the rich and wonderful fashion of the women of Herero

Namibia is located in the south- west corner of Africa. It has a rich history and heritage, but I will get into that another day. Fun fact of the day though, it is actually were Mad Max: fury road was filmed. Cool hey?

Today is about dress styles and fashion identity.  In particular, the ladies of Herero awesome fashion style. The women of Herero have drawn inspiration and influence of their style from the Victorian period, but with a twist. A twist of colour.  The wonderful style  is way to express their talents and showcase their impressive designs. Some women even craft and sell miniature dolls of themselves.

The style stems from a dark colonial history, but they have reclaimed it (with a vengeance)!

It is known as the ‘proper dress’ for traditional married women. The dress consists of enormous crinoline worn over layers of petticoats, a horn shaped hat to supposedly represent and are all made from the same material- all bright and colourful! Each outfit is different to show personal flair. The Herero women have become a symbol of Herero tradition.

When I was in Namibia a few years ago, I loved the Herero women. I even have one of their dolls sitting on my bookshelf to this day. I love the fact that they are drawing from the dark colonial past to reclaim and form new cultural traditions. They are claiming ownership back of their culture, history and identity through fashion!

Enjoy these images from Jim Naughten.

Herero Woman in Patchwork Dress (2012 ) 50″ × 41″; C type

Herero Woman in Yellow Dress (2012) 50″ × 41″; C type

Herero Woman in Blue Dress (2012) 50″ × 41″; C type

Herero Woman in Patchwork Dress, 2 (2012) 50″ × 41″; C type

Herero Woman in Pink and Pattern Dress (2012) 50″ × 41″; C type

Herero Woman in Pink Dress (2012) 50″ × 41″; C type

 

further readings:

http://www.jimnaughten.com/project/hereros/

http://www.messynessychic.com/2012/07/23/the-african-women-who-dress-like-victorians/

http://saharanvibe.blogspot.com/2011/09/herero-ladies-of-namibia-africas.html

 

happy international museum day

happy international museum day!

to celebrate i am sharing photographs from the tumblr people sleeping in museums. 

who hasn’t had a sneaky nap in a museum? they are the perfect place to rest your weary eyes and legs.

anyway happy international museum day and enjoy!

 

further readings:

https://peoplesleepinginmuseums.tumblr.com/

old photographs of NICE

Some old photos of Nice.  I hope they make you smile.

Thanks MessyNessy Chic.

further readings:

Nice, from Another Time

just a little steamy!

To warm up your rainy cold Tuesday, here are some behind the scenes photographs from the film set of the classic movie,  Some Like it Hot.

I loved this movie as a kid and these photographs are just so great.

further readings:

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/what_a_drag_amazing_behind_the_scenes_photos_from_the_set_of_some_like_it_h

 

an ode to the best dog ever: inge fundo tunc

this is an ode to my wonderful family dog, who passed away 2 weeks ago.

She was the best dog ever. We will miss her.

❤

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