You have to admit that brothas everywhere have that "stylin and profilin'" gene. :)
On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 4:57 AM, Martin Baxter <martinbaxt...@gmail.com>wrote: > > > 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 <hellomahog...@gmail.com>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 > > > -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
