Habfürdö

TELOS 

Habfürdö/Bubble Bath

Off-rip I knew that this film would be interesting. The art style behind it I have never seen before. The sloppy line drawn city background with the watercolor pastels slapped on top. As well as the use of focusing the lens. In a cartoon I have never seen this before. Also, as the main character is driving, there are literal raindrops placed on his windshield, I don't even know how you would get this effect onto a cartoon. I’m actually baffled. The cartoon feels psychedelic with the constant color shifting, and the shaky movement of the objects. It feels a bit unsettling. It feels weird watching this, but it also makes more than enough sense. So far, I really like it. The film is also a musical, so it feels like a fever dream. If I was off shrooms I would be going insane. I love this film so far and I am only 5 minutes in. 

The film basically centers around a runaway groom (Zsolt) who has run away to his fiance’s friend (Anni), and has asked her to call his bride to tell her he is not coming to the wedding, and that he wants to elope with Anni because of her beauty. That is really all there is to it. But the cartoon is so outlandish that it was banned for a while in the Hungarian media. It then came back and ever since then the film has been a muse and an inspiration to other cartoons after it.

It is now considered a cult film as well. It was also the director's only long film because shortly afterwards he killed himself. 

As the musical progresses, the styles of drawing change as well. In one scene there can be a mixup of multiple different styles, from Schiele, to Picasso, Heckel, et cetera. Modernis, expressionism, hypermodern, pop art, and other art styles. As well as new angles, wide shots, colors, even 3D elements that have been added on top of the scene to add depth. As well as styles that connect to what the characters are feeling at the time. The film also contains tons of sexual innuendos that are directed towards a more mature audience. This cartoon is not for children, that is forsure. The themes tackle parenting, marriage, alcohol, drugs, eloping, suicide, class differential, age difference, among other things that are just not meant for a young eye. They even conduct real life interviews with parents and then put it into the musical. It was really progressive stuff. The music is also all composed entirely of original pieces. It was also the first time ever the musical composer for this cartoon animation musical was ever hired. The style of music really fits into this ecstatic setting with ever changing visuals and makes the film ever so cohesive. The way the film intertwines in the music, characters, graphics, colors, and themes set it apart from everything I have ever seen. I rate it a 9.5 as I think that it is a great film, but I don’t know if I would show it to everyone. 

Watch the film here: Habfürdö (1980) – rarefilmm | The Cave of Forgotten Films

As well as as some interesting facts: 10 things about Bubble Bath (youtube.com)

Commentary on artisanal fashion influencers on TikTok and stupidity.

 Recently, a friend and I had a conversation about something we saw online. It was between this person, who is pretty young but is also part of the artisanal community. Yes, I know that the artisanal community is not the most niche thing on the planet, but among the youth, it is pretty irrelevant. Many people do not know about the style, do not care about the way the clothing looks, or just do not have exposure to it. To me, I feel like this is a touchy topic. Because yes, I do want to share the beauty behind artisanal fashion and the processes, but I also want to only have the correct people in the niche. I feel that TikTok warriors or people who do not connect with the medium might taint the practice a smidge. With this being said, I want to go into further detail about what I and my friend talked about. 

