米歇尔奥巴马的裙子 看似简单却意涵丰富

 　　The first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday was, rightly, not about the clothes: It was about trying to unify¹ the party, rise above the opponent and so on, as many of my colleagues have described. Which is not to say it lacked a fashion statement or two.

　　民主党全国代表大会周一召开的首晚，服装没有上议事日程，正该如此。大会是关于试图建立党内统一、超越对手等议题的，正如我的许多同事所描述的那样。但这并不是说，大会上没有发出一两个时尚宣言。

　　The loudest may have come early in the evening, courtesy of a video starring the economist² Austan Goolsbee and the actor Ken³ Jeong in which Mr. Goolsbee reveals to Mr. Jeong that most of the Donald Trump⁴-branded clothing line is not Made in the U.S.A., but rather in Bangladesh, China, Mexico and other countries (facts that seem to undermine Mr. Trump’s assertion of America First but also seem to have had no impact on his supporters). But the most pointed⁵ came, not surprisingly, from Michelle Obama.

　　承蒙一个视频，最响亮的宣言可能是当晚早些时候发出的，该视频由经济学教授奥斯坦·古尔斯比(Austan Goolsbee)和演员郑肯(Ken Jeong)主演，古尔斯比在视频中对郑肯说，大部分唐纳德·特朗普品牌的服装不是美国制造，而是孟加拉国、中国、墨西哥和其他国家制造的（这些事实似乎有损特朗普的美国第一的说法，但似乎对他的支持者们没有影响）。但最刻意的宣言来自米歇尔·奥巴马(Michelle Obama)，这并不奇怪。

　　Not that you would have known it at first. Like her speech, in which she castigated⁶ Mr. Trump without ever saying his name, her dress spoke⁷ volumes while appearing, at first glance, to be entirely⁸ subdued⁹.

　　这并不是说你会在一开始就注意到了。米歇尔·奥巴马在演讲中斥责了特朗普，但并没有提他的名字，与她的演讲一样，她的着装含义深刻，但初看起来，似乎一点特色也没有。

　　Cobalt blue silk crepe, with cap sleeves, a flared¹⁰ skirt and a neat waist, it was by the designer Christian¹¹ Siriano, and it pretty much matched the backdrop, playing down Mrs. Obama’s appearance and playing to the patriotic¹² theme, especially when contrasted with the bright red jacket that Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wore during her speech.

　　她的裙装出自设计师克里斯蒂安·西里亚诺(Christian Siriano)之手，钴蓝色的丝绸绉纱、盖肩的短袖、喇叭裙，以及紧凑的腰围，颜色几乎与背景相匹配，这使米歇尔的出场不那么重要，迎合了爱国的主题，尤其是在与马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦穿的鲜红色外套相比之下。

　　But the simplicity¹³ and the color were just the beginning. See, Mr. Siriano is a former reality TV star — the only designer to really have emerged from the television show “Project Runway” (he won the fourth season competition) and carved out a place on the New York Fashion Week scene.

　　但是，简单的设计和颜色的选择仅仅是开始。要知道，西里亚诺是前真人秀明星，是从电视节目《天桥骄子》(Project Runway)（他在该节目的第四季中胜出）真正走出来的唯一设计师，并在纽约时装周(New York Fashion Week)上谋得了一席之地。

　　But unlike another reality TV star, Mr. Siriano has built his career on being inclusive: on catering¹⁴ to women regardless of size or age.

　　但是，与其他真人秀明星不同，西里亚诺的职业生涯是建立在包容之上的：他为不同年龄和身材的女性设计服装。

　　Most recently, he was, for example, the designer who stepped forward (via Instagram) when Leslie Jones, the late-40-something six-foot-tall star of the movie remake “Ghostbusters,” complained that no designer wanted to dress her, making a custom off-the-shoulder red gown for her premiere that became something of an internet moment. He also has a collaboration¹⁵ with the plus-size store Lane Bryant, for which he held a runway show at the United Nations this year, and has dressed other celebrities¹⁶, including Kate Hudson and Zendaya.

　　最近的一个例子是，当出演翻拍版的《捉鬼敢死队》(Ghostbusters)的40好几、身高1米8有余的演员莱斯利·琼斯(Leslie Jones)抱怨说，没有愿意为她配置服装的设计师时，西里亚诺（通过Instagram）挺身而出，为她出席首映式定制了露肩红色礼服，在互联网上引起了一时的轰动。他还与大尺码服装店莱恩·布赖恩特(Lane Bryant)有合作，并为这个合作今年在联合国举办的一个时装秀，他还为凯特·哈德森(Kate Hudson)和赞达亚(Zendaya)等名人设计过服装。

　　“I just don’t think anyone should be excluded from having a beautiful dress,” he said to me when we were talking about the Jones brouhaha, and why he had volunteered to play fairy godfather.

　　我们谈起琼斯的礼服引起的骚动、以及他为什么自告奋勇地担当了童话救星时，他对我说，“我不只是认为，任何人都不该被排除在能穿漂亮裙装之外。”

　　Lest you think Mrs. Obama’s wardrobe choice was just happenstance, however, know that the convention appearance was only the second time she has worn Mr. Siriano; the first time was this month, at the funeral for the police officers killed in Dallas.

　　但是，免得你认为奥巴马夫人的着装选择只是偶然，你须知，她这次出席大会穿的只是她第二次穿西里亚诺的设计；第一次是在本月参加达拉斯被枪杀警察的葬礼时。

　　Throughout her time in the White House, the first lady has made something of a secondary cause out of supporting new, independent American designers, and choosing her clothes not only because she likes them but because their back story has a certain resonance¹⁷ that goes beyond the aesthetic¹⁸. Monday night was no different. Fashion is not known for its embrace of togetherness (more for its exclusion). But Mr. Siriano is.

　　在白宫做第一夫人期间，奥巴马夫人把支持新的、独立的美国设计师差不多当成了一件次要事业来做，她选择服装不仅是因为她喜欢它们，而是因为其背后的故事有某种超出美感的共鸣。周一晚上的选择也是如此。时装不以其接受团结友爱而闻名（更多地是为了排他）。但西里亚诺是例外。

　　Think that’s just a coincidence?

　　还认为米歇尔的着装选择只是偶然吗？

 

1 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 castigated   

v.严厉责骂、批评或惩罚（某人）( castigate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He castigated himself for being so stupid. 他责怪自己太笨。
• He castigated the secretaries for their sloppy job of filing. 由于秘书们档案工作搞得马虎草率，他严厉地斥责了他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

10 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

13 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

14 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

15 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

16 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

17 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

18 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。