French Eurostar designer upsets British travellers with call to be more elegant
A French designer has upset British Eurostar travellers by suggesting that they should wear something a little more elegant than jogging bottoms when they are travelling on the train.
Philippe Starck, who is masterminding a multi-million revamp of the train’s first-class compartments, said: “There is a tendency today for people to wear purple jogging bottoms, green fluorescent sweaters and orange Nike trainers. I can understand that people want to be comfortable, but it is possible to be elegant as well. Sometimes you want to open a little door to people and they will be inspired to upgrade themselves.”
However, The Times reports that Monsieur Starck’s comments have upset British patrons of the train; one told the newspaper: “I have just lugged heavy cases off the Metro in the rush hour and the last thing I am worrying about is looking elegant.” Another added: “It doesn’t matter how posh it is, jogging bottoms make sense if you are travelling a long way.”
For anyone remotely interested in what would be considered “elegant”, the newspaper reports that Starck was wearing jeans, a suit jacket, and white training shoes. As for the revamp, first-class carriages will now feature leather swivel chairs, more room for luggage, more neutral colours, and power sockets at some seats.
