What are some of the big changes of the past five years? 9-11 changed every human being forever. Saddam Hussein was captured and a brutal tyranny was ended. The use of cell phones and the Internet skyrocketed. The Internet saw its boom and bust. A layer of fear swept over America, highlighted by the terror alerts---red, orange, elevated and so on. The God awful Patriot Act and its equally God awful proponent John Ashcroft surfaced. Men like Senator John McCain, whom I had once written off as a heart attack waiting to explode, suddenly came across as sensible, cool headed and necessary for our national dialogue about current affairs. The worst has got to be the fear we have all been pushed into feeling (whatever happened to “freedom from fear”, one of America’s basic rights?)

Then there are clothes. Maybe Pierre Bergé was right when he said that haute couture would die when Yves Saint Laurent retired. It very nearly has. Most sane women of style and means do not want to show off in such extravagant garments any more. No one knew this better than Saint Laurent. I think about Mr. Saint Laurent during Haute Couture Week and I miss him terribly.

As I write this Fifth Anniversary note, heaviness is in my heart for families who have lost anyone because of war or terrorism in these five years. I am preparing to leave for Paris to see the Haute Couture, but I do not know if this is its final season. I do not know if I should feel so sad, except that I have formed warm relations with couturiers and their expert staff during the many seasons I have covered. I hope for all of us that these next few years will be less heavy, that the fears will ease and we will be able to experience freedom from terrorism and tyranny. I want to thank our international readers for the many years you have been loyal to us, and I want to assure you that Fashionlines will be here to take you away from the problems of the world, even if for a few moments each week.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Becky Bochatey, our new Interactive Designer. With credits on such jobs as the Audrey Hepburn website and the incredibly successful Blair Witch Project website, I know we can all expect great things ahead.