Salty Lemons

limited edition Urban Swift Clyde Pumas by Hussein Chalayan
New Canaan, CT from my 2011 archive

November 12, 2011

Details

On a recent tour of Philip Johnson's Glass House, the guide pointed to a set of nesting ashtrays and a malachite box on the living room table. She told my group that no matter where Philip Johnson was in the house, if someone moved the ashtrays and box, he would walk over and move them back. I liked that story and made a point to store it in my memory. It gave me validation, I am the same way. Since I am not Philip Johnson, when I do similar things in my place, people look at me like I am crazy or uptight. I simply explain it as "everything has its place." Some people see the whole, I see the details.

After the tour, I sat waiting for my group to finish browsing the book selection when I spotted a visitor wearing an unexpected pair of sneakers. I had just finished watching "Bill Cunningham New York" and decided to channel my inner Bill. Since I was in a small town, inside a small shop, I decided to ask the man before crouching down and snapping away at his footwear. He obliged but instantly changed his posture and began posing with his feet. Similar to the way someone's face changes when they are aware they are being photographed. I coached him to be natural, but that never works.

Bill Cunningham's photo essays not only document the fashion of clothing, footwear, and accessories that are on trend in New York, his work shows other connections in his subjects as well. In one essay titled "X Factor" he comments:

"The look that dominates high fashion in New York is a long stretch of leg, ankle boots and a new posture. Every era has a defining stance, and at present, it is standing with your legs crossed, like a model or a dancer en pointe."

I can really appreciate that observation, and next time, I will be sure to ask the man with the Pumas to cross his legs.

archives: "After Bill Cunningham", Architecture, Art