This is how his books came to be passed around our family. You would be sitting around, minding your own business while someone paged through one of his excellent travelogues, and all of a sudden you'd hear this gurgly snort. You'd look up, then go back to whatever you were doing, and then the snort would come again. You'd look at the reader and they'd look back at you, and they'd look like they were going to say something but think better of it, and then when you went back to whatever you were doing, you'd get halfway there and they'd blurt out "okay okay I gotta read you this" and they'd read you the passage and you'd both crack up. And then you called dibs on the book.
Bryson is a travel writer, but that descriptor falls a bit short. He is a keen observer of human greatness as well as human weirdness, and writes beautifully on both. This outing follows his decision to hike the Appalachian Trail, and if you can get through this book and not want to head out to the nearest hiking store to empty your bank account, well...you're a stronger person than I. Not only is the book stuffed with information about camping, hiking, weather, nature and of course, the Trail itself, but it's illuminated with portraits of the various wizards and weirdos inhabiting the AT. It's a fascinating look at the experience, particularly as viewed through Bryson's experience and that of Katz, his erstwhile hiking partner.
I love Katz. I love Katz because everyone has a Katz. He's the friend that you have that you spend half of your friendship wanting to stab directly in the face, but the other half, you can't even remember where the knives are because you're so busy laughing right from your gut. These are the friends that remind you what humanity is all about. Katz is...epically unsuited for the enterprise of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Bryson was perhaps unprepared for the scale of the AT, but Katz was unprepared for any hiking trip more strenuous than a lap of a small, 80s era mall. There are blowups and tantrums, but I don't think that Bryson's trek would have been the same without Katz; you can see true friendship there, strange and erratic though it may be.
This is a wonderful read, particularly for anyone interested in hiking or the AT itself, but certainly not limited to that audience. I heartily recommend any of Bryson's books, and his travelogues are particularly great beach reading.
I often wonder if Alexis de Tocqueville ever gets tired of being right ALL THE TIME. I watch politics today and see his predictions coming to life over and over again. What worries me is that these animations are the predictions he was most concerned about. I hate when people say that politics aren't "their thing," because our lives are political, and no one can escape that reality, particularly here in America. You can not give a shit about the details of the latest bill on the House floor all you want, but you do need to pay attention to the larger concerns of our polity. Sorry, but you do. Politics control all of our lives, even if we are not conscious of their power; it's like the proverb about water being the last thing a fish discovers because he is surrounded by it his entire life.
There are a thousand wonderful statements strung together in Democracy, but the predominant one is so simple it's right out of a comic book: with great power comes great responsibility. Tocqueville is clearly in awe of the American political system, but he sees the dangers interlocked with its benefits. Our fierce insistence on equality allows the most freedom of any system - even amongst other democracies - but it also removes a locus of power that is provided in other systems by an aristocracy. Not inherently bad, but it requires that we pay more attention to the preservation of our freedoms and our democracy, and avoid the tyranny of the majority. Tocqueville reminds us of these problems and seems to hope that we can avoid the pitfalls that litter our political landscape. He concerns himself with this not because he hopes for our failure but because he sees the potential we have to capitalize on. He felt so strongly about this that he called for an entirely "new political science." That's a pretty serious statement.
I will admit that I am biased when it comes to this work, because it's exactly what I hope to do some day - to write books that make politics interesting and accessible to everyone. I'm not so bold as to say my writing is of Tocqueville's caliber, but I can certainly aspire to his great example. This is unquestionably one of the best political works of America's history, and probably one of the best in the world's history. To see anyone's politics so clearly is a remarkable feat, and to analyze them to this depth is sheer brilliance. Required reading for everyone.
The challenge: to make an outfit for a little girl and one to match for her mom.
Question: Did the designers act like little bitches about having to design for someone who is not a size 00 model?
