Beauty from Sarajevo

As the Economics class strolled through the sprawling old workrooms of Borac, women in sleeveless blouses and men in jeans paused over sewing machines, patterns and irons to look us over too. "Where you from?" they called out as we walked by.

The director showed us the room where buyers once gathered from around Yugoslavia to see models showing off the latest Borac offerings. Two students jumped up on the runway and pranced down in imitation of Fashion Week. The place had the stale look of the 19970s.

Borac cannot even rely on that tactic of companies elsewhere that try to make it by exhorting people to Buy Bosnia. Fifty percent of the population, he pointed ou, don't even want to live in this country.

Miranda was the best dressed member of our student tour, thanks to an all-nighter her mother pulled to finish off a dramatically cut black skirt with white stitching and a matching purse with a bow. A fitting outfit for a trip to a fashion house.

"Look," said one of the seamstresses as we walked by, "a beauty from Sarajevo."