The video was about a pair of Number (N)Ine Skull Sweatpants. I honestly do not care about these whatsoever, but it is cool to see someone happy about their purchase and their so-called “grail.” But many people were kind of hating on this guy for liking something. Yes, it is a bit underwhelming, but someone who is into clothing and fashion should not hate on someone else and their stylistic choices. It is not the place for one to judge. Anyway, there was one person who I kind of knew in the comment section as well. He is someone who is pretty revalent in the tiktok artisanal sphere of things. He is young, and he also buys a lot of clothing. Expensive clothing. He commented on the post, “This your grail?” kind of like mocking this guy for enjoying fashion just as he does and just like I do. The original poster comes back and says, “Yeah, ab it worry ab urself?” which is fair to say. There is no reason for this guy to hate what anyone wears. Especially someone as “educated” as he claims to be later on. The person who originally commented then retaliates and says, “I mean, good for you that you got your grail. But sweats aren’t that special, especially one that is so heavily repped imo.” Now, this is also fair to say. But the next few things are just plain ignorance and make zero sense. The commenter and other people start going back and forth, with eventually the commenter saying, "Check my page,” and all of these things that really make zero sense. Another commenter says, “uneducated,” and the original commenter says, “Me? Uneducated? Rofl emoji.” Which is just stupid. If you think you are educated, then you should not even be fighting these fights. If someone is pissing you off, you do not need to indulge in their stupidity. By your standards, you are falling to the level that they are. Which, in turn, makes you look stupid. Even then, he is just fighting with a bunch of online tiktokers that can have an opinion just like him. But the part about it that I realized is that he kind of has a superiority complex. I say this because the stuff he wears and consumes ties it all together. There is nothing wrong with wearing any clothing. But some clothing is considered more niche and upper-class than some other things, and this guy wears Carol Christian Poell. This brand, which over the past few years, especially on social media apps, has been exposed to people who would have never learned about CCP unless it was on their For You Page, has now been exposed to one of the biggest artisanal designers of our time. And this guy must think that he is different. He deserves this knowledge and clothing. He is different than anyone else because he wears CCP! Anyway, there is like an aura that CCP has, and I feel like the original commenter has kind of taken advantage of this and thinks that he is now better than everyone else because he wears a higher-end fashion brand. Which is crazy because I thought people in the artisanal community would be more welcoming. Considering that artisanal creations are more niche and also bring people together. Artisanal clothing is also made by people who think about qualify first and usually have kind hearts and is open about their creations. But some are different. For example CCP. Which is more of a, “I’m in the cool kids club.” Type of deal. And when it comes to consumers it feels like that as well I guess. But not to the point some people like him are. Whom of which are just purely insufferable and really put artisanal fashion under a bad lighting which then pushes people away even more. But then again some people like enjoy his ignorance and rude personality and enjoy him. But then again, it feels like this person wears CCP because he thinks he is the chosen one. The one who is the best dressed. In reality, he is just forcing himself into an eating disorder to fit into clothing that would not fit him if he ate one cheeseburger. It is just quite hilarious to me as well. He is also again very well known in the TikTok sphere, as he is kind of known for being the privileged CCP white boy who buys CCP all the time. Plus, he is also kind of known for being pretentious. Which is again a red flag. I think that is just who he is, though. He buys from Darklands, a place where I was kicked out, as well as a place that is known for being very difficult and hard to deal with by other people as well, and he has also been mean to some of my other friends as well so I guess he fits in. But I also don’t see why the people in the artisanal community care about this guy. I know I don’t. I guess there are other people like him who are pretentious and think that they’re better than one person just based on the fact that they have “better” or “right” clothing. This is just stupid. It takes everything away from what fashion is truly meant to be. It doesn’t help anyone, and it just isolates one’s self even more. Why even comment on something? If all you’re going to do is try to put someone down, then once other people call you out for it, you get all defensive, like you’re the one who’s being attacked. It makes no sense. I think that it is different between his sphere of expertise and my sphere. I think that our differences are vast in what we like, but we still share the same love for artisanal craftsmanship and clothing. But even then, I know people who like what I like and act like him, and people who like what he likes and acts like me. So I don’t know what to say. 

 

I think that in totality, this should not be something anyone who is in the artisanal community should even try to fight. As well as the masses of the fashion community. Anything can be a grail to anyone. That does not mean you need to comment on it. As my friend said, “TikTok is literally meant for you to scroll.” And he is right. You can just scroll past this stuff. I did. That means someone else can as well, especially someone who is so invested in fashion. Also, someone will not instantly change their mind and abide by your rules just because you say so. Which makes no sense! It’s all just pompous and extremely stupid. It made me chuckle, and I hope that with this bit of text, it can make someone else chuckle and have a laugh at the ridiculousness of some people. 

