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Fashion & Clothing: Follies, Fads & Social Norms

I agree with the pope here:

Pope Francis addresses Synod: “It is sad and scandalous to go to ecclesiastical tailor’s shops in Rome and to see young priests trying on cassocks and hats or albs and lace-covered robes. Clericalism is a whip, it is a scourge.”

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More comments from Twitter:

pilgrimsaint @thepilgrimsaint
I believe Pope Francis is addressing the importance and centrality of humility in the life of ministry. Vestments are intended to be a reminder to the minister who wears them that he is no longer his own, he serves the faithful in his service to Christ. If a young priest is going into ecclesiastical tailor shops trying on various "cassocks and hats or albs with lace," he is acting in a way that suggests pride and hubris, a focus on himself, an unhealthy concern over his own appearance, or viewing the vestments as a public display of power and prestige. A minister of the Gospel cannot faithful minister the Gospel without humility. I believe this is what the Pope seeks to address with his reference to clericalism. If the vestments do not confer genuine humility, smallness, and service, then it is time to alter the dress code to a form that does.
 
The problem is that while he's right (in essence), he's fighting centuries of the hierarchy wearing rich vestments, to both indicate that a special ceremony is taking place and to make them distant from the laity.
It was most obvious during the middle ages where the 'low level' clergy would have 'ordinary' vestments in day-to-day living, whereas the Bishops and higher, could display their wealth and influence, commanding income from church property, indulging in the pastimes of nobles, such as speculation, hunting, fornication and even armed 'warfare' against other bishops etc.
 
Came across mention of the Balenciaga Towel Skirt. Unisex. A snip at £695.
Basically, it's a towel wrapped round your waist over your clothes. Beige.

Here's a (safe) Guardian article on it -
Is the towel skirt really the latest fashion trend?

Fashion is art, and art is subjective. But the towel skirt from the spring/summer 2024 collection of the Spanish fashion house Balenciaga takes the luxury biscuit: a unisex, terry cotton, beige towel skirt – literally a towel with belt, buttons and an embroidered logo.

It is now available for pre-order for £695 and, by the way, it’s dry clean only.

I pay a visit to John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, to see if I can turn a £15 ultra soft cotton caramel bath towel into a designer towel skirt just by wrapping it around my waist.
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Here's the Balenciaga web page on it -

BALENCIAGA TOWEL SKIRT IN BEIGE

There's hope for us all. :nods:
 
escargot said:
Came across mention of the Balenciaga Towel Skirt. Unisex. A snip at £695.
Basically, it's a towel wrapped round your waist over your clothes. Beige.

Here's a (safe) Guardian article on it -
Is the towel skirt really the latest fashion trend?



Here's the Balenciaga web page on it -

BALENCIAGA TOWEL SKIRT IN BEIGE

There's hope for us all. :nods:
Click to expand...
"Regular fit"? How the **** is a towel with two buttons and an invisible belt "regular fit"? And it's unisex, if you're a gentleman they haven't even tailored proper room for your willie.
 
Seems like another case of a 'fashion' brand inventing a trend to make sales of cheap-made product.
 
Frideswide said:
Bringing out from the the pdf at @Kondoru 's link, Oh my goodness! That is fabulous! And a great report by Jacqui Wood too.
View attachment 71110View attachment 71109
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I like how Jacquie dismisses the 'pixie' hood-point feature as arising from the seam formation. It's a good use of the fabric available which also gives a cute little angle. You don't want to be snipping off chunks off precious handwoven cloth just to look less jaunty.

Later hoods emphasised this point and elongated it into a tail. I liked making those.
 
And all made for 10p in Chinese sweatshops.
Great design though ...
 
escargot said:
Came across mention of the Balenciaga Towel Skirt. Unisex. A snip at £695.
Basically, it's a towel wrapped round your waist over your clothes. Beige.

Here's a (safe) Guardian article on it -
Is the towel skirt really the latest fashion trend?



Here's the Balenciaga web page on it -

BALENCIAGA TOWEL SKIRT IN BEIGE

There's hope for us all. :nods:
Click to expand...


“Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is."
(Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)”​

― Douglas Adams

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Bad Bungle said:
Mourning clothes worn by count Magnus Brahe at the funeral of king Karl XIV Johan of Sweden in 1844.
Class.
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I'd wear this! especially if it was dark grey or navy. Or scarlet!!!!!!!!

PS @Timble2 This is one of the most consistently rewarding threads - thank you for starting it! :oldm:
 
Frideswide said:
I'd wear this! especially if it was dark grey or navy. Or scarlet!!!!!!!!

PS @Timble2 This is one of the most consistently rewarding threads - thank you for starting it! :oldm:
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If you added googles and a chunky watchchain, it's be rather SteamPunk. Or in black it's rather Goth.

BTW I forget I was first on this thread, I think the title got tweaked at some point.
 
Tunn11 said:
At a quick glance I thought it was a Darth Vader costume.
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See what you mean, it's very theatrical. Those darling little cloak-toggles just MAKE it. :)

Button up the tunic, lose the hat and add the helmet, and there he is. :nods:

Designers take inspiration from what's gone before. The Victoria and Albert Museum was founded in 1852 for this very purpose.
Students to this day clutter the place up, making sketches and taking notes for their next project. Wonderful to see. :cool:
 
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