I now have a place to live, and employment. Both are big improvements over last week. I am living with a woman my grandmother's age, who is renting me a big bedroom on the third floor of her house. I've always wanted to try one of those long rooms shaped almost like a triangle by the slope of the roof on both sides. Now's my chance. It feels cozy, like my own little nest where my cats and I can curl up and do our own thinking. Plus, it's in a part of Pittsburgh I haven't explored before - even the bus ride into town is eye-opening.
I meet tomorrow with my new boss. I'll be teaching high-school students about entertainment technology for six weeks. I'm kinda fuzzy on the details at present, but excited to be teaching again, and looking forward to the challenge.
Pittsburgh is lovely. Blue skies and green trees are heavenly. I have landed on my feet and look forward to what lies ahead down the path.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Japanese Fashion: A Retrospective
So, Japan is a Mecca of sorts for those interested in current fashion trends. While I am not a fashion expert by any stretch of the imagination, I do like to people-watch. Here are some tidbits of Japanese fashion that I observed in Osaka. Keep in mind, I imagine that some of these are changing now that the weather is heating up.
Top-of-head bun: Japanese women will sometimes put their hair up in a bun, but not toward the back of the head as we would do in the west. They put that sucker in the exact center of the top of their head. It looks odd.
Crazy messy hair: Japanese young women who are obviously dressed up to go out and look gorgeous will apparently attack their hair with forks and other tangle-producing objects. I didn't see this too often, but it really looked as though they had spent an hour looking for lost objects under their couch, or had recently had birds nesting in their hair. These ladies almost always had hair of that peculiar orange color that results when people with naturally black hair attempt to change their hair color.
Black socks: These were ubiquitous. The most common length is to barely above the knee, although 4 or 5 inches above the knee is also common. The socks are skin-tight and made of some synthetic substance. They can be worn with anything, although something with an extremely short hemline is most common, leaving a band of bare skin between the socks and the shorts, dress, or skirt.
Elaborate stockings: The hose/stockings available in this country now look positively boring to me. Fishnets, flower patterns, bright solid colors, accents at the ankles, stripes, you name it. We need to get on this fashion trend immediately - they are so fun!
Tiny lace footie socks: These are perfect for wearing with high heels, although it was hard at first for me to get used to seeing a patterned sock in combination with an elaborate shoe. These socks are about the same shape as a ballet slipper, and frequently have ruffles, ribbons, or extra lace around the rim.
Baggy dresses and long or baggy shirts: While Japanese women's clothing is beautiful and sexy, it tends toward the cute and feminine, and often is very loose through the torso. They like floaty, ruffly sort of shapes, rather than tight-fitting silhouettes. I often wondered if this is because the average Asian woman isn't terribly well-endowed up top, and so they don't wear clothing that shows off that part of the body. You do see low-cut shirts and tight tops or dresses occasionally, but not that often. They like things that are long and loose through the waist and then tight again at the hips, or just floaty and loose all the way down. And again with the short hemlines. Really amazingly short hemlines, whether they're wearing shorts, dresses, or skirts.
Crazy stockings with shorts: This is another fashion trend that took some getting used to. The shorts were usually incredibly short, and then combined with boldly patterned stockings. And high heels, of course. It looked awfully cold in the winter, but they soldiered bravely on.
Men's clothing: A continual sea of suits. Black, grey, pin-striped, lots of subtle variety, but still. A huge percentage of Japanese men wear suits almost every day. For casual wear, plaid shirts worn over a t-shirt are surprisingly popular. Stylishly ripped jeans are also trendy.
Enormous hair: I already mentioned the intensely tangled look, but even outside that, women like big elaborate hair styles. These are usually young women who look as though they spent 3 hours on their appearance before setting foot out the door. Men also like large hair - I remember staring at one guy on the train, trying to figure out how the people in his company could take him seriously when his hair had enough product in it that it stuck out at least 3 inches in every direction. They like it a bit long on the neck, which I am all in favor of. Some guys have it a few inches below the shoulder - and usually some shade or gradient of orange if it's that long.
Kimonos: These are not overly common, but I probably saw one every few days, and some days saw 3 or 4 in one day. They obviously take a great deal of effort and attention to detail to wear; the end result is unfailingly lovely. I saw a few male kimonos as well, but only a few.
