A little fun never hurt anyone, right Mr. Fairchild?

by julespetra

John Fairchild founded W magazine in 1955. Today, its the only high fashion magazine worth reading… and between you and me, it isn’t as great with out him. In 1997 Mr. Fairchild stepped down as chairman of W, but for the past 10 years kept a column on the back page. After retiring from the magazine completely last year, he told The NY Observer, “I suppose we were a bunch of mad people, and we decided that we would publish what we wanted to publish. It was great!”.

I loved W, but I loved Mr. Fairchild’s back page column most. Meet his alter ego- the Countess Louise J Esterhazy who’s list of Do’s and Dont’s are far more superior than those hipsters on VICE.

“If you want a snapshot of fashion today, just look at the way people dress on airplanes—shorts, sweatpants, T-shirts, sandals. And I’m talking about business and first class. Soon people will just arrive naked and slip right into one of those fold-down beds”, I couldn’t agree more, Louise. Its hard for me to talk about the countess, her departure from W magazine’s last page came with the same pain and horror that I often associate with the decline of class in our society.

“It’s all a new reality, and the game is not to look like everyone else. Live to be daring and suffer the consequences. It all comes down to the fact that clothes are just accessories to a woman’s charms and a man’s appeal.” Louise, you’re one for the books.