Vogue India, Pushing Fashion for the Unfortunate, Right?

Fashion editorials are usually stupid and unbelievable. Right, you're going to wear a $4,000 plain dress while hiking through the mountains of Patagonia, because it just makes so much sense. Vogue India takes that even further: putting $10,000 designer bags and $200 designer umbrellas in the hands of India's people. No, not models Vogue India dressed up to look Indian, but instead, the true people of India--the workers whose clothes are covered in dirt, the women missing teeth, etc.

The Vogue India editor, Priya Tanna, had this to say about the editorial (from the New York Times):

“Lighten up,” she said in a telephone interview. Vogue is about realizing the “power of fashion” she said, and the shoot was saying that “fashion is no longer a rich man’s privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful,” she said.

“You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously,” Ms. Tanna said. “We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world,” she said.

Riiiiiight.

(Thanks, Ekyjot, for pointing out the article to me.)

Boston, Massachusetts

While walking around my new neighborhood yesterday, I overheard various snippets of conversation that basically sounded like the following:

"I hate September 1st--all those college kids moving in and everything."

Granted, Katie and I are college kids (graduate college kids, which make us better, I would hope), but our neighbors across the street and in our building aren't college students.

Just had to point that out.

Terrible Beauty

Though I dislike the New York Times' travel section, this article isn't that bad, if only for the phrase "terrible beauty," and the gorgeous imagery.

Rubber Duckies

Too bad I have work and Josh's birthday today, otherwise this would've been amazing to see.

Death Tourism

Because of a high-profile serial killer on the loose in Indonesia, people are flocking to the village of Jatiwates in East Java to view his victims. Interesting.

Understanding Israeli Settlements

I honestly can't understand why Israel continues to build settlements in the West Bank and how they are able to get away with it.

My Look Child!

On Saturday, we rowed to Governors Island with the Village Community Boathouse to attend the City of Water Day organized by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, which I'll write more about later. But we decided to explore the island like the adventurers we are and found ourselves inside the Governors Island Hospital. In one room, we found this written on the wall. It reminded me of that Doctor Who episode where Sally Sparrow was warned by a future Doctor about the Weeping Angels.

Relief

The MIT Boathouse at the Charles River in Boston.

My Future Dream Jobs

This would be an awesome, freelance job.

Or,

I should move to India and work for magazines. I'm sure the market is more open there. And, hey, they're big magazines.

Or,

just adventure around like these old guys.

Fireworks on the BQE

A belated Fourth of the July post, but oh well. On my way to Clinton Hill that July 4th, we got stuck on the BQE from the LIE and decided to stop on the shoulder and enjoy the show.