Later, respectively, wander and suffer sorrow.
In history there have been times when men have dripped gold and jewels as much as, or even more than, women. In Hans Holbein’s famous portrait of Henry VIII, the imposing Tudor monarch is decked out in gold, pearls, and jewels. A 16th-Century portrait of the nobleman and writer Sir Walter Raleigh shows him in heavily ornate clothing with pearls dangling from both his ear and his cloak. Search for images of Maharajas and Mughal emperors and you wonder how they could move under the weight of their finery. These are looks you aren’t likely to see on men in the 21st-Century.
By Mejra2 years ago in Styled
st October, at the Louvre, a 23-year-old model called Krow Kian opened the Louis Vuitton spring/summer show, wearing a sleek grey suit with oversized jacket. Six months later, after many high-profile campaigns and covers, Krow was back on the Vuitton catwalk, to close the entire women’s autumn/winter season. The news, apart from those razor-sharp cheekbones and that clear-eyed gaze? Krow is a transgender man – the first ever on a womenswear catwalk.
Part of the strong textile tradition of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, khadi is the coarse, handspun and hand-woven material usually made from cotton yarn. The making of khadi (derived from the word khaddar) involves converting the fibre into yarn with spinning wheels, and then weaving the yarn into fabric using looms. Hand-spinning and weaving have been a part of the social and cultural life of India for centuries.
What makes a man handsome – or beautiful? In past decades, the most famous icons of Western male beauty have been a rather narrow cohort – blue-eyed stars of the screen like Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio come to mind. But the idea of what the "perfect" male looks like is evolving as the film and fashion worlds embrace greater diversity, and the importance of representation is understood by global brands.
At the western edge of Tunis' medina, beneath a loud mural of football graffiti, I arrived at an almost invisible arched door set in a pale pink stone doorway carved with flowers. As I pressed the doorbell, I heard shuffling inside and the loud turning of an old lock. The door swung open, and Mohammed Bennani beckoned me inside.
By Mejra2 years ago in Feast
As Scarlette Le Corre edges slowly through the sun-blazed shallows at low tide, emerald sea lettuce and ginger sea spaghetti kaleidoscope around her rubber boots like two-tone marbling ink. No step is taken without first scrutinising the marine life at her feet – this highly trained eye doesn't miss a subaqueous beat. Snip. A head of rock-clinging sea lettuce unveiled by the ebbing ocean is deftly cut off and popped in her bucket of water. Snip. A fistful of coarse red dulse and clumps of green hairy cheveux de mer (grass kelp) – which sea-vegetable gourmets in France simply rinse, twirl in olive oil and eat – get the chop.
Shyam Sunder Paliwal cracked open the pod and the blood-red seeds dribbled out. Holding it in his palm, he offered the fruit of the sindoor shrub up for inspection.
By Mejra2 years ago in Wander
Bolivia’s La Paz is the highest capital in the world. At 3,690m in elevation, its air is cold and thin, leaving many visitors gasping for oxygen and experiencing altitude sickness, known locally as soroche. But if you push past the chaotic traffic and drive 100km north-east, descending into the sub-tropical Yungas valleys, you’ll discover a cluster of quiet villages hidden in the forest connected by a labyrinth of dirt roads.
“Slaverin, slubberin, gibberin, gabberin, roon wi a wallop, a sklyter, a sweel,” recited the poet. “Yonder’s the burn – in its bairnhood, it’s blabberin. Heich-lowpin puddock, wi virr in its heel…”
After this story was reported, Agitu Idea Gudeta was tragically killed. Her family has given us permission to publish this story in her memory.
Hidden among the wild fjords of northern Oman, between the mountains and the sea in a quiet bay, sits the small village of Kumzar. This is the country's northernmost frontier, but Kumzar has a distinct atmosphere from the rest of Oman. In fact, its glorious isolation – the village is accessible only by an hour-long speedboat ride or a 2.5-hour trip on a sailing dhow from the nearest city, Khasab – has led Kumzar to develop a language and culture all of its own.
When Davis Stalts spoke of his seafaring grandfather, it was with the reverence accorded to a mythical hero. "He had hands this big," he gestured, capping off a large space with his palms. "He said he was made of steel."