ping ping ping: champagne and high fashion

I'm continually harping on about the basic interconnectedness of most aesthetic fields - wine, music, fashion, art, literature, etc. But I should stress that this tendency of mine should not imply a de facto endorsement of opportunistic cross-industry cash-in nonsense like the above "collaboration" between fashion house Viktor & Rolf and Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck, which I saw at a Champagne tasting a few weeks ago.

For one thing, the premise of the parties' involvement is miserably facile. Fashion and wine are both, at their very worst, luxury industries. A necessarily simplistic idea of luxury is all these two brands have in common.

For another thing, the glasses themselves are monstrously ugly and impractical. I stood and watched that day as the hapless Piper-Heidsieck representative attempted to take them out of their specially-built case and in doing so broke three at their stems. Ping, ping, ping.

oh man, where do i sign up?

In honor of the lamentably hilarious death of owner of the Segway company, who piloted his self-balancing scooter off a cliff, I thought I'd mention a relevant Paris attraction I discovered in the course of unrelated research for this blog: Segway wine tours.

You know how Segways always seem out of place, no matter where they are? Just imagine a fleet of them steered by tipsy tourists, knocking over racks and bottles, breaking glasses, running over pedestrians... An experience no one could ever forget.

I'm seriously in awe of whoever thought of this. Also I just had a good idea for my next birthday party.