Functional Work Wear

The NYTimes post today about the Tribes of San Francisco was an interesting examination of style in San Francisco. Having lived in San Francisco for a year I agree that sartorial needs here are more balanced with functional ones that reflect a more outdoors if not exactly athletic lifestyle. The article however misses a key component of dressing in this city- the weather. Layers aren't necessarily about styling, they are also about dealing with the shifting temperatures through the day and across the different parts of the city. It was a learning curve to get this right which included how to tie, wrap or carry a shed layer.

It was also an education in why some garments really work there like polar fleece- its not only warm, its light to carry. A pleasant surprise was the denim jacket which has it's workwear roots here from the Gold Rush era. Mine got a lot more wear in SF than in NYC. Something about it's weight which was too heavy for east coast warm weather or too light for cool weather was more appropriate here. The corduroy collared, blanket lined Storm Rider was more meaningful in NYC - but I always wished it was longer and less heavy. I love some of the newer interpretations of the engineer jacket, but ironically what's fashionable despite it's genre is not something that always 'works' that well.

Gathering Steam

For some reason this avalanche of push-pinned black-and-white photos—vintage portraits, cabinet cards, and casual snapshots rivetted me. Maybe because I spend a lot of time looking at, studying, sometimes buying paper epehemera just like it but the fascinating new information this image provides I think is the display style, chaotic and organic- organized into almost eerily beautiful tableaux. Its yet another dot in the increasing interest in Victorian/19th century aesthetics- like the tintype imagery in this NYTimes spread, Just in from the 1890's clustering around a trend concept that continues to gain momentum called steampunk ( here's the British take on it). These, for example are steampunk USB's.

If you look through the other images from the source article Still Life describing Jeffery Moss' home, you'll also see a fresh combination of this era's maximalist aesthetic with more minimalistic 20th century pieces- almost like the interior decoration version of pairing t shirt and jeans with victorian tailoring and facial hair.

Nighthawks Address

Does the diner pictured in Hopper's Nighthawks really exist?

"Nighthawks," Hopper said in an interview later, “was suggested by a restaurant on Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet.” The location was pinpointed by a Hopper expert, Gail Levin, as the “empty triangular lot” where Greenwich meets 11th Street and Seventh Avenue, otherwise known as Mulry Square. This has become accepted city folklore. Greenwich Village tour guides point to the lot, now owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and tell visitors that Hopper’s diner stood there. But did it? from Nighthawks State of Mind NYTimes