Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

This post is dedicated to (as promised) and inspired by Bhaswati- friend (the kinds you make 3:00 am confessions you can’t make to any one else), ex roomie (the kinds you wake up at 3:00 am to make the kind of confessions you can’t to anybody else), photographer and shoe fiend. While she is the go- to woman for all things fashionable in general, shoes are her special forte. When she is not buying them, gazing lovingly at them or generally daydreaming about them, she photographs them. (And boy is she good).
The better pictures in this post are from her personal album (and shoe closet. The two in her case are not always mutually exclusive).
Our fascination with shoes in general and heels in particular can be traced back to the earliest civilisations. And while it may seem counterintuitive, being utilitarian was not always as high in priority as aesthetic value. So we have murals with ancient Egyptians strutting around in heels. In the 15th century women of the nobility tottered around in chopines (wooden platform shoes) that could be as high as 50 cm.!

But for everyone who’s tried to go shoe shopping, buying the perfect pair of heels is never easy. Specially if you live in Pune. So imagine my surprise when I discovered these affordable pairs in a shoe store in Ambala Cantt. (Which even Bhashu agreed could almost rival Zara shoe). They even let me take pictures!

(Shoe Mantra store Ambala Cantt.)

(A bright pink pair of heels at the store. Photo edited by Bhash. )

(I bought this beautiful tan pair with pretty detailing)

(More shoes)

(Polka dot wedges)

(An original Bhaswati photograph!)

Sunglasses

What we now know as sunglasses (or shades or glares or other cool, expensive sounding names- but more on that later) had rather non glamorous origins. They first made their appearance in 17th century Europe as tinted spectacles considered beneficial to the eye or to conceal the eyes of the blind. In the 19th century early polar explorers and high altitude mountaineers felt the need to protect their eyes from the sun and snow glare giving rise to the first sunglasses. Tinted spectacles soon caught on with European and American explorers to the tropics.
But it was only in the 1880s that ‘sun glasses’ became popular among the general public when Europeans took to seaside holidays and bathing. Sea side vendors began selling cheap, tinted dark glasses and called them ‘sun glasses’. In the 1910s, with the invention of automobiles, motoring became a fashionable sport, and protective tinted goggles became popular among motoring enthusiasts.

(Leonardo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby takes Toby Maguire’s character for a spin, sporting a cool pair of sunglasses. The Great Gatsby, the book and the 2013 movie, is a social commentary on the decadence of the 1920s post war American society.)
What really gave sunglasses their current, exalted status as the quintessential fashion accessory was Hollywood’s embrace in the early1930s. Sunglasses came to symbolize the glamour of Hollywood, with movie stars sporting them at public events (often in an attempt to remain incognito). Despite this, sunglasses of the period were fairly basic, with round, flat glass lenses with narrow, celluloid frames. Over the years sunglasses have continued to evolve both in design and utility.
Some of the popular styles include aviators, wayfarers, over size sunglasses and wrap arounds. I found this interesting website on trends in sunglasses for 2013.
http://fashionbombdaily.com/2013/04/02/spring-2013-shopping-10-must-have-high-fashion-sunglasses/

Oh and now for my favorite bit- popular names for sunglasses. Here are a few interesting ones.
-Shades: sunglasses are commonly called shades in North America
-Glares: commonly used in India specially if the glass is dark
-sun glass: a monocle version
And my absolute favorite. Got this out of Wikipedia, although I have never heard anyone use this.
-cooling glasses: a term used in South India, predominantly Kerela & also the Middle East.
(Source: Encyclopedia of Clothing & Fashion; Wikipedia)

Tank Tops

Tank tops are part of almost everyone’s fashion vocabulary. Fascinating name too. Though until about a day ago I realised that all that I presumed to know about tank tops was false!! I had thought of putting in a little post about the origins of the word only to realise that the kind of top I have insisted on calling a tank since school is actually a crop top.
A tank top is a sleeveless, collarless, broad necked top worn by men and women. It gets its name from the top half of the kind of swim suits people wore in the US in the 1920s. These outfits were called tank suits because you wore them and swam in a tank.

Leonardo Dicaprio in a tank suit in The Great Gatsby. The movie like the book is set in 1922 America.

The Great Beret

Beret pronounced berr-A, is French for those flat, round, unpretentious caps usually made of wool or cloth. I researched a bit on their history, and as far as headgear goes suffice it to say that berets have been runway material since at least the Bronze Age. Berets have enjoyed widespread popularity in Europe and among the militia of many countries- including India.

My earliest memory is of my Dad’s dark navy Indian Army Beret. In fact I was in awe of it and of just how grand Daddy looks in it. I was even allowed to try on the discarded ones (as long as I wasn’t seen outside the house in them.(That’s highly disrespectful to the uniform). In fact the concept of the beret to me has been so deeply associated with something powerful and well military that it took me a long time to appreciate that some form of it could be considered a fashion accessory. It still comes as a bit of a shock to me if for instance I see a bright pink, fluffy contraption perched
precariously on a pretty head, being called a beret.

On the very other end of the spectrum, in absolute contrast to the military image, see a civilian in a beret and you may just conclude that the wearer is a musician or a painter. Berets have long been associated with the stereotype of artistic, intellectual or otherwise bohemian people

Henry VIII in a beret (picture source: Wikipedia)

The iconic Che Guevara beret (picture source : Wikipedia)

That’s me in what may or may not qualify as a beret.

Ever wondered about those pointy toed men’s shoes? Since there is no escaping them (they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. My favourite ones are those which end with a pronounced flourish), might as well know what they’re called. Yes they have a name! Winklepickers!! You just got to love that name!! The shoe […]

Trivia: Halter Necks

For something which I personally find extremely attractive, halter necks have a definitely unsexy name.
The word itself is derived from Germanic words meaning ‘that by which something is held’ according to Wikipedia.
Halter may be used to refer to something you put on a domesticated animal to lead it by. Very medieval and uncomfortable looking contraption.

That’s what it look’s like. Picture courtesy Wikipedia.
Even more sinister the term may refer to a rope for execution by hanging or simply death by hanging.

So here’s a picture of a horse (source Wikipedia) flaunting a halter.

And that’s me in my favourite halter top.