They Come Alive When We Sleep

Paris has always been one of the centers of European fashion. So I pay close attention to what Parisians are wearing in the streets, and to the clothes in small hand-made boutiques. I don't bother with the department stores. They'll never be ahead of the game.

That's why this shop window near my apartment in Paris has always intrigued me. If this is a harbinger of the bleeding edge in fashion, these guys are the only ones doing it...so to speak.

I walk by this shop all the time. The first few times, I thought I had caught them in the middle of the window-dressing process. Well, now that I've wandered by a few times, I realize that they change the mannequins often, but they never quite get around to finishing the job.

I think it's genius. I mean, it's much easier for me to know whether a pair of jeans or a top will suit me, when I see it almost on (or almost off, depending on your frame of mind). I can imagine how suave I will look when I find myself in tricky little everyday scenarios at the office, or the grocery store, or a shop window. Like just arriving to work, only to realize I forgot to put on a blouse, or a wig, for that matter. Or maybe I'm just minding my own business, and all of a sudden I look down and there's this bald guy looking up at me, asking me how to get to the Eiffel Tower. I have no idea what that poor soul behind me went through to lose his whole upper torso, but I'm....Ohhhhhh...that's the little bald guy's better half. Got it.

The pants down around the ankles used to be a favorite of mine. Until a proctologist told me to drop my pants, shuffle over to the examination table, climb up on a platform in front of the table, and bend over. He sort of took all the magic and romance out of it. I haven't been the same since.

But don't let me rain on your parade if walking or standing around with your pants wadded around your ankles is your thing. Especially since "they're doing it in Paris."

Now...the wearing of a Daniel Boone hat is something I never would have thought of on my own. It tends to distract from the fact that your zipper is down (oh please click, please), and all that cold winter wind is blasting through. This is something that I could recommend to several men I know.

And finally, wearing a Mickey Mouse Blouse while in the supplication position is très outré, n'est-ce pas? Too bad the ol' Mickster mannequin lost its head. Otherwise, ol' Danielle Boonette would have a nice shiny place to rest her beer.

And now, in the wee hours of the morning, as the rain falls on the empty streets of Paris, or Anycity Anycountry, the mannequins are stirring...

UPDATE: This video was produced by Junna. You can see the rest of Junna's videos at his/her (?) YouTube site.