Something about magazines and vogue

I did this assignment for a class I am taking, and I want to share it. I got called crazy and now I feel like my peers view me as a radical but what's the point of being in an industry or a practice and not having an opinion. Anyways I hate saying that as I try to be as Pyrrhonistic as much as I can but yeah. And to the person who called me crazy, I don't care this is the reality to this industry and if you can't take it maybe fashion isn't for you. Anyways here is the text I read. 

Personally, I feel as though magazines are and will be the pinnacle of consumerism. Magazines are prevalent in every aspect of our lives. Grocers have magazines, furniture stores, fashion, lifestyle, every aspect of our lives, there is a magazine for it. I want to point out fashion specifically. As I feel it is the embodiment of the term capitalism in my opinion. An economist named Thorstein Veblen who wrote, The Theory of the Leisure Class in 1899. He wrote this book on every aspect of the leisure class, but he only gave one entire chapter to fashion. Veblen thought that consumption is driven by the upper class. The upper class are the people who have the ability to purchase the Loro Piana Vicuna sweater that they paid $9,000 for, but the person who labored over the creature did it voluntarily because of the pressure from their peers. The rich are the people who run the industry, and decide what the style is. And magazines such as Vogue, Elle, BOF, WWD, all cover these things. They cover this lifestyle, to sell products to the bourgeois people who want to look fancy, or upper class. And Veblen coined this term, “conspicuous consumption.” 125 years ago, and it is still very much prevalent today. At the time, fashion was the only way to show off your wealth. There was no social media, no widespread coverage, no global designers, it was only the clothes you wear on your back, and the things you see with your eyes. It was not furniture, paintings, cookware, anything inside of your house, it was your clothes and the stuff you see on the outside. Veblen then said that consuming luxury fashion, to look like you have pecuniary success is to do so often. The reason the rich look rich is because they can just dispose of their clothes whenever they want, and get new clothes instantly. Think of ASAP Rocky for example. These clothes then trickle down to the middle class who pick it up, and then the lower class if they even have the money to buy the third hand clothes of the upper, and middle class. The thing is, these brands do not tell you to buy their clothes, it is the magazines that put their ads into their magazines that connect with a certain lifestyle that one wants to abide by. As well as one’s peers who influence them. Which then leads to sales of the product. The bourgeois person, someone who is middle class, who is influenced by these magazines then buys these “luxury goods.” The goods who are created on a mass scale, and marketed as luxury but are not truly luxury. Maybe back in the early 1900s by a team in an atelier, but even now, in my opinion, even if something is made in Italy, Japan, England, Spain wherever you consider “luxury,” is it really luxury? Are you really buying something you need, or are you buying it to try and keep up with the predatory social system capitalism has crafted and harbored? Now, I am not saying capitalism is bad, I’m just pointing out some flaws that have led a lot of people to constantly think about what they're wearing, and that they need to consume more to look cool, to show off their wealth, and to keep up with the trends of the time. Enter: Fast Fashion brands. The end all be all pinnacle of consumerism and capitalism in a nutshell. The conglomerates who have expendables ready to create 20 cent garments to sell to the bourgeois person. Who even have scholarship opportunities at colleges. Brands such as SHEIN, ZARA, Boohooman, H&M, who give the consumer that feeling of being rich. The middle, and lower class can now play as their upper class counterparts and spend money like them and have new clothes to look good and be the cool and interesting person they want to be. Now, I know there are people who genuinely need these fast fashion brands to have clothes on their backs and to also have jobs in third world countries. I am mainly pointing out the consumers who have the money to purchase something of quality, but deciding not to because they do not want to “waste” their money on clothing. You get what you pay for in this industry. (This is not always the case, look at LVMH and Kering owned brands who hike up prices because of the status and not because of the actual quality..)  Yes, the clothes are cheaper, but they look very similar to the high and upper class thing that they're trying to emulate, but this just does not work. Sustainability wise, mentally. And now, social media, markets these products to young children who are ever growing on social media platforms and now have SHIEN ads shoved in their face that they saw their favorite rapper wear and now want to buy this crappy knock off to look like them. And there are now influencers who post their $1,000 SHEIN hauls online, and gain millions of views on YouTube, who then also post it to instagram, tiktok, twitter, every platform you can imagine where they can also show off their 30% off promo code for their followers. Now, to me, social media is the new magazine. Its curated to one’s lifestyle, and is selling their information to then make more money.

