Dear Dr. Boli: Why is there fashion? —Sincerely, Naomi Campbell.

Dear Madam: Fashion exists so that we will throw away our clothes before we have a chance to complain about how shoddily they are made.

Dr. Boli does not participate in fashion. He stopped buying suits in 1874. Up to that point, he had bought only the best suits from the best tailors, and they wear well. He is running low on collars, however, and finding them hard to replace, since, contrary to his expectations, the fad for shirts with collars sewn on seems to have some lasting power.