Likely, regular readers recall one of my favorite books is Brideshead Revisited. There is a delightful reflection by Charles Ryder on the meaning of his relationship with Sebastian which touches on play, a preoccupation of these pages and my new book (https://www.amazon.com/Erich-Przywara-Postmodern-Natural-Law/dp/0268105944?). Charles is chastised by his very stuffy cousin that Sebastian is “bad…
Recently gave a paper on disenchantment at the old Catholic seminary in the north of England, Ushaw College. The seminary buildings have been absorbed by Durham University. Ushaw is a huge, barn of a place, with a beautiful chapel by Pugin. One room was hosting an excellent temporary exhibition of Arts & Crafts inspired…
The great English intellectual, John Henry Newman, will be canonised in October. Here is a link to some super pictures of his rooms (scroll forward through the pictures): https://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicism/48143564827/in/photostream/ Very snug and charming.
One of Scheler’s great complaints about commercial civilisation is that its vampiric quality (V&R Chapter 5) rids societies of eccentrics. Adam Smith’s spectator does prompt a degree of conformity, as does the all important role of brand logos in luxury fashion. How refreshing then is this story: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-sussex-48757020/the-brighton-tailor-whose-identity-became-his-business. After the story, Zach Pinsent thanked…
Ratio et Motus is a Chinese company making a limited range of luxury, craft handbags (https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3014849/why-chinese-designers-behind-ratio-et-motus-dont-want-make). The conceit of the design is geometry and passion combined: ““The brand name translates to ‘reason and emotion’ because our aesthetic is about trying to find a balance. While our designs are different, they have to make sense…
It’s been an amazing week for English footie. Both European cup finals will be fought by English sides only. Drama filled each of the semis, the last second winner for Tottenham a stand out. Liverpool’s victory is one for the history books, though. So it’s good to learn of a tiny maker of handmade…
Marking identity is an important role of fashion. Subcultures the world over employ fashion this way. Like punk in the late 70s and early 80s — at least in Britain — sometimes these fashion identities take on a strident and antithetical character. The controversial but brilliant political theorist Carl Schmitt dubbed this the manring. …
Following the tremendously popular Met exhibition, Heavenly Bodies, will be a new show on camp and its place in fashion. Perhaps a cunning commentary on the camp nature of fashion influenced by Catholicism? The show takes its bearings from Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay on the aesthetics of camp: https://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Sontag-NotesOnCamp-1964.html. I am not sure she…
For those interested in football, Arsene Wenger needs no introduction. A Frenchman who revolutionized the way football is played in Britain, Wenger is very Gallic. For one thing, he looks great in clothes, but as the link to this video amply shows, he is quite the intellectual (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPQREjBg9SM). Especially interesting is his emphasis on…
The Saalburg is an ancient Roman fortress in Germany and this link (https://mymodernmet.com/womens-shoes-ancient-rome/) takes you to an astonishing ancient artifact: a decorative leather woman’s sandal that is quite up to the minute. The Saalburg is typical of the forts that ran across northern Europe and marked the outer limits of the Roman Empire. …