Gazette du Bon Ton. Art- Modes & Frivolités, 1924 - No. 9 : L'étoile du berger / Manteau de fourrure, de Max-A. Leroy 1924

Editor: So, this is *Gazette du Bon Ton. Art- Modes & Frivolit\u00e9s, 1924 - No. 9: L'\u00e9toile du berger / Manteau de fourrure, de Max-A. Leroy,* a print from 1924. There’s a delicate, almost dreamy quality to it, like a carefully staged play. It reminds me of a glamorous advert from *Vogue*. I love the cool palette with the stark contrast to the fur stole. How do you read the symbolism, the ‘star’ in this picture? Curator: Ah, yes, that single star – a curious beacon, isn’t it? Almost like a shared secret, a whimsical gift bestowed in a surreal setting. The elegant fellow in the top hat extending what I assume to be, *l'etoile,* in question – *The Shepherd's Star*. It certainly reflects the optimism of the Art Deco period, and its taste for both luxury and romanticism, but what lingers for me is how it invites us to ponder the value we place on fleeting moments and objects. Can a star truly be given, or is it only ever borrowed from the vast theater of the night sky? I want to ask you – what is ‘glamorous’ to your eyes? Is this because of a pre-existing awareness? Editor: I see the glamour, definitely filtered through a modern lens, I suppose. It is because this art piece screams of an ‘era’ through styling and dress sense. But I now take your point, this could represent something more, something fleeting or even imagined. It makes me want to ponder who this illustration was made for! Curator: Indeed! And that pondering itself, that reaching across time, is perhaps the most enduring magic of all. We both now have a sense of a shared desire: it is the unshakeable allure of art. What is, in the end, really valuable to *you*?