Anyways, what I am trying to convey is that magazines especially in the case of our era, which is the 1930’s tried to push this lifestyle of glamor and ease to the American people who were literally starving, and out of work. Giving them ads of travel abroad opportunities, the new shoes of the season! New hats, et cetera. I did not see one article that talked about the average family in America at the time. The family that is struggling to find food, the family that has no money, where they can’t even buy shoes for their child to walk to school. This to me is just ignorance at its finest. They don’t care about their consumers, they care about the money that could be made. But then I guess one could make the argument that there was already so much negativity at the time, and people needed a reason, an inkling of motivation to get that new pair of shoes, to read about the rich people and their no worries life and to get their mind off whatever was around them. The one thing I did like though was that the price of the magazine stayed the same throughout the whole time period. 35 cents. Which today is not much but back then it fluctuated between $6-9 dollars today. Anyways I just wanted to leave off with some of this information as I feel like it is important to look a bit deeper into the psychology and the marketing tactics behind a lot of these magazines, and to also show that it is okay not to consume, and that fashion is an evil practice.

Congolese Liputa and Les Sapeurs

A quick word: 

 I am now coming back to traditional garments and methods of production in this blog. I recently ended my Japanese Dyeing Methods series, and it left a mark on me. The topics that I covered were the main reason why I even started this blog. And recently, I have been feeling like I am not doing enough to cover and write about what I truly want to cover. So, from here on out, I plan to cover a new type of material, a traditional garment, a dyeing process, whatever, to just keep this idea going in this blog. I think that with time I will start to accumulate more knowledge about traditional methods, and it will help me grow as a person. I will learn about new cultures, identities, themes, and philosophies, among other things. I also want to cover the smaller regions of the world as much as possible. I realize that a lot of people like Japanese clothing. I have to admit it is some of the most interesting stuff I have ever seen, but I also feel like there is not enough coverage about African and South American textiles. These places are also some of the most impoverished places in the world, and I know they have so much history behind them, so this is what I will be researching in the coming weeks. I hope that I can shift some opinions and help build my own as well. What I really want to learn about is specific tribal clothing. From a young age, learning about the Native Americans from my history classes, I have always been fascinated with the time and effort it takes that the Natives put into their clothing. The Natives used everything they could. The bones of a buffalo, the hide of a moose, and their clothing and footwear. So I now want to focus on these people, these cultures, and these heritages. The people who have lived for thousands of years preserving their culture and living with the animals and nature around them. 

With this being said, the first traditional garment that is not tribal but that the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo wear is the Liputa.

Liputa.