Uniforms: The Japanese love uniforms. Some identify the wearer's profession, like the huge baggy pants that construction workers wear, or the jumpsuits and gloves that sanitation workers wear. Schoolchildren all have their particular uniforms. My favorites are the ones that resemble traditional Japanese clothing - usually restaurant workers wear these.
In general, the Japanese dress much more formally than we do here in the States. It was interesting to get in the habit of carefully considering my clothing, hair, and make-up before venturing out in public. If you're traveling to Japan, consider choosing something other than jeans and t-shirts: you'll feel like a schlub.
Top-of-head bun: Japanese women will sometimes put their hair up in a bun, but not toward the back of the head as we would do in the west. They put that sucker in the exact center of the top of their head. It looks odd.
Crazy messy hair: Japanese young women who are obviously dressed up to go out and look gorgeous will apparently attack their hair with forks and other tangle-producing objects. I didn't see this too often, but it really looked as though they had spent an hour looking for lost objects under their couch, or had recently had birds nesting in their hair. These ladies almost always had hair of that peculiar orange color that results when people with naturally black hair attempt to change their hair color.
Black socks: These were ubiquitous. The most common length is to barely above the knee, although 4 or 5 inches above the knee is also common. The socks are skin-tight and made of some synthetic substance. They can be worn with anything, although something with an extremely short hemline is most common, leaving a band of bare skin between the socks and the shorts, dress, or skirt.
Elaborate stockings: The hose/stockings available in this country now look positively boring to me. Fishnets, flower patterns, bright solid colors, accents at the ankles, stripes, you name it. We need to get on this fashion trend immediately - they are so fun!
Tiny lace footie socks: These are perfect for wearing with high heels, although it was hard at first for me to get used to seeing a patterned sock in combination with an elaborate shoe. These socks are about the same shape as a ballet slipper, and frequently have ruffles, ribbons, or extra lace around the rim.
Baggy dresses and long or baggy shirts: While Japanese women's clothing is beautiful and sexy, it tends toward the cute and feminine, and often is very loose through the torso. They like floaty, ruffly sort of shapes, rather than tight-fitting silhouettes. I often wondered if this is because the average Asian woman isn't terribly well-endowed up top, and so they don't wear clothing that shows off that part of the body. You do see low-cut shirts and tight tops or dresses occasionally, but not that often. They like things that are long and loose through the waist and then tight again at the hips, or just floaty and loose all the way down. And again with the short hemlines. Really amazingly short hemlines, whether they're wearing shorts, dresses, or skirts.
Crazy stockings with shorts: This is another fashion trend that took some getting used to. The shorts were usually incredibly short, and then combined with boldly patterned stockings. And high heels, of course. It looked awfully cold in the winter, but they soldiered bravely on.
Men's clothing: A continual sea of suits. Black, grey, pin-striped, lots of subtle variety, but still. A huge percentage of Japanese men wear suits almost every day. For casual wear, plaid shirts worn over a t-shirt are surprisingly popular. Stylishly ripped jeans are also trendy.
Enormous hair: I already mentioned the intensely tangled look, but even outside that, women like big elaborate hair styles. These are usually young women who look as though they spent 3 hours on their appearance before setting foot out the door. Men also like large hair - I remember staring at one guy on the train, trying to figure out how the people in his company could take him seriously when his hair had enough product in it that it stuck out at least 3 inches in every direction. They like it a bit long on the neck, which I am all in favor of. Some guys have it a few inches below the shoulder - and usually some shade or gradient of orange if it's that long.
Kimonos: These are not overly common, but I probably saw one every few days, and some days saw 3 or 4 in one day. They obviously take a great deal of effort and attention to detail to wear; the end result is unfailingly lovely. I saw a few male kimonos as well, but only a few.
Uniforms: The Japanese love uniforms. Some identify the wearer's profession, like the huge baggy pants that construction workers wear, or the jumpsuits and gloves that sanitation workers wear. Schoolchildren all have their particular uniforms. My favorites are the ones that resemble traditional Japanese clothing - usually restaurant workers wear these.
In general, the Japanese dress much more formally than we do here in the States. It was interesting to get in the habit of carefully considering my clothing, hair, and make-up before venturing out in public. If you're traveling to Japan, consider choosing something other than jeans and t-shirts: you'll feel like a schlub.
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