Why did you decide to do this show?

It seemed to me it would be very interesting for a New York audience to get a show which looked at the full range of Japanese fashion now. The introductory gallery will remind everybody what was so earth-shattering about '80s fashion. ... And then the big gallery looks at the whole panorama, high fashion, new designers, street fashion, subcultural styles, men's wear ... really cool men's wear is coming out of Tokyo. Everything that goes together to make Tokyo one of the world's most exciting fashion cities.

'Earth-shattering?' Can you talk about why Japanese fashion had such an impact in the '80s?

In the early to mid-'80s, avant-garde designer fashion, principally by Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons and  Yohji Yamamoto, absolutely transformed the world of fashion. At that point, Western fashion was quite body-conscious and colorful, and suddenly you have these kind of Amazonian models striding down the runway in flat shoes. And they are wearing clothes which are ... quote-unquote oversized or asymmetrical and black, or, as I say, dark, dark indigo. And this caused tremendous controversy and enthusiasm. It was just really a revolutionary moment and ultimately it became completely integrated into fashion.

How did it influence designers outside of Japan?

Other avant-garde designers and even high-fashion designers, like at Chanel, would start exploring deconstruction as a way of investigating how clothes were made and unmade. It was a very exciting sort of alternative image to fashion.

What's different about this exhibition?

I really wanted to mix it all up.

There have been a few shows focusing on Japanese fashion, but mostly they have either done the big names of avant-garde fashion who emerged in the '80s or they have been little looks at street style.

There's a handful of looks showcased-Forest Girl, for example. What do they look like?

Well a Forest Girl look is very much ... It's interesting, it's very sweet. It's somewhat hippie-ish. It's involved with inspiration from the idea of the Black Forest and Eastern Europe. Some of the clothes are new clothes; other times, Forest Girls will put together a look made of a combination of new and vintage clothes. There will often be details in lace or aprons. And soft cloth bags as opposed to prestigious leather handbags. Mostly flat shoes. Then you have something like the Princess Decoration style that's lots of pink. ... It's highly decorated with all kinds of accessories. And then you have something like a Shibuya ... more kind of trendy teens.

What about the hugely popular Gothic Punk Lolita look?

There's a whole range of styles. Some are more gothic punk, some are more gothic Lolita, some are more punky, some are more kind of occult-looking. 

Are the Lolita and the Princess Decoration personalities? Like how in America we'd say, "that person's a punk."

It's like a style tribe, exactly. Those are like punks and goths in the West who have a style tribe, or hippies in the past, or mods in the past. Young Japanese people have really enjoyed this concept of style tribes.

What is it about Japanese culture that has allowed all this to evolve?

Japan is the first non-Western country that's had a really major radical impact on global fashion. I think that their history, the way Western fashion was introduced, sort of from the top down, from the Imperial court down, [had] an impact. But even as far back as the 11th century, before a regular pattern of style change had emerged in Europe or anywhere else, [there] was already a kind of fashion sensibility in Japan. The concept of being up-to-date was really important for aristocrats at the court.

What about in Japan today?

There's a sense that, within Japanese culture, the ephemeral, the changing, the up-to-date, the fashionable has tremendous deep-seated appeal. Plus, the sort of ingrained other ideas of uniformity and conformity to dress codes for who you are in society all seem to have merged to create a culture that is very fashion-forward and also very demanding about high quality.

How is Japanese fashion manifesting itself in American street fashion or pop culture? I remember Gwen Stefani's Harajuku girls.

That's one example-a lot of young people know what Harajuku is. I think that fashion is a part of visual culture, like anime and like contemporary art. And Japanese culture certainly had an influence on international art and international interest in anime and graphic novels and so on.

Some of what we see is more subtle. Like designers will go over to Japan and ... they will come back and maybe incorporate elements into their collections, which we wouldn't necessarily recognize as 'oh that's from Japan,' but the fact [is] that Western designers love to go to Japan because it's such a fashion fix.

Any specific examples?

