The Numbered Lines

A blank white square, four white stitches at the back of the neck, and a ring drawn around one number to tell you which line you are holding. Zero for the artisanal work, 1 for the women's collection, 10 for the men's, 6 for the young line, 22 for shoes. The label refuses to say who made it, and that refusal was the entire argument the house was making.

What you will not want to hear is that the blankness which drew you in is also why the market is full of counterfeits. A label with no name on it is the easiest label on earth to copy, and four stitches are two minutes of work for anybody with a needle. You own at least one piece you are not certain about, and you have quietly decided not to look at it too closely.

Martin himself was gone by 2009 and the prices have known it for years. The house still cuts the split toe boot, and the 6 line still drops a shoulder seam on purpose, both for a fraction of what a 2003 piece costs on a Tuesday. If what you love is the idea rather than the year, it is on a shelf in this city right now.