Answer: Kind of. Lots of comments about not liking children, etc. However, they got their acts together eventually and did just fine. Seth Aaron won the challenge while being extremely cute about his own daughter and how proud she would be of him, which made it that much better. I actually didn't love the little girl outfit - it seemed kind of generic to me - but WHOA Mom Outfit. The motorcycle jacket as freaking gorgeous and I even liked the pants. I love the patterning and the uberflattering cut. I WANT it. Janeane Marie lost for creating a lot of unflattering junk. I can't really argue with the aufing, but I will say I didn't think the little girl's outfit was so bad, just kind of boring. Amy got reamed on these pants, but I have to admit that I kind of like them. A couple people have suggested that a different color combo would have helped but I actually like the coral and teal look. It seems very Floridian to me...which might explain my affinity for them, actually, since I'm thinking about my upcoming Florida vacation. The little girl's outfit, however, was quite atrocious, and I thought so even before I saw that the leggings end in a RUFFLE. Dodged a bullet there, Amy my love. Anthony didn't go as matchy-matchy as the other designers and what the combo lacks in coherence it makes up for in cuteness. The mom dress is a little boring (and the styling is effing disgusting. You couldn't have WASHED her hair???) but it's well made and fits beautifully. The little girl's dress is very sweet, and I like the fairly sophisticated print on the bodice. It's a nice effect and the model seemed to like it. Ben didn't match either but this was much rougher. The little girl looks like she's wearing a costume for some production of a Dickensian work with that washed out color and shapeless cut. The Mom skirt is nice but the top is weirdly blocky and I don't think I like it, even though I do enjoy the color palette. Emilio produced a superchic look for the Mom and a very cute little dress for the girl. I love the classic dress with the funky assymetrical neckline on the adult model. The little girl's dress is sweet but I wish it had been closer fitted in the bodice and more lively in the skirt. Solid effort and frankly the first "WOW" piece from Emilio. Jay Nicolas did some nice work here. I liked the casual look he offered up, and the ruffly detailing looked great. The little girl's outfit is funky and although I was initially horrified because I thought the pockets were cutouts, now that I know they are in fact pockets they are a neat idea. I could probably live without the scarf, but it's not a look killer. Jesse came up with this cute Madeline-on-Crack look and I thought it was just great. I appreciate that he took a very classic, school-uniformy look and instead of having to completely revolutionize it, he just skewed it a little bit so it's still recognizable. Love it. The Mom outfit is amazing too...the tailoring is stunning and the design is wonderful. I love the color palette, too! Jonathan got slammed harder than I thought necessary. I think there's a little dissonance between the intent of the two garments; the Mom looks like she's going to a fancy cocktail party, while the daughter looks like she's going to a pretty standard kid birthday. I think the Mom dress would have gotten more props if it wasn't white. The little girl's bolero is probably unnecessary but I actually think that the dress is really sweet and I love the sunny yellow. Maya made a very little-kid-y kid outfit, which was plenty cute but not really exceptional. The Mom pants were similarly cute-but-boring, but the jacket was very cool. I wish it wasn't a midriff-baring jacket, however. The shoes on Mom are teriffic with the outfit. Mila went over cutesy on the little girl...it's like some kind of nightmare 101 Dalmatian/Flintstones hybrid. The Mom's jacket looks like a freaking tent, and the only thing even INTERESTING is the pair of leggings...and those make her legs look huge. Bad news all around.
TRUE LIFE: Forty-plus nights of my life, I'm going to be wearing some form of teal. This is the ways it's been for some time now...first with the Icecats and now with the Sharks. I guess I should be happy that the two Worcester teams have both involved teal. In any case, I sometimes match my makeup to the occasion. Now this is important: if you match your makeup to your outfit, you will look crazy. Therefore, I only use teal eye makeup when I am wearing a black (or other non-teal) jersey. For this look I applied a strip of Acidic Reign in the middle of my eyelid. If you only buy one color from The She Space (and you'd better get on it, she's selling off her inventory), make it this one. It's a gorgeous rich color that I'm pretty sure would look great on anyone - I know that sounds odd, but I can't think of a better color to have around your eyes. I then added Into The Smoke on the outside third of the lid and a lighter silver from the military collection on the inside. I finished it all with Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes mascara and then went to Manchester to have three pitchers of beer. It was a great time!
