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August, 2013 - The Seventh Sphinx - Page 8

bikini of the day: the bold bandeau

IMG_4642This is the suit I was wearing in the bandeau/pencil skirt post. This design is by the Finnish brand Marimekko via Anthropologie (thrifted). I am often drawn to bold, rustic stripes in varied widths like the pattern featured here. I find them somehow more approachable than a bold, bright solid, more eye-catching, too; a pattern that invites attentiveness, gives you something to look at. Leave it to the Scandinavians. Also really like brown mixed with pastels. This is reminding me how I want some of those beautiful little Scandinavian-inspired bowls in Anthropologie – the size and style of a small Japanese rice bowl (and in fact made in Japan, evidently. I don’t know why but – usefulness entirely aside, though I do find them useful – I just love dainty porcelain bowls like this), with many different patterns to mix and match. I feel an urge to acquire a random selection that is not unlike what I experienced with the eggcups

This was another instant, effortless, yes-this-is-the-one kind of acquisition, I think largely because of this brilliant color combination + ratio of light tones to dark tones situation.

Doesn’t it seem like one might wear a turban with this suit?

[More on turbans soon…I got some fabric.]

I like hiphugger style bottoms, too. The silhouette they give seems pleasantly sleek and sporty to me, like you ought to be playing beach volleyball (which is probably true), or wearing them with a tank top in one of those Olympic runner get-ups. Sleek is a prominent keyword in my style, I would say. Or, at least, I want it to be.

Hm. I want to go swimming.

the scarab pendant

Speaking of objects I was entirely right to acquire, here is an antique wood and enamel scarab pendant I finally picked up after many months of watching from afar. The colors and visual texture are incredible, and it reminds me of the intricate scarab cabochons you see in the ancient Egyptian section of the MFA (or any such museum), which I always find arresting. Like to try to imagine how they would have been used and worn. It’s quite small, just a little over 1/2″ long. This green-leaning turquoise hue appeals to me in just about every context, really, but especially this one.

[Imagine a massive scarab to hang on the serpent necklace, see what I’m saying? How FIERCE would that be?]

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I’ll get more into my love of the ancient Egyptian aesthetic later I’m sure, for now it suffices to say that yes: the creatures chosen for artistic representation, the blending of myth and nature and the mythical resonance of just about everything/pervasive symbolism, the crisp lines and bold colors, the prevalence of gold, eyeliner for all, and of course all those sphinxes…I love it.

I love, too, the process of building – borrowing and elaborating from the great pool of history and myth – my own mythology and establishing my own set of personal symbols, replete with any power I have channeled into them. I am drawn to the concept of the charm or the amulet (I recently lost my cimaruta, sadly), not because I believe in ancient or current systems of power, but because I believe in my own power (certainly over myself, conscious or no), and can derive comfort and strength from my personal totems and emblems. The scarab traditionally symbolizes the sun (another favored symbol of mine), and so growth, development, transformation, creation.

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There is a glyph on the back, anyone able to identify? Maybe a stylized Arabic script?

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