Wisdom From the Fashion Section

"The Moment," we are told, "is a daily blog that spans the T Magazine universe of fashion, design, food and travel." Sounds like a promising place to find deep insights into the difference between European and American civilization, no? Well:

So, what is this obscure fascination with aristocracy all about? Certainly all of those very Italian names are music — make that opera — to the ears of foreigners. But how can modern, liberal, fashionable people aspire to play a part in this costume drama — extras in a historically correct adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel? Even I got caught up in the act.

As a lapsed Florentine, I can only marvel at my own fascination with all of those things that I once hated and vowed to escape — and go buy myself a new silk neckerchief. -- Stefano Tonchi

That's my bold above. I could go on and on about this, but in the interest of easing up on the criticism pedal, I think I'll just let this one linger on its own authority for a while.