This week's challenge asked the designers to come up with a look for Heidi Klum to wear on the cover of Marie Claire. Some Anonymous Internet Person commented that they were surprised that it had taken so long for PR to get to this kind of challenge, and I have to agree...you have Heidi, you have Ninagarcia...shouldn't this have come to pass before?? In any case, it was a fun challenge with real stakes, which always amps up the intensity. Anthony was the winner with this cute little number in a pretty, icy blue. He hit just the right color, with enough visual interest for a cool cover that doesn't overwhelm the model. I still want to smack him a lot of the time, but the outfit is terrific! I like the funky bracelet too. Anna got the boot for this. I have no complaints, that shit is depressing. The sad little jacket...the limp details on the shirt...the snoozetastic hair? Ugh. I want to go cry alone in the rain just looking at it. Amy made this beautiful dress despite the Marie Claire lady specifically saying they didn't like print, but...wouldn't you buy a magazine with this dress on it? The shoes are not great but I love the fabric and the little detail on the bodice. Really lovely, and I wish I could own it. Well, I say I want to, but those hemlines always look weird on me. The long corners create a quasi-arrow of leg that seems to be yelling "LOOK AT MY VAGINA" and while I can rock a lot of things, I cannot rock that. Ben's dress was rightfully praised; I'm guessing that the judges zeroed right in on this one and Anthony's and spent most of their time trying to figure out how the hell they could pick just one. I love the color palette - especially the luscious yellow - and the cut is really beautiful. The styling is hideous, because that is the theme this season apparently, but the dress is a knockout. This is another one I would buy in a heartbeat. Emilio continues to not really get it. This is pretty in a way (a ballerina way, specifically) but it's not enough for a magazine cover. The neckline is really wonky for me. I want to say that it's too low, but I think it might be the shape of it as well. Whatever it is, it's not working for me, and that didn't change even when they had him get rid of those little snippits on the shoulders. Also...I didn't notice this when the episode aired, but WTF is with those SHOES? It's like "ballerina, ballerina, ballerina, WOW SHORT, ballerina, PUNK." Janeane Marie was probably thinking the shot for the cover would be waist up, and I commend her for thinking of that, but you can't just stop the interest after the expected cutoff on a photo. If she had worked in the teal at the bottom of the dress it might be more coherent but it's just kind of bland. The movement was pretty and she might have been on to something with the colors, but the end result wasn't what it could have been. Jay Nicolas should have picked a different color. It wouldn't have won him the challenge, most likely, but it would have gotten him further up in the ranks. As Rich said, "maybe if it was a video he would have won." The movement on this was beautiful and I was glad that the editors included a side shot as it was moving down the runway...freakin' poetry in motion right there. I wonder what kind of fabric he used. Nice work from Jay. Jesse came up with this fairly severe number...I think it might be more interesting than it seems at first glance, but first glance is what you base your magazine purchases on. This is a great dress for going out, but not quite the right genre for a Marie Claire cover. I do like the weaving/patterning on the midsection! Jonathan put this one on deck. I'm having a really hard time getting past the 70s rollerskating shorts, but the more I look at it the more I like it. Check out the pretty twisted belt thinger going on there! To be honest, I don't know how great it would be on Heidi - I think it might wash her out - but it's a sweet, clear look. Maya's dress was a complete snore. I think she was another one thinking of a waist up shot, or at least I HOPE she was. Unfortunately, the top isn't that interesting either. I like the structure of it, but the colors are awful. The hemline is gross too. It reminds me of those jean skirts that people used to wear where you basically cut a pair of jeans open and then sewed a panel between the legs. Not a good memory. Mila's dress looked like it was from a challenge where you had to make a dress out of your shapewear. This is most disappointing because it would have been really cool in some better colors. Again, I still don't know that it would have made it a winner, but it would have improved the situation. Seth Aaron at least has a client...Trinity from the Matrix. I get what he's going for here but with the small pops of color it's just very unbalanced and way too severe. It looks like it's well made but it's just not that great designwise.
