More Ukrainian Postage

 

Ukrainian Postage Stamps: Head-dress

 

Reverse Glass Paintings by Jaroslav Adamovich

All Things Ukrainian offers these cool Reverse Glass Paintings by Jaroslav Adamovich.  They are  painted on the back side of the glass. 

I bet that makes you wonder about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, doesn’t it?  According to one website, one of the accomplishments of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians was that they converted scripture and the liturgy into Slavonic which made it more accessible to the people.  And here’s an interesting site:  Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

(the painting shown is called “Wedding Preparations”)

 

Modest Clothing Directory

This is sooo cool!   Dara of the Modest Clothing Directory has linked to this,  my humble blog, as one of her “Cool Sites and Blogs.”   Since I deeply appreciate her work and love her site, this is beyond gratifying for me.

If you have an interest in dignified dressing, you’ve got to visit the Modest Clothing Directory.  She lists modest clothing sites by creed and region, and she even links to sites that sell and promote organic and fair trade goods.    And there’s a page for rare, hard-to-find clothing items.  And for things she considers “neat inventions.”  Plus, she has links to great articles about modest dressing and modest clothing tips.  And that’s just the beginning.

Hey, if you dress yourself at all, the Modest Clothing Directory is well worth a look. 

Thanks, Dara!

 

Traditional Romanian Headwear

        Married women in Romania wore a variety of headcoverings.

(illustration from the Eliznik Romania pages)

 

Finnish Roots: Headgear

Today, “the use of the veil in Muslim cultures has opened an eager discussion. Perhaps, learning more about western fashions and traditions helps us to see how recent the ladies’ habit of going bareheaded in pubic places actually is, in so-called western cultures as well. The regulation of covering ones head is only one of the many varying social rules we find when studying different folk traditions.”

(illustration is from the UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN HELSINKI’s webpage “In search of Finnish roots/Headgear in women’s lives.”)

 

Keeping Cool in Modest Clothing

Modern Traditional is an interesting site that “keeps track of current style trends in traditional clothing and arts, in various countries, and covers modesty issues that are applicable to many cultures and religious backgrounds.” 

They have a helpful article on dressing to keep cool in the hot summer months. 

 While you’re at the site, also check out the article, “Hijab – It’s Not Just for Muslims.”  Interesting.

They have a couple of cool headwrap how-tos, as well.  I like this site!

(that great pic?  From brookesb at flickr)

 

Frida Kahlo’s Hair

I’ve been wearing my hair in a style similar to Frida’s here, braiding a wrap around the top.   In terms of being flattering, I’m not sure it’s perfect, but I do like it. While we’re looking at Frida, check out that Frida Kahlo onesie!  From Black Wagon, a store right here in Portland, Oregon.  Is that cool, or what???

 

Frida Fashions!

I like the idea. Frida Fashions wants to help you become as stylish and cool as Frida Kahlo. They sell clothing and accessories; shop with them and you will be a Frida Kahlo lookalike. Frida Kahlo’s life and style — and her jewelry – were fascinating, definitely.

Nice post here, too, from the blog Brain Smatter, with good links to various Frida-ish pages.

An aside: several years ago, a friend of mine, a jeweler, gave me earrings inspired by a pair given by Picasso to Frida. They’re sterling silver, a pair of very realistic hands. When I first opened the package, it was kind of a shock, but I’ve become fond of them.

(the pic? a collage portraying Frida Kahlo, by someone called F. Lennox…or I think that’s the name…can’t find out for sure…if anyone knows, or if the artist wants me to take this off my site, just send me an email; thanks!)

 

Sculptor Louise Nevelson’s Look

Fashion designer Anna Sui has called sculptor Louise Nevelson one of her style icons, and speaks admiringly of Nevelson’s preference in later years for wearing “multicolor headscarves and Russian peasant dresses.” Laura Lisle’s biography Louise Nevelson: a Passionate Life describes her outfit for an art opening: “On opening night, Louise pinned on her shoulders two deep purple silk Japanese tapestries, each embroidered with an enormous white crane, gray branches, and pink cherry blossoms. Underneath she wore a starched white embroidered peasant blouse and a long black ruffled Mexican skirt. She had begun to cover her cropped, thinning gray hair with a bandanna, not unlike a Russian babushka, and that evening she wore a headdress created from a turquoise damask napkin. As final touches she added a necklace of boar’s teeth and a large brooch she had made from black wood and sheet gold. ” Interestingly, Lisle notes later in the book that “during the last decades of her life, [wearing] lavish, attention-getting clothing helped her feel like the beauty she had [once] been.”

(the pic? Nope, not Louise Nevelson’s boots. Rather, boots designed by Anna Sui. God help me, I was 13 in 1972 and the era made a lasting impression on me. I like these boots!)