"sapeuses"

 I came across this article as I was searching for information on the "sapeuse" or African women who, like their male counterparts, the "sapeurs," like to dress in European high end clothing as a way to make a statement about their social identity. Now that this blog is ten years old, I have decided to turn it into a book, which is leading me down new unexpected paths, including this one. Again, it was my friend Sandra who explained to me the importance for some African women to look well dressed and to show off high end brands as a way to demarcate themselves from the rest of the crowd but also to elevate their country's reputation to something that does not say "poverty." 

The article states, "Spending money on ornate umbrellas and silk socks might seem surreal when almost half the country’s population lives in poverty, but the SAPE movement aims to do more than just lift the spirits. Over the decades, it has functioned as a form of colonial resistance, social activism and peaceful protest."

The photos are real eye openers. I love these African dandys!

Littleton NH

My friend Sandra was curious to see what all the Polyanna fuss was about up in Littleton, New Hampshire, so we drove up there for the day. Indeed, the author of the Polyanna books was born there, and the town is milking that connection to the utmost in order to attract tourists. Wave while you cross at the many crosswalks with Polyanna's white shadow printed on the asphalt. 

It's an old mill town on the edge of the White Mountains with a river flowing through it. A brewery was doing good business on a June Saturday, with its deck facing the Ammonoosuc River, and most delightful of all was "Just L," a two level vintage furniture store where I found a water pitcher that has a cylinder in the center in which one can place ice cubes. My friend found an almond grinder and three Martini glasses. 

The covered bridge over the Ammonoosuc River

 I end with a photo of a new gallery in White River Junction, Vermont, called Kishka. The linoleum floor is original, in both senses of the word. It houses art books that one can check out, along with selling contemporary art and a small selection of new books that are related to art in a very open way. 

Hot and humid in New York City

On this, my final full day in New York, as we slowly emerge from a year of pandemic isolation, the temperatures were not as hot and humid as they had been on previous days. No thunderstorms were in the forecast either, so I decided to walk to a vintage hub of sorts, in the East Village near Gramercy Park. I used to live in the city, and have visited countless times, but I have no memory of the blocks between Astor Place and 23rd Street along Third Avenue. They are unremarkable except for the smattering of good vintage stores, including one that was selling everything except for the jewelry at a deep discount. I wish I could have brought home a full length mirror. Instead I bought a tiered black summer dress which I will probably send to my daughter in Scotland who loves to wear black. 
 

Much to my relief, on my walk back to TriBeCa, I was able to stop into the Housing Works Bookstore on Crosby. It had finally reopened. I love the double staircase and the connecting walkway on the mezzanine. A Paul Bowles memoir was waiting for me. 

"Cure" on East 12th Street. All was on sale, including the full length mirrors and a green printed silk dress that was absolutely gorgeous. 

I also wish I could have picked up this pair of chairs for our back yard in New Hampshire. The store is on Third Avenue just south of 23rd Street. 

And of course, I must end the post with a visit to the Strand, still reliably filled on three levels with all kinds of books. 

June commute

My last trip on the local bus to get from home to work. I am done with the teaching part of my life. 

I snapped a photo of this rider whose outfit had caught my eye and struck me as original. The shawl was probably originally made by her. She was also reading a book. 

My last class. At the end, a student stayed on Zoom only to show me a book her friend had bought her at the local used bookstore. It was one of mine, with my name still handwritten on the inside page, to mark the ownership status. We had come full circle. I had written my dissertation on French women writers, and the book was an anthology of... French women writers.  What a great way to end my era of teaching French language and literature. 

1967

My partner and I watched the movie about the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. We liked it so much that we rented the dvds with the outtakes: more Janis Joplin, more Jimmy Hendrix, more...crowd shots. Those clothes, that hair, that makeup, those hats! 

Intrigued by the colorful, psychedelic outfits worn by the festival attendees and performers, I am now rereading Trina Robbins memoir, Last Girl Standing, in which she chronicles her life as a cartoonist, but also as a fashion designer among the rock stars. 

Also on my reading list,  Hippie Chic, published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which chronicles the fashion of the 1960s, its origins and various manifestations, from the low of the streets up to the high of designers who opened expensive boutiques. 

Back to the "Monterey Pop" film. It provided evidence that people -- mostly young people in their teens and twenties -- were gathering and getting high, yes, and expressing through their wild colors and assemblage of ethnic garb (ponchos, long robes of various kinds, floppy hats, beads, lots and lots of beads) a desire to live differently. 