A wonderful, smart friend of mine referred me to Harvey Mansfield's writings on formality and the role clothing plays in our communication of our selves to other people, and I had one of those brilliant, revelatory moments that come from reading a really smart person's coherent summation of something you felt but could never quantify. Mansfield wisely connects personal presentation to political life, and I don't think it's necessary to limit fashion to an announcement of our private politics alone. Clothing, particularly in runway shows, can speak to large-scale political themes sometimes even more clearly than words. Now, it's difficult to have a complete conversation via clothing for all the obvious reasons, but it can frame a question differently or begin the conversation in the space between people's reactions to a garment. I think our most virulent pop political discussions stem from a problematic framing of debate, so gaining new context can be invaluable.
Alexander McQueen died last week, and there are few designers as willing to Say Something through their clothing and presentation as he was. I wrote a while ago about Lady Gaga and the value of people who fight against the conforming pressures of democratic equality and it's no surprise that she and McQueen worked together closely; they shared many of the same sensibilities and dimensions of clothing. There can be no question that McQueen was revolutionary and that he created clothing with true meaning. In an era when new media diffuse the kind of attention that once created superstars on a frequent basis, McQueen's dramatic vision elevated him to a certain plane that few can achieve...a plane upon which all comers can react to and appreciate one's work.
Unfortunately, that kind of excellence is wildly stressful, particularly when accessed through a creative enterprise like fashion. When you look at the brightest stars, you can't help but notice that they burn out so quickly - a certain kind of creative genius just can't survive in the kind of conformist, market-centric world we have here on Earth. McQueen had suffered massive loss in recent weeks and years and it seems like the strain of that emptiness in his life along with the drain of such a creative life overwhelmed him. It is a huge loss. I hoped to one day own one of his beautiful creations, but that seems unlikely now. Instead, I hope to constantly question my fashion and push my limits in the hopes of challenging the world around me in some small way.
I've been meaning to write something about McQueen since I first heard the news, but I can't figure out how to do it all justice and I think that might be because it's impossible. I didn't know McQueen, but his clothes spoke to me. These are some of my favorites; some have commentary, some don't. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and more importantly that they make you think.
I feel a little odd about using the same phrase to react to the deaths of political leaders and to fashion designers, but I keep feeling one phrase over and over..."a great light has gone out."
RTW Spring 2005
What does the blend of ultra feminine detail with the super-realistic breastplate mean? How about the fact that the head and neck are immobilized? Is this an enthusiastic endorsement of rigid gender stereotypes, or a dramatic image meant to point out their weaknesses?
RTW Spring 2005
I love the amazing sculptural quality of this dress, to say nothing of the civilization springing from her head up there. The skirt is amazing, and the bodice doubly so. What does the headdress mean?
RTW Spring 2005
RTW Spring 2005
More use of the football imagery in the breastplate, but with the swirling, complex ethnic designs on the skirt. Is he pointing out the toughness in women or the femininity in the most aggressive sports?
RTW Spring 2005
I just love the shapes in this - the cut of the jacket is particularly interesting, more so when juxtaposed alongside the swath of lace.
RTW Fall 2006
Most of McQueen's shows have an unmistakable connection to nature, often giving you the feeling that they were clipped out of the woods and transported to the runway. Here, the glorious shock of feathers adds lightness but the overall effect is of strength.
RTW Fall 2006
This...is a tree. I loved the use of the feather headdresses in this collection.
RTW Fall 2006
RTW Fall 2006
The diagonal plaids here are glorious.
RTW Fall 2006
You can't really degrade or enrich the female form without understanding its anatomy. There are serious questions about McQueen's outlook on women and they deserve consideration, but I think this jacket in particular demonstrates that his were not idle comments on the female form. This is someone who understood the female body, and knowing that fact necessarily directs our considerations of his gender politics. (For the record, I believe his work was quite feminist, and that the reshaping of the female form he engaged in challenged traditional stereotypes of feminine beauty.)
RTW Fall 2006
RTW Spring 2007
I don't love the giant hat, but I do love the beautiful ruffling and the sheer top. RTW Spring 2007 McQueen honed his chops on Savile Row as a tailor; the knowledge he gleaned from that experience allowed him not only to create his amazing works of art but to play with gender stereotypes in fashion specifically, as he does in this beautiful suit.