People like John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld are all designers who have gone to Japan and have admired Japanese contemporary fashion culture. When I was in Japan last time, I ran into Jeremy Scott in a used-clothing store, and you know, we were just trying crazy stuff on and going on about how fabulous the Japanese fashion culture was.

Can you talk about current Japanese designer fashion?

One name which is emerging as an important young designer is the brand name Sacai, and the designer's name is Chitose Abe. She had worked for Comme des Garçons, and then she set up her own company ... another brand, Matohu, is also very interested in exploring the influence of traditional Japanese aesthetics. People in the West, if they are fashion people, will have heard of Undercover by Jun Takahashi ... He is interested in exploring the ugly as well as the beautiful. ... I bought a blouse from Undercover. From a distance, it looks like it's a floral print, but if you look at it closely ... you go, 'Oh my God, it's like little vampire mouths with little sharp teeth!' It's so cool.

What do you want people to take away from the show?

I hope that it will open people's eyes to the fact that there is this fantastic fashion city full of cool stuff that they may have never seen before. I regard it as being almost like a virtual trip to Tokyo.

editorial@observer.com

• On her store, which she purchased and renovated with the movie money: "This should be called the Julia Roberts Memorial Building." 
• On the movie: "I do not have any trouble telling the difference between me and Julia Roberts." 
• On Javier Bardem: "I fell in love with my husband all over again." 
• On bracelets her store sells: “If I were a 9-year-old girl, I would have killed and field-dressed someone to have these gorgeous, sparkly bracelets on my arm.”
• On what the Times described as "small primitive-looking heads:" "These are boundary gods. They protect and watch over your boundaries. I give them to every woman I know. I keep one next to my computer to remind myself not to say 'yes' to everyone."

Except for Julia Roberts and Ryan Murphy, we presume.

The magazine's profile of Mr. Franzen dwells on the topic of otters:

Otters are congenitally happy beasts. They don't worry about their future, even though they're legally a threatened species and their little estuary is literally in the shadow of the massive 500-ft. stacks of a power plant.

One of the humans admiring them is Jonathan Franzen. Franzen is a member of another perennially threatened species, the American literary novelist. But he's not as cool about it as the otters. He's uneasy.

Ah, to be a species fighting against extinction. Mr. Franzen's latest work is out at the end of the month.

"No doubt all of you out there feel incredibly excited and privileged to be in the presence of fashion greatness and it’s nice to have some of the other stylish people up here with me as well," said the mayor, wearing a bland navy suit in the Blue room. "That was supposed to be funny. You guys are supposed to laugh at that."

The mayor was flanked by a bevy of fashion industry bigwigs. Tiny Mary-Kate Olsen, of the Row, seemed to disappear behind Marc Jacobs, who was wearing a kilt. Vera Wang stood in the back of the cluster next to Carolina Herrera. And Anna Wintour—the queen mother of it all—seemed in a rather jolly mood. Silent throughout the press conference, she smiled at the mayor's awkward self-deprecating jokes and even laughed at a question a reporter asked about the fashion industry's penchant for leaving Town cars idling on the street.

Before the event started (a half an hour late), members of the press lingered in the marble lobby as the fashion elite were shuffled through. The celebrities had to leave their drivers at the curb and walk in their stilettos to the entrance. Ms. Wintour entered with minimal drama and quickly moved out of sight. "Excuse me!" an escort said, as she she pushed a photographer's backpack aside so Ms. Wintour could get through unscathed.

Ms. Wang was the first in and looked confused when asked to stand alone against the red backdrop. Tory Burch then joined her, but were placed on the opposite side. "You look lovely down there," Ms. Burch called out to Ms. Wang.

At the conference the mayor performed the appropriate plugs for the event. This year nearly 1,000 businesses are participating in Fashion's Night Out on September 10! There is going to be the largest public fashion show in New York City history on September 7! It will feature fall trends as picked by Ms. Wintour and Vogue! It will be at Lincoln Center, which, don't forget, is the new home of Fashion Week! And CBS is broadcasting it online!