The Congolese Liputa is a traditional four-piece draped garment worn by women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has recently caught my eye. The four pieces are all the same pattern. This pattern is always a colorful one. There is never a black Liputa or one that is monochromatic. A piece goes on the head, one goes on the chest, used as a blouse. The blouse is frequently embellished with beads and strings as well. Sometimes these blouses also have buttons, but they’re very rare and considered taboo in a sense. Another piece is a skirt, or the “wrapper,” and the last piece goes on the waist. The Liputa is an all-round garment. It serves many purposes and is used in day-to-day life by pretty much every woman in the DRC. These events include weddings, markets, gatherings, et cetera. The Congolese Liputa also has a lot of significance. The way you wear a Liputa can tell a lot about a lady. First of all, one of the four pieces that consist of a Liputa is a fastener, or the waistband I mentioned earlier. This fastener also represents whether a lady is married or not. This is interesting to me, but I can see the uses for it. The quality of Liputa is also a status symbol in the DRC. The nicer one’s Liputa, the more respect one gains from their peers. Same goes for men. In the 1970s, men started to wear more suits. These men are known as “Les Sapeurs.” These men wear suits that are always colorful but also very expensive. The suits must come from their “high priests.” These being Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci, and other high-end European suiters. Sometimes the men pick colors that clash with the other colors, so creating a more distinct look is better. A clean haircut is also very important for this look. Chiefin’ a big cigar is also part of the look as well. The crazier, the better. Some men go into debt just to put on this look. Some men also buy a suit instead of purchasing food. This is how important this lifestyle is to these men. They also believe that in the poverty-stricken place that the DRC is, they stand out in a suit of high class and quality and believe that they symbolize happiness and are “butterflies among moths.” The men also live by a literal code. This code is all about the clothes. The clothes bring the man happiness. Not food, not water. The clothes. The clothes represent the admiration he has for God. The clothes give him happiness. The clothes do not feed his stomach, but feed his soul. They give the soul a purpose, which thus propels the soul. This is how important clothes are to the Congolese culture. There are estimated to be more than 6,000 Les Sapeurs in the DRC. They even have a prayer that they do. The opening line is actually quite interesting: “As long as heaven and earth exist, the rules of fashion will never end.” This is true, though. This style was developed after a man came back from a trip to Paris dressed in these new clothes. It is said in legend that after seeing this man, the Congolese felt as though they were unclothed, and they were naked, and seeing their brother come back from Paris dressed in a nice suit made them realize this. This then started a movement in Brazzaville where the servants started dressing to imitate their masters. It is believed that fashion became a battle and thus helped the Congolese gain independence and freedom. It has now become a symbol in a way to show that, “Yes, an African man can dress the same as a high-class European man. This does not make us any different. We are just as human as you.” This, to me, is actually really interesting. It is a way to combat superiority and challenge the upper-class men. Straight on, too. 

This short lesson on Congolese Liputa is finished. (Really short, right?) I could not find much, as I feel like the Congolese people and the people of Africa in general are not really covered in historical terms. Africa is so vast and has tons of tribes, languages, and cultures that are so diverse and interesting. I also wanted to cover this because of what is happening in the world right now in the Congo. The Congolese people have actually had some of the worst and bloodiest history in the past 150 years. Words cannot even describe the atrocities that happened in the Congo by the French and, most importantly, the Belgians. King Leopold II of Belgium, who was the sole owner of this land, He also committed a mass genocide of around 10 million people in the land of the Congo, which most likely wiped the entire culture of the Congolese people off the map. The soul of the Congo was lost at this time due to the brutality of the Belgian king. It only stopped when the Belgian state had to step in and stop these acts of horror from happening. All of this for what? For money. For ivory, rubber, and the mineral-rich land that the Congolese people have. What happened after this? The Congo was then the Belgian Congo. This must’ve been a slap in the face for the people of the Congo. They were colonized, and the people of this land were terrorized for far too long. Now, the Congo is again in a state of war. With over 5 million people displaced from warfare between the Congolese military and the rebel group M23, Who wants peace, a better-stabilized government, and democracy in the DRC? They are also allied with Rwanda. All of this is really complex, though. There is a lot of stuff that is messed up, and there is a lot of fighting going on. I don't really want to comment on a lot of things either, as I am not educated on these topics. I will learn more about it, though, as I think it is important.

