On Which Fairies Cavort and Copulate

Certain philosophers would have had a field day with the fantastical nature of the Prada SS08 collection. The collection of techno-Thumbelina designs was meant as an escape from the nihilistic modern climate, a fantasy survival response to the global état d'affaires. According to Miuccia Prada, one could manage only by retreating into imagination, or in this case fairyland.

Some thought holds that if something is given import or authority, it is therefore real. The fantastical thing then must function in the real world and carry the weight of a reality. This appears to have been the message of the collection, set as it was against a neon throb. Whether this collection actually delved into Deleuzian philosophy or not wasn't made public, but it is interesting to consider that the concept of lack is a universally subconscious one.

I'd heard about the "sex" dress from a front-row friend, and upon closer inspection realize that what appears to be a copulating fairy couple bears some similarity to shunga netsuke (also known as erotic netsuke). The depiction on the dress appears to be one of the more achievable erotic positions; shunga netsuke are not known for the absolute real-world realization of their copulative postures. It is not unusual for the female partner of a netsuke couple to be balanced only on a very delicate (and tiny) anatomical part in a feat of equilibrium that would be, imagination aside, aerodynamically impossible.

Happily, the rather traditional position on the dress in question is eminently achievable and, dare I say it, banal.

Image (dress): Style.com