper context. What I am is a fan, in the fanatical sense of the word, who enjoys watching him dance and who unfailingly gets a thrill from his movies and shows.

To top it all, in my excitement I told the Fred Astaire Mailing List that I was to be giving this talk and next thing I know, Felix Brenner wants to come to my talk. Felix Brenner is probably the world's pre-eminent living historian on Fred Astaire, and is in the process of finishing what will hopefully be the most authoritative word on Fred's life and times (I hope- he's quite elderly and his eyesight in failing). I would be crazy to pass up the chance to meet Mr. Brenner, so I've invited him to the talk, but golly, to have the great man sitting in the corner of the room scrutinising my every word will be nerve-wracking. If I make a mistake he'll be all over it like white on rice!

Fingers crossed... wish me luck!

A Travelogue of a Summer's Day

The weather soared into the lower 20s (celcius) today, a welcome change from the cold and rain. Walking around today I noticed that many women are now wearing skirts. I heartily approve of this. As longtime readers will know I have frequently decried the increasingly casual dress code that has come to dominate modern society, a trend that found its apogee with the internet boom. The thought of men padding around in white shirts, slacks and loafers in the office makes me shudder. The suit was made for a purpose. It should be used for that purpose. Just two generations ago men were going to university in suits. Now everyone's wearing T-shirts and sweaters and looking rumpled.

As I was heading back to the Graduate Centre after running some errands, I ran into Tiffany. Tiffany is a Singaporean who is doing a year abroad and she normally goes to Wellsley College, Massachusetts. She also has a wonderful sense of style, wearing very classic clothing all the time. Today she was dressed in a blouse with a rose print and a long blue skirt, with her hair held in a bun by a stylish wooden pin. The only time I haven't seen her in a skirt is when she was wearing a pant suit, which is suitably stylish and formal that I can approve. I stopped to greet her and her friend and complimented her on her outfit.

"Oh, you somehow always just meet me on my good days!" she laughed. She returned the compliment, admiring my fedora. We talked for a few minutes and then I moved on.

Not a hundred metres later I heard someone yell my name and I looked up to see Mindy, Mairin and Aaron across the road. Mindy and Mairin were both wearing skirts, Mairin in a simple white top with a blue skirt and Mindy in a red top with a jean skirt that went to her knees. I waved back and yelled a greeting in reply, noting that I had never seen either of them wear a skirt before. At that, they both starting posing on the pavement and we laughed.

After parting ways with them, I ran into Rich. He looked suitably attired in a dark grey suit with a white shirt and red tie as he was off for a choir rehearsal and performance. We exchanged greetings, and I told him I had just seen Mindy and Mairin wearing skirts for this first time ever. His eyes gleamed.

"Excuse me!" He exclaimed, and hurried off in the direction I indicated.

I chuckled and moved on, reflecting that fashions may change, but style is timeless. The classics are still the clothes that work best. I believe that deep down, we all know this and would dress appropriately if given the opportunity, but all too often it is the lack of time and money that prevents us from doing so. I have great hope in mankind.