Nothing Says “September 11” Like Oscar de la Renta

Of all the remembrances, commemorations, think pieces and other media markings of the Sept. 11 anniversary, one stands out. Leave it to our very own Houston Chronicle to plumb the impact of the terrorist attacks on the fashion industry.

Perhaps this was an angle you had not considered, but, yes, apparently America’s brave fashion designer corps was unduly affected by the events of five years ago (and shame on you for not thinking of them!). What’s more, as a result al-Qaida has influenced not only where we travel and how we pack but what we wear. Check it out:

Every September since 2001, fantasy-filled fashion collides with the realities of an unsafe world. It is the oddest of pairings: Fashion Week — eight days of nonstop shows where next season's trendiest styles are unveiled — and the anniversary of the nation's most devastating terrorist attack. But the link is not as incongruous as it appears.

Fashion always reflects society. It's a mirror to what's happening. Look at all the camouflage clothing people are wearing now, when America is at war.

Yeah, we can’t recall anyone wearing camouflage before Sept. 11, especially not in Texas, especially not in the fall. (And now at least the families of the almost 2,700 Americans who’ve died in our false-premised war in Iraq have the consolation of knowing their loved ones were fashionably attired.)

So, you’re probably thinking, what about Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and the rest of our front-line warriors against affordable and sensible attire?

Not to worry, somebody named Fern Mallis, identified as “Olympus Fashion Week organizer,” tells the local paper. They are unbowed and will unveil their spring 2007 collections on Monday.

The shows will stop for a moment of silence, "and then we go on," Mallis said.

"And that's the way it should be. We can't let (the terrorists) stop us from doing our work."

There’s more, but you can read it yourself.

We gotta go take a bath.