notes on becoming fearless

ALL hallows

Happy Halloween!

I went for a true fashion bloggers costume this year...

a little SECRET

So one of the things I really wanted as a souvenir from my trip to Tokyo was a vintage kimono... after the first few days of wandering round the city I had pretty much given up hope of finding anything even vaguely authentic. Everything was made from cheap nasty polyester material in hideous prints and was basically just seriously overpriced tourist tat. But the gods must have been smiling on us - in our last couple of days we stumbled across this lovely little shop whilst we were wandering around the back streets of Omotesando and went in to have a quick look even though we were certain it would all be far too expensive.

 First look... lets go inside!

Ohhh pretty!

The lovely ladies who owned the shop insisted we try one on. It's a complicated process with a beautiful silk undergarment kimono underneath. They are actually quite bulky and heavy, especially around the waist where the kimono is folded up to lift it up from the floor. The long sleeves of the kimono get tied in with the obi and so arm movement is also quite restricted. You definitely need someone handy to dress you if you plan in wearing this sort of clothing!

This was a very antique kimono and cost over £300. Hmmm maybe I'll have a look at some others!

Adele being dressed. I think she bought this one, or one very similar.

So I think we ended up with two kimonos each, a haori jacket each, a kimono for a friend and a cotton men's kimono for Lewis. The prices weren't just reasonable but actually incredibly cheap considering what we were buying, some of the kimonos started at around £30!

So for next time you are in Tokyo looking for vintage kimonos check out Gallery Kawano, Flats Omotesando 102, 4-4-9 Jingumae, Sibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 Japan. Their website is here.

Here are the kimonos I bought - I will try and take some proper pictures of them soon. They are so beautiful!

coming SOON

Will be selling some clothes on eBay soon. Here's a peek at some of what's going up. Most of it brand new. I'll let you know when.

 

 

 

着物

A peek at some of my finds from Japan. 

 

 

 
 

society for the advancement of people of ELEGANCE

In the Bacongo suburb of the Congo the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes exerts an extraordinary influence on the way many men dress.  The history of the SAPE movement is fascinating, and you can read more about how it began here.  Sape is French slang for “dressing with class”. The French often use the expression “il est bien sape” to talk about a sharp dressed man. The term “sapeur” is a new African word that refers to someone that is dressed with great elegance.  Like dandies and teddy boys detail and sartorial elegance is of utmost importance.

George Amponsah, director of a 2004 documentary about les sapeurs called The Importance of Being Elegant says that 'The Sape emerged from the chaos that was the Congo during the reign of Mobutu. It was really one way of coping with a society that had broken down. For a young person growing up at that time, there wasn’t much to grasp hold of to help you feel better about yourself. Politics was out, so you found a lot of cargo cult religions in the Congo. The Sape is essentially one of these. The distinctive look of the sapeurs was also a rebellion against one of Mobutu’s dictatorial decrees, which was that everyone was expected to dress in a very traditional, standard African costume – the abacost.'

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way of watching the documentary on line but in a similar vein, if you haven't already, you should watch Paris is Burning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All pictures from the book Gentlemen of Bacongo by Daniele Tamagni.   

the lady in the TUTTI-FRUTTI hat

I found these pictures on Little Bird's blog and had to re-post them... beautiful pictures of model Tiiu Kuik photographed by Camilla Åkrans.  Now I want a fruity hat!

PENCIL me in

More fun fashion from Cheap Date Number Five.  Found via public personae blog who have a Stapler Chic category... if only Stapler of the Week extended to fashion!

mathilde est REVENUE!

Oufit posts aren't really my thing - there are so many lovely ladies out there on the internets with far more exciting approaches to style and more copiously stocked wardrobes than myself.  Yet at the moment I find myself with some time on my hands and some things I can leave until tomorrow so I've been having some fun with photo booth...

The skirt is an amazing vintage skirt that I have shamelessly stolen from my housemate (because she'll never ever wear it I promise).  I think it's actually some kind of costume underskirt but I like it as it is... all it needs is a fastening attached at the back.  It might also work better if the skirt grew by 2 inches or so round the waist, oh well you can't have it all!

And just in the interests of making this post that little bit more narcissistic here is the song I am named for, Mathilde by the inimitable Jacques Brel.

    

PHOTOBOOTH

Fun photos by Daniel Minnick.  

   
 
I'm always meaning to go the photobooth near me on Rivington Street - check if there's one near you with this handy photobooth locator.

 

fabled ENCHANTRESSES

In 1958 Marilyn Monroe posed for Richard Avedon as other sex sirens. From top Marilyn as Theda Bara, Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Lillian Russell and Clara Bow.