Milan fashion week

I was in Milan once, during its design week. Unbeknownst to me. I wandered in or rather through, traveling by train from Lyon to Rome (and back again), with four hours to spare. My my, that was an eye opener. Stylish needs a new word that means stylish on steroids. Here is the photo shoot that Vogue is offering for its fashion week going on now. I love the pops of color, much needed now that nature is slowly fading back to its neutral beiges and browns, and greys....And that we are pandemic weary. But we must hang in there, and hope that everyone will come out of it wiser and more introspective. I know, I know, posting a fashion week shoot is not very introspective. There is a decent effort at diversity in the people pictured. At least that's something. 

Staged authenticity (part II) and late summer heat

 Back in 1973, sociologist Dean McCannell published an article in which he outlined the ways in which tourism has become a "stage" in which (on which) the "authentic" of the supposed culture tourists want to see is performed. Basically, we visit places that have been artificially transformed to accommodate our needs (parking, access) and our expectations (beautiful vistas, indigenous practices). 

One could argue that photography is a form of "staged authenticity." This one could be an exception, since the subject doesn't know that I am taking a picture of her. I did later tell her that I loved her outfit. She was standing outside of Lucky's cafe in Lebanon NH, and her stylish black dress, suede bag and little red slipper shoes were unusually stylish for our little town. 

This photo below, however, it totally staged since I used the timer on my phone. It is my way of promoting the 1. blouse that I picked up at my favorite used clothing source, ie Revolution and 2. air drying laundry. Why more people don't do this given that our planet is plenty hot, and using a dryer when it's 80º F or more outside makes no sense. 

These mugs are part of our little collection of hand-thrown pottery. Another institution that is now gone is the crafts store in Hanover NH that occupied the same space for forty years. The shutdown of the college including graduation and alumni reunions has hurt local businesses (not just in Hanover but everywhere else too), and the crafts store was hit hard mostly because people were already, before the pandemic, thinking twice before spending forty dollars on a mug. What will happen to the local crafts industry and to the know-how that goes with it? How will future generations learn to make fine objects out of wood, metal and ... mud? Crafts are not just for show, but for use. Perhaps, if we spend more on a mug, we will take better care of it. 

***

Time to go see if the laundry is dry. 

Sweater weather and staged authenticity

Late summer means cooler temperatures. I welcome the change, no matter how sudden. At least that change is fairly predictable. 

Finally I can wear that blouse I call my Chiara Mastroianni blouse because the actress wore something like that in a movie about the Bruni sisters. The sweater is from Folk which was a great little store in Hanover, NH for many many years. 

This sweater is from Revolution in White River Junction. 

With summer coming to an end, a quick day ("daycation") trip down to Northampton MA included used bookstores and vintage clothing. 

The city has an "authentic"  vibe, the young, the old, the rich, the poor. It doesn't look too polished and gentrified. Although, truthfully, it's another college town that has attracted its fair share of well-intentioned rich people who want to live in a culturally rich, close to nature, community minded place. 

I spotted this woman outside of the cafe "Iconica" which is quite the secret destination. It's a must go to if you ever visit NoHo.  The owners have literally turned a small building into a work of art in which they serve artfully crafted food and drinks. 

Back in White River Junction, VT, another town hanging on to that balance between gritty authenticity and pleasure destination,  Kim of Revolution decided to hold a small outdoor sale. This woman was rocking her outfit and let me photograph her. 

 One more sweater to close, another Revolution find. I'm into mixing shades of green these days. Sorry for the grainy photo which was taken with the computer as I had forgotten my phone that day.