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Then, yesterday, as I was walking into town from campus, I ended up behind a student who was wearing serious bell bottoms, as in very wide at the bottom, and, well, a very tight bottom at the top. I took my time looking in detail at those pants, wondering if they were vintage or new. I sensed that they were new (the Free People brand perhaps, where hippie fashion can be bought already assembled). Was her outfit a sign of the times to come? Is another counter culture coming our way? I sure hope so. I am ready for another reality. 

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That film, those books, those images of people wearing wild clothes, long hair, ethnic jewelry, caftans and head bands -- basically watching people escape from their reality frees the current day viewer  into their own escapism, albeit of a different kind. What are we escaping from and why? What is wrong with our reality? The younger generation has always reacted to the evil doings of those in power, whether it be war, corruption, demagoguery or the pitiful state of mother earth. But I am no longer young, yet I am still rebellious. Perhaps what I yearn for is some kind of idealized past, one in which I imagine that people paid less attention to themselves and more attention to their surroundings -- in this case, the amazing sounds coming from the stage. Little did the attendees know that someday, they would have quite the story to tell. To have seen Jimi Hendrix live in concert, among all the other pop, rock and blues bands that performed during those three days must have been a hell of an experience. 

"Post-Fashion"

 What is "post-fashion"? 

A google search yields various results, including a reference to the post-pandemic world in which we hope to be transitioning. Or not. It sounds dismal.

An Amazon search draws me to this title:

The summary is as follows: 

Scholars have argued that postmodernism is dead and that we are entering into a new era that some have labelled altermodernism, digimodernism, performatism, and post-postmodernism. This book expands on the nascent scholarship of post-postmodernism to highlight how dress, fashion, and appearance are reflections of this new age.

The volume starts with a discussion of fashion, subjectivity, and time and an analysis of temporality, technology, and fashion in post-postmodern times. Later chapters analyse the work of design houses and mass producers such as Vetements, Gucci, and Uniqlo whose products align with post-postmodern aesthetics, hyperconsumption, and hypermodern branding. The book looks at diverse geographic and identity markers by discussing post-postmodernism and the religio-politico-cultural questions in South Asian Muslim fashion, image and identity presentation in queer social networking apps, and by exploring fashion designer Tom Ford's output as a movie director. Two chapters discuss the post-postmodern fashion exhibition with analyses of recent exhibitions and an in-depth look at the work of exhibition maker Judith Clark. The final chapter is written by members of The Rational Dress Society, a counter-fashion collective that makes JUMPSUIT, an experimental garment to replace all clothes.

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Why am I thinking about "post-fashion"? Because it's become quite noticeable that fashion a. is irrelevant at this moment (unless you are oblivious to the current global situation) b. has not really come up with anything new or interesting in the last twenty years. 

I say that because photos from fashion magazines of the last twenty years seem interchangeable. I say that because it's time to stop shopping for new clothes and to consume less. 

I am trying to practice what I preach. Only purchase from used sources. Unless it's underwear or tee-shirts. I have my limits. 

I am also transitioning to a no job (post-job?) life which will mean no more pay check and no more benefits. It's a good idea to practice a more humble lifestyle in order to become accustomed to it. 

I have started two volunteer jobs. One is at a non-profit art gallery, the other at a second-hand bookstore. I'm not sure where the "post-job" is heading, both require some adeptness with technology. The gallery job wishes I knew my way around WordPress (I don't, at least not yet). The bookstore requires checking out customers via a computer as well. I am tired of computers (as I type this on one of course). Alas, we are not heading in the direction of a post-computer world. Quite the opposite. 

My computer fatigue seems normal given how much time we have been spending on them lately. I have been vaccinated, and so are my friends in my immediate surroundings. That seems like a concrete change for the better. 

Time to drive another friend to her first shot. 

Bring on the spring!

 This mid-March week has been nicely warm and sunny, a welcome change from cold and cloudy winter. My friend Judith paid me a visit in my studio in White River Junction. We ate lunch at Phnom Penh Kitchen and then did a quick bit of thrifting. She showed up in a lovely color and fabric combo of red, black and tan, she was even bare footed in her shoes. That's a big deal in Vermont in March. 

I picked up this cotton tee-shirt at Revolution. The dress was purchased by a customer who let me photograph her green and mustard acquisition (I wish I had seen her in it, oh well). 

Speaking of multiple uses for things, this old plant pot was perfect for an outdoor ice bucket, with snow scooped up from the yard as I enjoyed a beer in the sunshine.