RTW Spring 2007
RTW Spring 2007
Of course, it's not always about the body alone, and this is why McQueen's challenges to gender in fashion are so interesting. Here's a piece that plays on the Spanish mantilla comb; does it comment on the gender rules bound up in that tradition or on weddings as a whole?
RTW Spring 2007
What is being said by leaving the breasts exposed and emphasizing the hips?
RTW Fall 2007
RTW Fall 2007
RTW Fall 2007
A golden idol?
RTW Fall 2007
How about this one, in heavy tones with a covered mouth? Why is the chest piece so detailed and true to the female anatomy until it reaches the genitalia?
RTW Spring 2008
More natural references, not only in the headdress but in the pops of red against the late-spring-snow shade of grey.
RTW Spring 2008
RTW Spring 2008
Amazing construction. What's with the cage?
RTW Spring 2008
RTW Spring 2008
I love these leg...things. It looks almost like a delicate tattoo.
RTW Spring 2008
Janet Jackson wore this out to some event or the other and looked effing magnificent in it, but she did wear a different belt and this one is glorious. I love how different it looked on Janet as opposed to this model. This is the kind of thing I wear in my best dreams.
RTW Spring 2008
I actually like the taxidermy and the reminder of mortality it provides in contrast with the springy blue of this dress. Perfect balance.
RTW Fall 2008
This collection was maybe my favorite ever. It was inspired by the Muscovian Ballet and I just love everything about it. The models are walking around a giant fake tree - I included video at the end of this post - and I love how their wild hair seems to be blending back in to the nature around them.
RTW Fall 2008
RTW Fall 2008
This detail is mind boggling. I can hardly imagine toiling over its production for something architectural, much less something to be worn. I want nothing more than to touch this.
RTW Fall 2008
Let's have it said: putting peacocks on any garment without having it look cheesy is a monumental achievement. This is a whole other realm beyond that achievement.
RTW Fall 2008
RTW Fall 2008
RTW Fall 2008
RTW Fall 2008
This seems so simple but the more you look, the more you find to look at. Beautiful!
RTW Fall 2008
If I had my way I would dress in something like this every day. Take that as you will.
RTW Spring 2009
A couple designers have attempted the "tea bag" method of including flora and tulle in garments, but I think the use of clearly cutout flowers is one hundred times more effective.
RTW Spring 2009
RTW Fall 2009
I love houndstooth so, so much. I loved the use of it in this collection because it reclaimed it from the elderly masses. I remember going to DC for Inauguration and thinking I was the only quasi-elderly person wearing the pattern and thus giving it out as an identifying item, only to find that EVERYONE was about houndstooth.
RTW Fall 2009
Oh glorious pattern. This should be blinding but it's gorgeous.
RTW Fall 2009
I love the way this positions the model as an observer. She's forced into a traditional stance of elitist observation. This is another piece where gender politics are forced to the fore...what is the woman's role? To observe? To judge? To control?
RTW Spring 2010
Here begins McQueen's most recent collection, full of eerie questions about what is natural. This is clearly a line for aliens, but can you really deny its organic feel?
RTW Spring 2010
RTW Spring 2010
This is a waterfall. It's a waterfall,
RTW Spring 2010
RTW Spring 2010
Somehow I feel like this is a fitting end to this totally inadequate posting. Take a moment to consider the floating top, the immaculate tailoring, the challenges of the shoes. We will miss you, Lee McQueen, probably more than we know now.
"But Josie," you may be saying by now, "this blog only shows me part of your life, and much of it is babble about makeup and politics! How can I more completely observe your existence??"
Excellent question, gentle reader! There are several options available to you. You can follow me on Twitter at @TheOutlawJosie or on tumblr at outlawjosie.
You will also have learned that I am a poor grad student. If you would like to help with the poor part - there's just no helping the academic self-flagellation part - you can buy books from Pink Narcissus Press or lovely jewelry from my Etsy store, Lost Sheep Gardens.
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