Our contributing editor, Ana, has sent us these photos of the clothes she wears when she is out and about in Argentina in the winter. Thanks, Ana. Looking good!
Read more:
Holiday Season in Argentina
Camila O’Gorman, the Romantic Heroine of Argentina
Students Day and Spring Celebrations in Argentina
Happy December!
This month we are looking at clothing around the world on Picture Postcards. Our contributor, Marta from Spain, has sent in this photo by Joana Muñoz of a shoe from Minorca. She says; “It’s a typical shoe from Minorca (Balearic Islands) called abarca in Spanish, avarca in Catalan, made from recycled tyres and leather. Seen throughout Spain during the hot and long summer holidays.”
See more:
Horchata de Chufa from Spain
Funny Photo from Spain
Graffiti in Granada, Spain
Okinawa is a chain of islands forming Japan’s southernmost Prefecture. The islands were once an independent nation known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. Some traditions and cultural events seen in Okinawa would seem foreign, even to other citizens of Japan. The Okinawan Wedding is one of them.
This Photo Essay shows some of the events that take place during the typical Ryukyu Wedding. Not shown are the 300-500 guests filling the Wedding Hall. They are seated at tables drinking and dining.
The Typical Ryukyu Wedding
Imagine a formal marriage ceremony, in any western country, being conducted at the wedding reception. Then, add a dinner theater with floor shows, dancers and live bands and keep it lively for a few hours.
The performers, on stage, have rehearsed for months. They are all friends, family, classmates, neighbors or coworkers of the bride and groom. They are good. They could be part of a Las Vegas production.
Each photo in this essay includes the time it was taken. This should give you a sense of timing and what takes place, as the bride and groom go through more than a few changes of attire during the conduct of an Okinawan Wedding Ceremony.
Okinawan Wedding Attire
I pack for a trip to Rio to celebrate my birthday. In my bag, nothing like the regular clothes I usually wear in my daily routine. It is more lightweight, with trendy accessories. More intense colors are needed for the perfect looks for the day at the beach and night at Lapa, a place of bohemians. I don’t want to look like a serious girl from Brasilia, but a cool tourist visiting the ebullient city of the Christ the Reedemer.
Today, our challenge is all about the boys. Our contributors Marcel and Sean wrote about men’s style in their cities, Dublin and Chicago. Sit back and enjoy.
| Dublin | Chicago | |
| Hair | Anything goes. We have our fair share of Berlinesque hipster-haircuts, but also the good old mullet and fully shave head of the youngster from the suburbs’ | Nothing particular for professionals, but for the hipsters and coll kids: faux-hawks, close-crop, shaved head. Some dreds. High-top fades, and other 80′s styles have started to come back for African Americans. |
| Fashion trends | What goes in mainland Europe also goes in Dublin, though we share more trends with London than Milan. All a bit on the colourful side. | Light leather jackets (spring), Ugly sunglasses (hopefully this will end in 2011), jeans that fit, and men’s hats are all back. Accessories seem to be coming back into vogue: tie pins, pocket kerchiefs. |
| Colour | Depends on the occasion – business attire comes with more sober colours, while in the evenings bright colours and flashy outfits prevail. | Winter: Black. Chicago is infamous for conservative-styled black on black. In the spring and summer: Pastels and other light colors crop up, as do white shoes and hats. Lots of earth tones in the fall, to match the leaves on the trees. |
| Footwear | For men, anything between sneakers and brogues goes. Many ladies do however wear Ugg-boots on as many occasions as possible. | Vintage leather shoes (black, brown, white), and slip-ins have become more popular. AF1s for “street style”. Basic dress shoes, vs. a pattern or wing-tip are more popular. “5 Fingers” shoes for fitness, |
| Evening gear | As Dublin offers a variety of evening activities (and clubs), evening gear and wear varies accordingly. The majority of men however opt for the standard (and bouncer-approved) combination of ironed shirt, jeans and brogues when going out. | A sport coat or blazer is a must, unless it’s too hot, in which case a button down and tie will do. Many clubs won’t let you in with pants that are too baggy, even if they’re dress pants. Darker colors, but no blue button-downs, those are for engineers and factory managers, not for a night on the town. |
| Weekend outfits | Has to be the tracksuit, whether you do sports on the weekend or not. | It depends heavily on your activities. For some, it’s polo shirts and shorts w/sandals for sailing, or a white button down and slacks for brunch. Blue jeans and T-shirts for many, the more ironic the T-shirt, the better. |
| After-work activities | This being the capital of Ireland, the preferred after-work activity of Dublin males is the pub. | Most Chicagoans don’t live by their work, so as a consequence, any after-work activity tends to be in work clothes. Occasionally, one might stop at home to throw on a blazer and a pair of more casual, usually brown, shoes. |
In this week’s Urban Style Challenge, two very different cities compete: Almere (Netherlands) and Melbourne (Australia). Many thanks to our contributors Sandra and Rebecca for your great input!
What’s your city’s style?
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Picture Postcards: Colours of Argentina
The Netherlands – a country of many names
Cape Verde: Encouraging Storytelling and Creative Writing
From our contributors: week of May 13
Familiarizing the World with Assam.
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