Haute Couture

Paris is generally considered one of the fashion capitals of the world. Many of the leading couture houses are based here, and there are fashion shows held regularly throughout the year. That being said, not every Parisian is a shining example of haute couture. On my way to lunch today I passed by a rather animated man in his late fifties or early sixties talking to two younger women. His wild gestures and loud speech would have been enough to draw attention to himself, but I guess he wanted to wear something extra special to really stand out.

How to describe what he was wearing? Well, have you ever seen a lizard-skin suit up close? The kind Joe Pesci wore in Goodfellas when he was carving the guy up in the trunk of his car? It was kinda like that, only the sheen off of it was more reflective. Much more reflective. Think highway-signs or construction worker vests, the kind you can see from miles away at night. And the color? Oh merciful God, the color.... The only other time I've seen that particular hue was at the end of a night of drinking bright red Hurricanes in the French Quarter after packing away three or four bean burritos from Taco Bell. Once you've seen that come out your nose two or three times, take it from me that you won't have any desire to see it again.

Mmmm, bean burritos....