The Easel

23rd December 2025

Hot pink stained glass in Notre Dame? Experts tell a skeptical public it’s all part of tradition

Preservationists and modernisers have battled continuously over the restoration of Notre Dame cathedral. The latest cause célèbre is six monumental but “unremarkable” stained glass windows that survived the fire but will be replaced. The new windows are highly coloured and establish “a slow, processional rhythm” with collage-like designs that include figures, landscapes, and abstract motifs. Fumes one outraged preservationist “Perhaps a little modesty would be preferable.” Images are here..

16th December 2025

Westwood | Kawakubo: NGV hosts the works of two iconic catwalk rebels

Westwood and Kawakubo are revered fashion designers. Westwood pioneered “anarchic dressing” that celebrated female sexuality. Kawakubo’s anti-fashion aesthetic offers outlandish silhouettes and is almost never sexual.  Their common ground was rebellion and opposition to the “docile image of femininity”. For Kawakubo, comfort was a lesser priority than designs that made a person “aware of [one’s] existence. It just so happened that my notion [about this is] different from everybody else’s.”