Fashion

Pagne	Albania stepping stones Congo kate - light in the heart of darkness
Irak SENEGAL kABUL Irak	USA secrets in lace IRAN defilee giveh: Iranian summer footwear Tadanome kALININGRAD copydude Ukraine Carpetblogger Romania Romanian Survival Book Tirana I sure hope this isn't the latest fashion trend! Congo But don't kid yourself into thinking fashion is not a top priority here in the Congo. Here are a few tips if you're heading out this way or are already here and looking to boost your image:
	But If you have a spouse, the two of you can dress in the same pagne. Men generally have a button down Hawaiian-style shirt made from the same fabric as their wives' complets. This is particularly handy at parties for others to identify you/your partner's other half. Have a complet (matching top and skirt) made out of pagne fabric from the local market, preferably with some type of matching hair ornament. This will inspire your Congolese colleagues to comment on your authenticity and furthering your acceptance into the local culture. Taking this idea a step farther is the concept that at a wedding, you should definitely be seen in the same pagne as others. For instance, everyone from the bride or groom's workplace will all wear the same pagne made into different outfits. The school friends will also wear their own pagne. This can facilitate identifying members of your party in case or severe inebriation towards the latter portion of the evening.
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Senegal		IRAN Giveh: Iranian summer footwear Just in time for summer, I've bought myself a pair of giveh, the ideal shoes for the long, hard Tehran summer. Giveh have been made for centuries in many parts of Iran but are most famously from Western Iran, particularly a town called Paveh in Kermanshah Province. The upper is made of strong tightly woven cotton sewn tight to (on my pair) a leather sole. The soles of traditional are made of tightly compacted layers of cotton material stacked from toe to heel. These are less practical since they can lose their shape if wet. Giveh are, however, very much dry weather footwear. Made almost entirely from cotton, there's no need to wear socks and feet breath easily. In fact, in the town where my giveh were made they are referred to as jurab (socks) rather than kafsh (shoes). kALININGRAD Photo by gaech. This season in Kaliningrad the look will be leggy and tacky. Just like last year and the year before. If you’re hitting the beach, light colours in light suede lend that summer feel.COPYDUDE Uckraine May 14, 2007 Fun T-Shirts Our friend Wu Wei posts about the woes of a British store that didn't check the online translator before buying a bunch of T-shirts that said "We Will Cleanse Russia of All Non-Russians," a more typical yet less benign slogan than "Be Proud of Russia," which is what they thought the shirts said. I have acquired some fun t-shirts too. For the most part I know what they say. I got this one from our local Ukrainian nationalist bookstore in Kyiv. The faces are Leonid Kravchuk (1991-1994), Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005) and Viktor Yushchenko (2005- present). It says "All Presidents Are The Same." In many ways this is true. A lot of presidents, it turns out, are complete retards. However, only one President was poisoned with dioxin. This is one of the world's most recognizable brands: Hezbollah. Not sure exactly what it says, but I can't wait to wear it on my next flight to the U.S. Prudently, I had my Ukrainian friend translate the shirts before I bought them at the nationalist bookstore. He described this one as the Ukrainian nationalist and anarchist Nestor Makhno. Because Ukrainian Nationalists are known for many things, one of which is killing Jews and Poles. Turns out that ol' Nestor and the Makhnovists (that might be my new band name) criticized the Bolsheviks for their moderation but were less pogrom-prone than others. Wear with confidence! Romania



Kabul