Which came first, the idea or the clothes? Oh, how we wish we
could grill Viktor & Rolf. The archness of their menswear
inspirations is always such that one's initial response is a big
fat "Why?" Then one jumps back, takes a deep breath, and wills
oneself to surrender to the concept. In this case, it was a
twenty-first-century update of Around the World in Eighty Days,
with a modern-day Phileas Fogg swanning from culture to culture,
integrating colors, textures, and details into his wardrobe. The
nouveau-dandy Fogg would duplicate a paisley pattern from India
in the beading on his evening jacket. He'd have a dragon from
China embroidered on his tie. His passport stamps would make a
print for a shirt or a jacket. His modes of transport—train,
sailing ship, hot-air balloon—would inspire another print. His
native England would supply the traditional Jermyn Street
shirtings (here rendered in silk) and the dandified details,
such as a fob chain printed on an evening suit.  So much for the
backstory. In their desir