My Trip to San Francisco - (a little vintage)

amandainvermont

amandainvermont

VFG Member
I returned recently from a five-day trip to San Francisco to visit my brother. He planned the entire itinerary around three meals a day, so I spent most of the time eating delicious and unusual foods and then recovering. I did get to the de Young Museum where I wanted to see their textile exhibit. And wouldn’t you know it, they were closed and setting up an exhibit on Amish quilts.

There was an amazing collection of New Guinea art which had the added bonus of being upstairs away from the throngs of people coming to see the Tut exhibit.

My brother lives just off Fillmore Street near Japantown. If you walk up Fillmore Street there are a number of thrift and consignment stores, all quite expensive. The Junior League had a $1,000 + dress for sale, but they also had a $5 rack of odds and ends that had potential. I would keep going back to that place if I lived in the area.

Perhaps seven blocks from that store in the less yuppy section of the Filmore is a really nice Goodwill store that had a rapid turn-over, clean clothes and pleasant staff. (Although this old fogey can do without the blasting music.) All the clothes were pretty much $4.45, buy four and get the fifth one free. Sometimes I would see folks with armloads of clothes, I assumed for resale.

This is the only thing I bought... not crazy about the color, but the embroidery is amazing. No doubt made in China. Does the embroidered label mean anything to anyone? Kind of a modified cheonsang. Probably current - no other labels.

detailall22.jpg
detail88.jpg
detailcorner.jpg
detailsignature.jpg


I also went to the Alemany flea market, which I thought was 99 percent junk, but I do wish I’d asked the price on the leather sherrif’s jacket. It’s still haunting me.
 
Good Morning ~

I was at the De Young a few months ago and saw the fabulous New Guinea exhibit.

The garment is East Indian rather than Chinese. Usually they are worn with matching pants and a coordinating large sheer scarf.

I don't remember what they are called, but many of them are turning up in the thrifts in Northern California as there has been a large influx of East Indian immigrants.

~ Debbie
 
The Indian tunic would be called a kameez (I was taught it was related to the word "chemise"). If the kameez is worn with wide, baggy pants - which are called shalwar - the outfit is called a shalwar kameez. If it's worn with tight, narrow pants - called churidar - then it's a churidar kameez. Another word for a tunic would be "kurta", though that name often applies to a man's garment, it's sometimes used for a woman's tunic, especially (it seems to me) if it's made as a separate, rather than as a suit. Most shalwar kameezes, for instance, are made to match in coordinating or the same fabrics, as a suit. These outfits that coordinate pants and tops are particularly associated with Northern India and areas like Pakistan, though they're now a staple of Indian fashion in general.

Since I'm on a roll :) - the Indian outfit that has a tight blouse (choli) and full skirt (lengha) is called a lengha choli. A sari consists of the continuous long piece of fabric that is wrapped around you into a skirt and shoulder drape, and it's usually worn with a choli underneath it.

A shawl/scarf is worn pretty much always with women's outfits (shalwar and churidar kameezes, lengha cholis, kurta and blue jeans, etc) in Indian fashion, unless you're in a sari, in which case you have the free end of the sari to use for covering your head if you need/want to. The dupatta is often made at the same time to coordinate with the suit, though you can also buy them as separates. They can be light and sheer, or heavy, depending on the overall look the designer and wearer are going for.

Jen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top