Glittersmacked

Seven years ago, Dior designer John Galliano sent shockwaves through the fashion world when he unveiled a haute couture collection that was inspired by the clothing of Parisian vagrants. "Haute Homeless" featured models dressed in newspaper, strutting down the aisle carrying bottles of booze, and shouting obscenities at photographers and spectators who had come to see the show.

Likely among those who wish they could have witnessed this modern masterpiece is Jeff Ferrell. Mr. Ferrell, tenured professor in criminal justice at Northern Arizona University, resigned from his tenured post two years ago so he and his wife Karen could try living out of dumpsters for a while. "[H]e was aware of the subculture of people who manage to survive on what others throw away. He wanted to find out how they do it, where they look, and whether he could live that way, too," reports ths Globe and Mail. Prof. Ferrell says: "What I found was that I could be almost 100 per cent dependent on what I scrounged except for food. I even discovered an entire collection of haute couture quality clothing in amongst the rubbish."

Life imitating art imitating life? Que Profundo.