She was always particularly “tantrumy,” as Max called it, after them, appearing low-spirited and unhappy.

One of the best descriptions of the often indecipherable look of the work comes from José Coronado, the costume designer, who has compared the dancers in motion to rubber bands stretching and restretching.

Leaving this town and the Sining River valley the road ascends a grassy valley with some recently started cultivation to a pass, 10,780 feet, over the Jih-yüeh Shan range, 27 miles from Tangar. This is the boundary between the Kansu and Ch'ing-hai Provinces. It is also the real boundary between China and Tibet, though the present frontier is the Tang-la Range, running east and west, the divide between the Salween and Mekong rivers.

In recent seasons fetishwear has found its way onto the catwalk, with vinyl, PVC and lycra featuring among the most unlikely designer offerings.