"A runway show really is, like, the ultimate pure view of what the designer wants to show in the collection, " Wenlan says.

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Legendary aeronautical and spacecraft designer Burt Rutan has a somewhat optimistic view.

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Even when picking up the tab ourselves, we share the belief that money spent shopping for shoes and scouring consignment stores for designer labels far outweighs the value of an ocean view or a private room.

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Whatever his view of European fashion, he saw the commercial value of publicising a designer's name with the product.

ECONOMIST: Bill Blass

But Mr Lapidus admired workmanship, whatever the architectural genre, just as a fashion designer such as John Galliano is praised for his painstaking craftsmanship however you view his crazy clothes.

ECONOMIST: Morris Lapidus | The