"If you are addicted to shows like Project Runway then this is your chance to get close to the action," he said of the fashion show. 

As the press conference went on Ms. Wintour seemed trying to hide behind the designers as much as possible. She kept her head low for most of it and would lower it even further whenever her named was mentioned, and it was mentioned frequently.

"I will say this never would have happened without Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg," the mayor said early on during the event. "I remember when they came to me and said ‘you’re going to do this.’ I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid and I certainly listened to them. It was a great idea but it turned out to be an even better idea than all of us thought it was going to be."

Mr. Jacobs, kilt shining and earrings glittering, was the only designer to speak at the conference. The other speakers included the less glamorous CEO of Saks and the CEO of NYC & Company. Mr. Jacobs reminisced about appearing at his Mercer Street store at last year's Fashion's Night Out.

"It took me about two hours to get two blocks because I was stopped every single minute by people who were out on the street for Fashion’s Night Out," he said. "What it felt like to me for any of you who grew up here or know New York City, it felt like a block party and it felt like a sense of community and it felt like what I think fashion shopping is all about, which is a social ritual that people enjoy."

After taking questions, mostly city-related (the mayor thinks it's "great" that Condé is moving to 1 W.T.C.), from reporters, the crowd was asked to pose for photos. Ms. Wintour was forced to stand in the center next to the mayor. The celebrities then dispersed with as little fanfare as possible. The Transom managed to catch Ms. Wintour as she exited to ask if she'd made her own itinerary for the night of Fashion's Night Out.

"No no, not yet," she said in her British accent. "I’m going to do it the week before, but last year I made eighteen stops."

Of the schedule, store owner Sarah McNally said in an e-mail that "there have been technical issues, but I believe we are on track."

Currently McNally will order a book for a customer if a desired copy is not on hand. With the EBM, the store would be able to print one out right there. Buyer John Turner sees the machine as a way to expand inventory. It also reduces the hassle and wait time associated with ordering books by request.

"For me the biggest issue is, quite simply, as a medium-sized bookshop we can't fit every book in the world on our shelves," Mr. Turner said. "This will let us provide a wider variety to our customers."

It was rumored that McNally Jackson was getting an EBM last year. You may remember the machine from its New York Public Library cameos in 2007, just before the debut of the Kindle. 

In late July Amazon announced that their e-book sales now top their sales of hardcover books but Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books, which makes the machine, told the Observer last week that he plans to expand "heavily" into New York despite the fact that this city in particular — Hello, subway iPad users! — seems to be on its way to writing off print.

Even though Mr. Neller admitted that he thinks that e-readers sales will continue to will grow exponentially, he said he doesn't believe that everyone will have one anytime soon.

"It's not an iPod moment," he said. "For a fairly long time print will predominate."

But Mr. Neller believes that publishers and retailers will be more attracted to the "print on demand model," as opposed to overproducing print copies. Though, for now, your chances of getting a hot-off-the-presses bestseller from the Espesso are low.

"The publishers so far have been willing to give their books to e-books and not print on demand," Mr. Neller said, citing their desire to control book supply.

Mr. Turner said not having the newest title will not be a problem for McNally since they should already have those in-house "if we are doing our job right."

Right now there are 37 EBMs in operation and 14 planned around the world. EBMs are frequently used for self-publishing purposes — but Mr. Turner doesn't see that application being the "main focus" at McNally Jackson.

"I just don't know that we have enough resources to provide that," Mr. Turner said. "I mean never say never. With the right book the right situation we'll do whatever works."

Although it was a slow day—only three of the eight apartments we dropped by had prospective buyers—we learned that, while a park view is nice, it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker. One broker, Sujin Park, who was showing an $828,000 apartment at 392 Central Park West, quipped in an otherwise empty apartment that popularity of open houses might have something to do with the “moon cycle.”

