"But even in a potentially meaningless universe where civilizations crumble, institutions collapse and creatures fade into extinction, there are still a few mathematical certainties: things of genuine quality tend to eternally recur, especially if they're made of heavy cotton duck or decent leather. Nobody ever looks like an idiot in a good peacoat, and (a trick I learned from movie wardrobe girls) people tend to notice how comfortably you rock your silhouette far more than they notice the safety pin holding your hem together or the fact that your buttons don't quite match. (In fact, these charming delicacies of distress are mimicked by top designers, to create the illusion of character and provenance.)
'A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees,' said William Blake. On Church Street I stood underneath a tree that was having a riotous outburst of pink flowers and I may be far from wise, but eventually I noticed that no matter how much money I threw at it, it didn't get any prettier. It wouldn't have been prettier if I had replanted it on 86th and Madison, either. The point is to recognize the meritocracy in things of value, regardless of their low points of origin, current trendiness or future invisibility. Quality is quality, period. All else is corporate fear, hype, vanity and vexation of the spirit. Foolish is as foolish does."
I found this bit in a clipping from the New York Times of unknown date or year.
