Can't deny that! ;-) On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 7:01 PM, Mr. Worf <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > You have to admit that brothas everywhere have that "stylin and profilin'" > gene. :) > > On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 4:57 AM, Martin Baxter <[email protected]>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 <[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 >> >> >> > > > -- > 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