We started at 418 Central Park West. The tiny two-bedroom apartment offered at $750,000 was one of the few apartments that we saw that actually had a park view. Its rounded, white-walled living room had two small windows that looked out onto the vast expanse of green. Despite the view, Igor, 50, and Rita, 45, a couple with thick Russian accents who declined to give their last names, were not fans of the small apartment. Inside, Rita worried that the apartment was not “squeezable.” At one point she stood in a bedroom and opened her arms: Her wingspan nearly filled the room.

“I think it needs repair,” Rita said when asked about her opinion.

“Dirty wall, smelly,” Igor said before Rita cut him off.

We also saw condos in 400, 392 and 372 Central Park West, all part of Park West Village, a collection of post-war buildings originally part of "government-subsidized urban redevelopment plan," according to the Park West Village Tenants' Association Web site. Even though its hallways were dark and somewhat horror movie-esque the $975,000 apartment in 400 had been renovated and featured sleek marble and leather furniture. It was the only other apartment we saw that afternoon with a view of the park.

“I always say to people, ‘I have to apologize the view is so bad,’” broker Michael Tobia joked while standing on the apartment’s small terrace looking out at a park fountain in the distance.

As our second-to-last-stop, we visited a small $435,000 one-bedroom at 485 Central Park West and realized we had pretty much reached the end of the the park.

It was about an hour into the open house and The Observer was the first to see the apartment. Broker Tristam Anthony had a specific idea of who the buyer should be. He said the apartment was good for a single professional guy, with a dog, who likes pre-war buildings and possibly biking or rollerblading and therefore wants to be near the park. “It’s a terrific starter apartment,” he said.

“You don’t have great views,” Mr. Anthony said in the dark one-bedroom. All one could see out of the small windows were sides of buildings and fire escapes. It felt as if it were nighttime even though the shine was shining. But Mr. Anthony kept a positive outlook. Proximity to the park, and not views, were what he was trying to sell. “You walk outside and have Central Park.”

Our last stop turned out to be the most popular. When we entered the $825,000 two-bedroom condo at 467 Central Park West, families and couples roamed. The pre-war building, called the Warner House, has a lobby that looks part deco, part European and part hunting lodge. Carved decorations adorn the walls. Scott Larson, 37, who was looking at the building with his wife Claire, 27, called it “medieval.”

The apartment was bright with wood floors and a fairly large kitchen. But, alas, no trees, only brick buildings. “It’s not nice looking out to the bricks,” said Margie, a “less than 50” (her phrase) nurse practitioner who declined to give her last name.

Mr. and Ms. Larson didn’t really care about the park views. “More access to the park is what’s nice about this,” Mr. Larson said.

Access to the park also means access to park food vendors. The Observer stopped for a famous Good Humor Toasted Almond bar.

The dark wood of the lobby made a cameo in one of the apartment's closets. "The cedar closet is kind of unique," Ms. Larson said.

"Good storage for that wedding dress," Mr. Larson responded.

The Larsons currently rent on the East Side, a little farther downtown. They are looking for a place that reflects the neighborhood in which they currently live, Ms. Larson said, and this neighborhood does so. The couple wants to own their place, though, and wants two bedrooms “for the expansion factor,” she said.

ezuckerman@observer.com

PREVIOUSLY > Greenpoint, When You Want to Try Brooklyn

Stationery makers have had a consumer insight: People who email a lot, tweet a lot, and update Facebook a lot, like to write a lot. The paper-peddlers are trying to woo these big stationery buyers, fans of the cute impulse purchase.

"Paper Tweet" pads (note pads with room for messages of 140 characters) are the latest offering from Knock Knock, a Los Angeles-based company that sells specialty paper products.

This kind of reminds us of that time Susan Orlean suggested using hashtags in non-Twitter settings. But the Journal really takes things to the next level:

Last week, Ms. Stevens, an accountant in Memphis wrote on the pad, "Paper tweets combine my 2 favorite things: office supplies & wasting time. Win-win!" (82 characters). She then photographed the "tweet" on her iPhone and uploaded it to Twitter.

