To Read Over Coffee #6
A collection of links from the past few weeks that I think are interesting/amusing/educational/insightful enough to read/watch/listen & think about over a cup of coffee.
Making
I just found Katrina Rodbaugh’s blog and her post on Visible Mending and the Metaphor of Repair was simply lovely.
Fashion
From Bustle, “5 Muslim Fashion Bloggers You Have To Follow Because Beauty Is Found Far Beyond Western Standards”
The University of Nottingham’s China Policy Institute Blog has an interesting post on the history of “Imperial Yellow” throughout China’s history.
“In the period of Tang Gao zong 唐高宗 (Emperor Gaozong of Tang), it was proposed that chihuang赤黃 (reddish yellow) could only be used by the emperor, because it is the colour of the sun. Just as there cannot be two suns in the sky, there cannot be two emperors in a nation. Thus from then on, yellow was regarded as the costume colour used exclusively by emperors.”
In my fall down the rabbit hole that is writing about color, this post about exclusivity and specificity isn’t close to the strangest story I’ve read.
The costume designer of ‘Clueless’ reflects on her favorite looks from the movie.
Art
A New Business Model For Fine Artists: Direct-To-Collector Subscriptions: Ashley Longshore’s Artgasm program rewards hardcore fans, budget-conscious art lovers, and her bottom line alike. from Fast Company
Other
Esme Wang – Blogging is a Genre
“We’re even encouraged to put the moral in bold, if possible, because blogging is a genre, and genres have certain borders and shapes to them–if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be genres…. To write well within any genre is a challenge. We look to people who write well within genres as luminaries (Ursula LeGuin comes to mind), but it’s their ability to stretch and reshape the rules of genre that make them so.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about blogging recently, especially with the impending conclusion of the self-made wardrobe project, so this post popped up at just the right time.
“Stop Erasing Women from Tech History: Whitney Wolfe and the invisible women in tech”
Little Fox Tarot on social media: “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” – JRR Tolkien
“I think that when you spread yourself out across the internet, it diminishes your energy. I think that there is a part of me in every word I type (it’s called a SPELL for a reason) and every interaction I have.”
Because I’ll read just about any post that begins with a Tolkin quote.
What happens on Day 366? – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 51
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels –
it’s a year about noticing patterns, trying things, and observing what happens.
Day 351 – Friday, July 17th
black tank top // grey maxi skirt
princess necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
Day 352 – Saturday, July 18th
archer button up shirt // black tank top // jeans
robot necklace // rings // black flats
Day 353 – Sunday, July 19th
black tank top // pirate skirt
princess necklace // bracelets // rings // sandal wedges
Day 354 – Monday, July 20th
black tank top // black maxi skirt
princess necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
Day 355 – Tuesday, July 21st
black tank top // grey maxi skirt
princess necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
Day 356 – Wednesday, July 22nd
black tank top // black maxi skirt
clothing hanger necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
Day 357 – Thursday, July 23rd
black tank top // grey maxi skirt
princess necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
Yesterday, I mentioned to a friend that I had less than 10 days to go on this grand wardrobe experiment, she was first surprised that it’s been a full year already, and then asked if I was busy finishing things and wrapping up the project, which got me thinking about finales and endings and finishing things.
With 8 days to go, it might be a little late for thinking about how to finish out the final days of this self-made wardrobe project. Part of me feels like I should end with a bang, but I have no idea what that bang could even be.
When I started this project I never envisioned the ending – I knew that eventually there would be a Day 365 and that would be the end. From the vantage point that was the start of this project, part of me wasn’t really convinced I’d do it, this whole thing was a total experiment. It’s really easy to envision NOT wearing 100% handmade clothing for 365 days – that’s the default way of getting dressed in the 21st century – it was much harder to envision actually pulling it off.
Even from the vantage point of “8 days to go” I can’t really imagine Day 366. This project has become so much of a habit that imagining a day without it is weird – when I try there’s a deep sense of “???” mixed with a scooby-doo head tilt.
Maybe part of me won’t actually believe this project is over until, on Day 366 I realize that the sun is starting to set, and I still haven’t taken an “outfit of the day” photo, and I should take it while the light is still good, and I mildly panic for a moment, before remembering that no, I don’t have to take a photo today.
So no, I’m not busy finishing ALL THE THINGS before the end of this project. The goals I had for the last month of the project? Fuck ‘em.
Maybe endings don’t need to be all bang & pizazz – maybe instead they can be a candle & a bath & a hooray for having a wardrobe with more than 30 pieces of clothing again.
granny squares & books
Each Wednesday, I take stock of the projects I’m working on.
What I’m Working On…
: after a year intensely thinking about what I’m making and trying to finish projects quickly – I’m loving lazily working on granny square projects that will be draped into something in the future, but for now, just need to be crocheted.
: and when it’s too muggy to contemplate touching yarn, I’m reading up on color theory & history, and working on writing the first draft of a ebook about color.
