London Calling

I haven't forgotten that I'm supposed to be writing a follow-up to my last post, though I suspect everyone else has. It's just that I can't summon up sufficient brainpower at the moment. But I will return to the subject before too long

In the meantime, another matter has been exercising my attention. As you know, I have long been a fan of Longines Swiss watches, judging them to keep some of the best times you could wish to keep, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that Simon Baker was also rather keen on them. As Simon so rightly says, standing next to a horse in this week's edition of Le Figaro Magazine, "Elegance is an attitude".

In the French version of the advertisement, the slogan "Elegance is an attitude" is followed by an asterisk, helpfully referring the reader to an explanatory note:
* "L'élégance, c'est un attitude".  I never would have guessed.

I am particularly keen on slogans for watches because, like those for perfumes and banks, the text defies close analysis. In what way is elegance an attitude, and who is displaying it in the picture - Simon, the watch or the horse? The horse has attitude all right, but is it elegant?

During the last war, the BBC used to broadcast seemingly anodyne messages to members of the Resistance in France as a way of imparting vital information: "Elegance is an attitude". I repeat, elegance is an attitude" .

Or again, the slogan would not come amiss as an aphorism in a Christmas cracker, especially if attributed to Pascal or Voltaire.