vicious circle

Sooo...

Here's my food for thought today...

In this little fabric world of mine, it seems to me that Americans think Japanese fabrics are the bee's knees.

For example:

A google search for Japanese fabrics will yield approximately 918,000 results and I consider my own little shop one of those results.

I am a huge fan of Japanese fabrics.

A quick browse through those Japanese fabrics will reveal that a LOT of those designs are inspired by Scandinavian style and French style.

Little Dutch boys, milkmaids, tulips and water jugs, little Eiffel towers, poodles and "Je t'aime" sprinkled all over everything.

And I love those, too!

But here's the kicker:

Having lived in Europe, I know firsthand just how much Europeans look to the United States for their style clues and cues.

Levi's are very big in Europe and sell at an alarmingly inflated price: every kid has to have a pair.

In France there are clothing boutiques called "Friperies" where merchants sell vintage American clothing.

(We have those in the USA, too, except here they are called "Goodwills.")

Here's my point:

Does all this admiration for the Japanese who are admiring the Europeans who are admiring us mean that in a roundabout way we are influencing... ourselves???

Oh, I do hope so!

XO,

Rhea