Thursday 1 September 2016

The W&W World of Interiors (conclusion)










Yer wot?



...and so we near the end of our tour of the megalith known as The World of Interiors' Oct 2016 edition.

We have noted arch wordplay, winking at the absurdity of the whole enterprise while solemnly reporting on the existence of expensive, often ugly and uncomfortable-looking examples of home decoration.

There is a feature about braids called 'The Braidy Bunch', another on 'Hut Couture' ( incredibly expensive fabrics nailed to the walls of dilapidated sheds), and an ad for something I had not encountered before in a relatively long and  unsheltered life: the 'professional home kitchen'. This is presumably an artefact required by people who employ a chef at home, like the couple in 'Billions'.

On page 43 there is an illustration of a small pot with spout and handle reminiscent in design of something Roman, called 'a vinegar dispenser' (what ?) available at the knockdown price of £725.

On page 45 there is an advertisement apparently showing a female figure wearing roller skates being sick out of a window.

We are directed to 'the thrill of the purchase' (geddit?) on page 98.

On page 130, under the title 'Autumn Swatch' (there must be an elderly BBC TV watcher writing these laborious headlines) is pictured a fabric called by the manufacturers 'En file Indienne', depicting maharajahs in howdahs swaying along on elephants. Is this a clever mis-direction, a 'gottcha' or is it possible that the French manufacturers are unaware that the expression refers to the choreography of  Native American hunting parties, not people from the sub-continent?

Our elderly caption -writer has a last little joke with us by calling a review of a book on (men's) suits on page 229 'Suits You', a clear reference  - don't you think -  to the character in the  The Fast Show.

What can overseas readers of the magazine make of it all?

The one item I covet from this issue is on page 168:  a Polaroid photo taken by Andrei Tarkovsky while making his film 'Nostalgia' , to be auctioned by Bonham's.









No comments:

Post a Comment