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On the road in Uzbekistan
Even the most intrepid modern traveler determined to ''do'' the Silk Road embarks on something of a fool's errand. For the legendary track is no singular nostalgic highway, certainly not an antiquarian version of U.S. Route 66 running directly and famously from Chicago to Los Angeles. No, the Silk Road is a public relations man's dream of a reference to the multiple ancient trade routes that snaked exotically -- and often dangerously -- between China and the threshold of Europe. The routes twisted separately and severely around the snowcapped peaks and across the deserts of Central Asia. There were major rivers to ford, no matter how you went. It was blazingly hot in summer, perishingly cold in winter. Were there three, four, five principal routes? Modern mapmakers can't agree.
For Heiresses & Oscar Winners
Brazilian designer Carlos Miele's texture-rich collection comprised standout red-carpet evening gowns, and more casual, but equally feminine, looks that seem poised to grace the most-exclusive seaside parties next summer. The designs, cut from delicate fabrics such as renaissance lace and silk taffetta, exuded glamour of another time �-- and another hemisphere. Its inspiration was a nearly 40-year-old meeting between Frank Sinatra and the Brazilian bossa nova singer Tom Jobim, and the musicians' subsequent collaboration. Catwalk highlights included a deep coral, heavily ruched silk charmeuse gown with a subtle sweetheart neckline; a turquoise, one-shoulder silk-satin chiffon top with a flower detail, tucked into a, gray floor-length skirt in silk gazar, and a crocheted champagne minidress, worn over a bikini with aqua- and toffee-color swirls.
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