Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose.
A nice way of saying, here we go again.
It’s 1:00pm January 20, 2025.
And just like that, we all now live in a Do-It-Yourself Democracy (DIYD). One within which each of us must stand up behind civil liberties and the inalienable rights of all.
To quote Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34 th President of The United States (and fyi, a Republican) “Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people.”
C’est la vie, c’est la guerre. Mais en ce moment, c’est aussi une question du style.
Photo by Margaux Devaney. Georgetown University’s 2024 “202 Society Ball”; The Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C.
In the Do-It-Yourself Democracy, each of us has re-enlisted as a Professional Citizen. And what with an ex-convict now named the U.S. Ambassador to France (as Benjamin Franklin, David Bruce, Sargent Shriver, Evan Galbraith, Felix Rohatyn roll in their graves, and Ambassador Jane D. Hartley no doubt also gobsmacked)- and with God knows how many more unimaginable appointments to come- me thinks we must add Do-It-Yourself Diplomacy to our growing list of duties.
But while actual Diplomats are steeped in the rather sophisticated rules of etiquette and international engagement, you and I- we’re DIY. We’re works in progress, attachés just unleashed, brand-new ambassadors at-large.
And while we don’t have any bi-lateral meetings scheduled just yet, c’est nécessaire nonetheless to put heads together, and map out our mission.
So I propose that we all agree to see…
Soft diplomacy as the superpower which each of us must now daily practice
Style as its language
Cultural curiousness as its currency
That air of sartorial flair, and international savoir faire
…as the markers through which we identify ourselves to the world, and each other.
Separately, yet related, I think often of a quote from Diane von Furstenberg (whose own mother was a member of the Resistance and survived a WWII German extermination camp):
“Glamour is shine, polish, mystery…it adds a fascinating appeal and magical touch to individuals or situations.”
So let’s make ours a glamourous uprising, shall we? As we resist the erosion of democracy- and build our own brand of diplomacy.
Why, you ask, should we infuse glamour into our efforts?
So we starkly stand out. From the Fox & Friends crew. From the “nouveau authoritarians” now crawling out all around us. And from the tracksuit-clad tech billionaires. As they individually, and collectively, organize to re-occupy the U.S. White House for the next four years.
You see, ours is instead, the elevated game.
Residing and resisting within our ranks; internationalists, men and women of languages, letters, accomplishment, substance, style, and reason. Advocates for others writ-large, deeply informed, always only immersed in fact.
Each one exuding a certain je ne sais quoi. Emanating out of concern for others, and an uncommon quality of grace.
Next, we will need language through which we communicate with each other; to signal high or low, friend or foe. So let’s channel The French Resistance 1940-1944 during World War II. And for this modern alliance, I propose we that we commit to create our own codes through:
1. Fashion as Foreign Affairs
Fashion can quickly shape perspective, build bridges between countries and cultures, and plant critical seeds of influence into the individual and collective consciousness. Fashion always looks forward. And, in doing so, it creates the future.
2. Elegance as Advocacy
If you can captivate a room through poise, polish, and personal presence- then you can make an impact anywhere, on a grand scale. The secret to elevating any room is to focus on others, and as little as possible on oneself.
3. Refinement as Resistance
Every form of agency we do not use, is agency that we lose. To cultivate, elevate, and operate at the top of one’s own game is the only way to meet this moment. Each of us is a work in progress. So to double down on becoming one’s best self is right now everything.
Christian Bérard. [Untitled]. Vogue Paris, December 1939, cover.
If you have read up to this point, I believe you understand the gravity of the moment in which we now find ourselves.
So to put things into further critical context, let’s re-visit my reference above- to The French Resistance- by time traveling back to Paris 1940. To explore, together, exactly why the Nazis went to such extraordinary lengths to steal Vogue Paris from the French.
FROM “VOGUE PARIS: 100 YEARS”: Edited by Sylvie Lécallier:
“During the war, [Paris Vogue Editor-in-Chief Michel de] Brunhoff had only two priorities: to remove Parisian couture from German control, and to keep the aura of Vogue Paris intact.
In June 1940, the offices and studio of Vogue Paris were raided by the Germans.
As soon as they arrived in Paris, the Germans wanted to get their hands on the press, an obvious propaganda tool. The system of control of information and media, such as newspapers, books, and radio, was part of the broader view of the economic exploitation of the country.
Many magazines were closed completely. This was the case for Vogue Paris.
At the beginning of August 1940, Brunhoff returned to the capital. He was struck by what he saw there: Following the German search of the Vogue Paris offices, the front door and safe were forced open, seals were placed on the addressing machines, and many documents were confiscated.
As for the magazine’s photography studio, it was commandeered and was no longer owned by Condé Nast, but by the Germans”.
WHY was Vogue Paris among the first assets stolen by the Nazis? Because the German occupation understood fashion’s power to so profoundly influence.
The Nazi’s shut down Paris Vogue because they too saw fashion, elegance, and refinement as incredibly powerful forms of individual and collective resistance.
Fast forward to the re-birth of Vogue Paris in January 1945- which happened entirely thanks to close collaboration with, and critical support from, the post-war French Government. This first post-World War II issue was published as VOGUE LIBÉRATION.
With Vogue Paris’ “aura” remaining fully intact per Michel de Brunhoff’s pre-war commitment, the debut of VOGUE LIBÉRATION showcased, to France and the world-at-large, the cultural and artistic re-awakening unfolding in Paris.
So much, about which so many cared deeply, had been secretly saved. How? Through Refinement as Resistance.
Additional Quotes
“I don’t believe in a clash of civilizations. I believe in a clash of the civilized and the noncivilized.”
– Madeleine Albright (1937-2022) American Diplomat, Political Scientist, Georgetown University Professor, and Former United States Secretary of State
“Hatred is a contagion. These dark forces are a contagion. If negativity spreads like wildfire, so do the higher graces.”
– Caroline Myss, American Author
“History was not made by those who did nothing.”
– Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)
“Too many people spend their lives being dutiful descendents, instead of good ancestors.”
– Adam Grant, Organizational Psychologist, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School
“NO ONE GIVES YOU POWER. YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT FROM THEM.”
– Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita, The U.S. House of Representatives and Congresswoman from California