Mr Worf, the dichotomy of the images jar, but also attract, my eye. I'll have to hit Borders to check that out.
On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 10:58 PM, Mr. Worf <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Gentlemen of Bacongo by Maggie > York-Worth<http://www.coolhunting.com/author/maggie-york-worth/>in > Culture <http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/> on 3 December 2009 > [image: BacongoCoverUS.jpg] > > Photographer Daniele Tamagni's new book Gentlemen of > Bacongo<http://www.trolleybooks.com/bookSingle.php?bookId=118>captures the > fascinating subculture of the Congo in which men (and a few > women) dress in designer and handmade suits and other luxury items. The > movement, called Le Sape, combines French styles from their colonial roots > and the individual's (often flamboyant) style. Le Sapeurs, as they're > called, wear pink suits and D&G belts while living in the slums of this > coastal African region. > > In interviews with some notable sapeurs, Tamagni unearths the complex and > varied rules and standards of Le Sape, short for Société des Ambianceurs et > des Personnes Élégantes, or the Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People. > Sapeur Michel comments on the strange combination of poverty and fashion, "A > Congolese sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing > proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body." > > The sapeurs engage the extremes between classes while injecting their > individual perspectives into the conversation, establishing an identity > within the larger social narrative they've helped construct. [image: > SapeurTrash.jpg] > > This anthropological wonder combines interviews with Sapeurs along with a > preface by menswear designer Paul Smith and Tamagni's anecdotes throughout. > Focused on Sapeurs from Brazzaville and Kinshasa in Republic of Congo and > the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tamagni's title comes from the Bakongo, an > African tribe of people along the eastern shore of the continent. At just > about seven-inches tall, the book's compact in size but the colors are > bright, matching the outrê style of Le Sape. Tamagni outlines rules as they > relate to color, as well as the proper styles of tie, the strong religious > convictions and non-violent culture of Le Sape and myriad other facets of > this phenomenon. [image: SapeurPinkGlasses.jpg] > > Tamagni's photographs capture the style, the "contradictions and paradoxes" > and tight-knit social networks of the Sapeurs. He highlights the proper use > of cigars—"even if you don't smoke you need to light it"—the strict use of > color (only three colors may be combined in an outfit), and the deep > spiritual and moral roots of Le Sape. "When the sapeur expresses himself > through the harmony of his clothes, he is returning his admiration to God." > > Of course, the poverty and political instability of the Congo makes the > profound admiration and respect for Parisian fashion all the more distinct. > [image: > SapeurBlueCoat.jpg] > > Gentlemen of Bacongo also examines the strange merging of colonial and > Congolese culture. Tamagni notes Sapeur Salvador Hassan thinks that a real > sapeur needs to be cultivated and speak fluently, but also have a solid > moral ethic: that means beyond the appearance and vanity of smart, expensive > clothing there is the moral nobility of the individual." Says Hassan, "The > label is not important, what is important is to be able to dress depending > on the taste of the individual." > > Purchase Gentlemen of Bacongo from > Amazon<http://www.amazon.com/Gentlemen-Bacongo-Daniele-Tamagni/dp/190456383X>or > Powell's <http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781904563839-0>. > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
