Why Europe

Back from a three week trip (journey) that came full circle in Dublin, thanks to Aer Lingus and its no nonsense approach to travel, I have a few more photos and thoughts to share. 

I come home just as the President is being impeached by the House, and Boris Johnson has won a clear majority in his Parliament. 

The political landscape is bleak, shaking democracy at its core and making those of us who still believe in it utterly depressed.

Yet, my European trip restored -- as it often does -- a bit of confidence in what is good in the human made environment.  I saw people handling transit strikes with utmost stoicism, as unions fight to preserve their retirement benefits. I saw people handling a railway breakdown with humor and patience. Mostly, I saw a world that is still in place, a world that values its...people. Europe always strikes me as a place that emphasizes the human scale. I saw more bike lanes in Paris, for instance. I saw pubs where friends and colleagues hung out after work. I saw museums where people linger in front of paintings. I visited a record store where the owner takes his time to consult a customer's list. I visited a charity shop where the manager took the time to note down a band that I recommended she see (The Milk Carton Kids). 

 Charity shop, Manchester, UK

 Used record store, rue des écoles, Paris

 Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris

                                               Pub in Dublin

 Grand Canal, Dublin

Dubliners deal with the harsh weather with a no nonsense approach. I loved the faux fur coat and floral skirt, flat shoes, on the woman above. It's raining but so what.

Meanwhile, back in the US, I talk to the taxi driver taking me from Newark Airport to Manhattan in the snow. I opted for the taxi because the public transit options at Newark are complicated. I learned from my taxi driver that he is not allowed to transport passengers back to New Jersey from Manhattan. Hence, this is his only fare for two hours. He was making a very small wage for his effort.

Nowhere is perfect, I know that. I cannot make the argument that life is better in one place over another. But somehow, I always feel that Europe is more chill, that we can slow down a bit over there, and let our senses linger. It might also be a little more equitable for everyone.

80s flashback

This trip (journey?) to Glasgow with the usual popping in and out of charity shops and street wear watching has triggered a memory of my young adulthood in the 80s in New York City. I have already given this decade some thought, having written a graphic novella about it (that I hope to publish, soon!). The tension between, on the one hand, the punk fad that was very much in the air, and, on the completely other end of the spectrum, the "Lady Di" look, with mid-calf floral dresses, below the knee plaid skirts, shetland sweaters, hunting coats and wellies, seems to sum up the politics pretty well. I experimented with the former ever so briefly when I was in film school for a year. My teachers and fellow students were all into punk, and I remember buying a shortish pink and black striped skirt as an attempt to look the part. 

But alas, my much more middle of the road attraction to the princess of Wales and my insecurities about my looks prompted me to adopt more of a Laura Ashley look during the greater part of the decade. 

Back to the present,  the airport bus from Glasgow Airport dropped me off right outside a Laura Ashley shop, and in my jet lagged daze, I decided to have a look. It was very disappointing, nothing to do with the youthful flower prints of my ... youth. 

Ebay yielded this small sample, pretty close to the kind of dress I seem to remember wearing for a dressy occasion, covering the skin quite thoroughly, my goodness. 

And to trigger the memory of Diana wearing this kind of "goodie two shoes" clothing, I found this photo. 

In one of the charity shops that one encounters while walking in the center of Glasgow, there was a corduroy jumper in a green print with a Laura Ashley label, and I was actually really turned off by the look. In retrospect, punk lost to the floral coverups, the anger and violence against the establishment was not strong enough to resist the new conformity,  capitalism winning against anarchy. 

Now we have young people walking the streets of Glasgow in retro-punk chic, like the woman pictured at the very top. I even spotted a young woman wearing  the trademark ironic/iconic plaid of punk paired with a Laura Ashleyesque floral skirt, died lavender hair and combat boots completing the look. 

It's called the peasant look now, an offshoot of the rural look espoused by urban youth who have never set foot on a farm. 

Glasgow!

This December, I am visiting my daughter Clara who is studying sound art at the Glasgow School or Art. Glasgow is a great city for thrifting, but also for seeing an urban space's multiple overlapping historical layers, from the Georgian to the more pared down turn of the last-century art nouveau style popularized by local architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, to the post-industrial work share spaces installed in abandoned factories. 

Parnie Street in the center has quite a few vintage stores, including one run by an elderly Russian (?) couple that has quite a good selection of winter coats. 

 I also walked into a vintage shop that was actually run by a French woman who has been living in Glasgow for twenty years. I bought a kimono-like print dress, with a thick lining, perfect for winter dress up. The vibe in Glasgow is really relaxed with everyone being very polite and welcoming.

 At the School of art, I stumbled upon this flyer, about a clothes swap. Art students exchanging clothes, now that should make for an interesting selection!