The 7 Year ‘Itch’

Happy 7th Birthday Fashionlines! 7 is such a wonderfully symbolic number…not only is it considered to be a lucky number, but it has so many different meanings and associations, and brings to mind so many different things….like ‘The Seven Year Itch’. And I’m not referring to that in a negative way (you know, the traditional ‘end’ of that happy honeymoon or the end of a marriage).

In fact, one reason I’ve been at ‘this’ (living, breathing, editing, covering, writing about fashion) for so long is that I’m constantly ‘itching’ for great fashion. I can’t help myself. Even after being in this Crazy Crazy (with a capital ‘C’) business for so many years (first at Seventeen, then Harper’s Bazaar, and currently- The Look- On Line and Fashionlines), I still ‘itch’ for great fashion. I get excited whenever ‘show’ time rolls around because I’m filled with the hope and anticipation of seeing something beautiful, wonderful, and inspiring.

I love having the opportunity to speak with fashion visionaries (designers and creators – like the late great Geoffrey Beene and our dear friend Ralph Rucci, both of whom I interviewed for Fashionlines; or fashion icons- like the ageless Iris Apfel whom I interviewed for the Look on Line’s ‘Masters of Fashion’ Series. I ‘itch’ to spread the word…kind of like Poison Ivy without the rash. But enthusiasm is contagious, or at least I hope it is. And spreading the word has never easier than it is now- thanks to computers, the internet, and websites like Fashionlines which reaches such an international, global audience hungry for information.

I am such a hopeless ‘fashion victim’ and I don’t mean that in a self deprecating way but in a highly descriptive way. Meaning that I still love experimenting, finding something ‘new’- or old- that looks great and makes me feel even better. I love watching people on the street and models on the runways. And I can’t resist the urge to try something on that holds promise. I think all of us in this business are hopeless optimists at heart. Just like you Christine! Keep up the great work.

- Marilyn Kirschner