In honor of New York Fashion Week, I need to address fashion's current curse which does not involve hemlines, leather sleeves or peek-a-boo holes in the wrong places. I am dismayed by the death of the plural.  I don't exactly know when this happened, when s's were executed from the fashion vernacular. The evolution of this verbal annoyance is particularly pronounced on this season's Project Runway, a show I not only love but have a family connection to as well. It is an assault on my ears. No. Excuse me - on my ear because according to the pronouncements of Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and crew, I only have one. I have an eye and a lip but not two of either. Right now I am sporting a naked eye rather than a smokey one for a night out on the town. I have a bare lip rather than a pouty pair painted and glossed. Most humans have features that come is sets of two, a pair of eyes, lips, cheeks and ears. When did the plural become singular??!!

Of course this linguistic trend has extended to the heart of fashion - clothing. There was a time when a man or woman put on a pair of pants or a pair of jeans. Now that article of clothing that covers two legs is a pant or a jean. I thought a pant was something that happened when you were out of breath or when a dog was thirsty and a Jean was a woman born in the 30's. Shoes, of course, are a shoe even though the fashion models strut down the runway with one on each foot. All this gives me as much discomfort as wearing a four inch heel. (Note I did not say heels.) This sartorial singularity is pronounced with such conviction that I feel I was educated in an alternate universe by Mrs. Fine and Miss Musante, my high school English teachers, and thrown into a world where all the two's are ones.

Now just don't get me started on "product"....