A Little Announcement

Going forward this will not only be a fashion blog. I am slowly starting to find joy in this cycle of stupidity that the industry is. The people who are in it, as well as the celebrities, influencers, even niche influencers that get on my nerves. I won’t entirely shift away from fashion, but I will for sure spend more time developing other tastes. Hopefully this will get my back onto my feet and hopefully I won’t be so miserable anymore. I think I will start writing more opinion pieces and start to connect things together better. I also don’t want to just hate though. I still want to bring people who I see that need more recognition, and creators who deserve more coverage even if it is from a small Instagram blog. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this far. I hope to write some more, and also develop my taste. Interviews soon hopefully! As well as some change of scenery in the near future.

Demian

 

So recently I finished the first book I have read in a while. I picked this book back up in August before college started, and I only started reading it after Thanksgiving. The book is called Demian by Herman Hesse. At first I got the book because I wanted to get more into philosophy, and for some reason it was recommended to me over some other works. I have no clue why as Hesse is not your traditional philosopher but I guess you could say he kind of is. Anyways, I took up Google’s advice and I got the book. Before then I read Among the Thugs, which was so good. Thank you to my boss Eugene Rabkin for recommending that book in our talk about Premier League soccer. It was maybe one of the most memorable moments of my life. I’m getting sidetracked, but the point is when I read this book, my whole life took a turn. As I was reading it I was kind of not in a good place mentally, which is part of the reason it took me so long to read, but also I connected better with the character. Emil Sinclaire, the boy who is somewhat of an outcast, trying to make his parents happy but also having no friends. A bit of attachment issues as well. This character, trying to find himself in a world where he feels misunderstood, one day he meets Max Demian. A new boy, whose mother is a widow. The boy with a feminine face, but also manly as well. A boy who is filled to the brim with knowledge, well spoken, stern, and witty. The type of person you would normally want to stay away from in that time period. As he was not Christian like the rest of the people in the German town Emil Sinclaire was from. This boy Demian was the shifting point of Emil’s life. He solved Emil’s issues with a bully he had a quarrel with in the frontmost of the book. He then wooed the heart of Emil into thinking differently about the story of Cain and Abel. The story where if you are Christian you do not think otherwise. Demian changed Emil’s thoughts. He showed Emil that there are other ways of thinking. After this the story goes on, Emil and Demian go back and forth to and from each other. But in the back of his mind, Emil is always thinking of Demian. The book goes on after this and it becomes one of the best reads I have had in so long. I think it is my favorite book of all time. It changed my perception on a lot of things. It made me get back into classical music with the reference of Buxtehude that the character Pistorius plays by his lonesome while Emil listens from outside. Eventually leading to a friendship between the god Abraxas that Demian also taught Emil about. This story was very influential to me. I understood a lot of it. I felt like I learned a lot too. I learned more about myself, I think I became a kinder person while reading this story. I also feel like I am now going down a rabbit hole of Hesse’s books as I am now reading Steppenwolf which is also really good. There has not been a bad moment in these short story books.

I really just wanted to talk about this book as I find it extremely fulfilling. The themes, characters, language, everything in this novel changed my outlook on life. It helped me get through some stuff in my life as well. Coming out of reading I think I became a different person. I now have a greater appreciation for things, and I realize that some things are not meant to be. I also realize that in times of hardship there are still things to look forward to.

Also coming off of this I just finished Steppenwolf as well. I have to say that it was not as good as Demian, but it still did seem very similar to Demian. The main character both had a liking for androgynous people, and both enjoyed the same type of music as well. Both stories were a good read for me. The ending was really rushed though. The ending had no build up. It just happened. Boom. It didn’t feel like the Steppenwolf really felt something either. He just accepted it. It also started to become less of his recounting, and more of a story. The first person in the book found Steppenwolf's words. There was no conclusion to the story, no like, “I am leaving these notes here.” or, “I am going to now move on with my life or finally take the razor and turn it on myself.” Nothing of that sort. So in that department I found it lacking, and needed a lot more clarification. Other than that, it's a good book. Time to read Siddartha.