The Eat Pray Love star appeared on The Late Show last night. David Letterman held up the magazine (his had this image of Roberts and her son) and remarked how it was "just beautiful... because having you on the cover would be a lovely thing, having a child on the cover also a lovely thing, but the dynamic is so much greater than the sum of the parts having you and your son there together."

Elle advertises these three Roberts covers on its website.

She also plugged the movie, of course, which is based on Elizabeth Gilbert's Bali-ruining book.

“There’s a scene in the movie,” she started to explain and then turned to the audience. “Which, I’m here because I want you guys to go see.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re here,” Letterman quipped.

Twitter originally set out to make a recruiting video that would show off the personality of Twitter and the people who work there.

"In typical Twitter fashion, along the way it became something way more fun,” spokesman Matt Graves said.

“Meet the Class of Twitter HQ” runs through a sequence similar to one in “Rushmore” showing Twitter employees with deadpan expressions engaged in various activities: “mobile,” “research,” “gardening,” (gardening?) and “twideokinetics” accompanied by the British Invasion band the Creation’s “Making Time.”

Be sure to note the girl who looks like she's trying to be Richie Tenenbaum.

We always knew there was something melancholy about those birds. Now we're positive that if they talked they would sound like Jason Schwartzman.

On Saturday, Aug. 7, Santiago El Grande, a 13-foot-high portrait of Saint James, will commandeer a gallery in Atlanta's High Museum of Art. Salvador Dalí's painting of the patron saint of Spain riding an enormous white horse against a blue-latticed background will take many visitors to the museum's blockbuster "Dalí: The Late Work," by surprise, said the High Museum's director, Michael Shapiro. Especially those who think of Dalí only for his melting clocks.

"All of us who have grown up looking at The Persistence of Memory at MoMA, which is a tiny 8-by-10-inch picture, seeing the scale at which he is working is really going to be a jolt," said Mr. Shapiro. Santiago El Grande had not left its home in Canada for more than 50 years.

The exhibition is subtitled "The Late Work" for a purpose. While Dalí is not an obscure artist, his name and legacy is mainly associated with his dreamlike works of the post World War I-era. Dalí's late work, however, has gotten somewhat of a bad rap over time. "Everyone in my generation, we were all taught that the late work was frankly beneath contempt," Mr. Shapiro said. "That while his work in the '20s and '30s is inspired and meritorious, that in the '40s and on he kept plumbing new depths rather than new heights. But in fact what I had realized is, I accepted a party line."

Spanish-born Dalí, Surrealist master, had his first solo exhibition in Barcelona in 1925. He moved to America during World War II and spent the rest of his life working in either New York's St. Regis Hotel, in Paris or in Spain. In the later years of his life, he became somewhat of a commercial spectacle, sporting his unmistakable mustache. He even appeared on What's My Line? (in which he answered "yes" to virtually every question), threw lavish, absurdist parties and took various Dali groupies out to Trader Vic's in the Plaza Hotel.

When he was already well-established in his career, Dalí, born of a Catholic mother, found God, so to speak. Becoming increasingly religious, he began to work in a style deemed "nuclear mysticism." In 1952, The New York Times reported at the time, Dalí spent seven days in isolation on the Spanish coast and returned with an image of the Assumption of the Virgin in which he called her body "atomic."

For an artist whose most famous works dealt within the mysterious confines of the human psyche, Dalí's turn to religious images more commonly associated with the Old Masters has been difficult to understand.

"Hopefully [the show] will change the way that a lot of people think about Dalí," said the show's curator, Elliott King. "Just thinking of him more. Not pigeonholing him as much as perhaps some have. Not writing him off as kitsch." The High exhibition features more than 100 of Dalí's works (including jewelry and sculpture) and explores his connection to Pop Art. "His extraordinary showmanship," said Mr. Shapiro, "seems to have inspired Andy Warhol and by extension Jeff Koons."

With this show, "what we found was there was a number of really significant works that had not been seen for 50 years," Mr. Shapiro said. "It had really almost been impossible to judge the work in the full way until now."

editorial@observer.com