Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa

8 Comments

1. 

   ChevalierMalFait / October 31, 2010

   Review by ChevalierMalFait for Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa
   Rating:
   I do not (yet) own this book, but I spent half an hour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop recently in an absolute trance paging through it. The sole review here trashing this beautiful book struck me as so unfair that I feel compelled to write a rebuttal.

   The reviewer is concerned that this collection of photographs does not represent the daily lives and cultural practices of the people it represents. That in fact the attention these people are getting from tourists and photographers is encouraging them to show off and thus changing their cultural practices from what they were in isolation. All that may be true. But none of it obscures or in any way detracts from the undeniable truth that these are some of the most beautiful, creative, and uniquely adorned people in the world. To page through this book is to be transported momentarily into a world of sensual beauty that few of us even dare to imagine exists. The viewer who is open minded enough to appreciate it is gifted with an insight into the beauty of a people he/she might not have known even existed. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so.

   Does photographing these people and the attention that ensues change them? Probably. Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. But I do know it is up to the people being photographed to decide that. It is up to them to decide whether or not, and in what manner, they want to be photographed, not some outsider who believes their culture should be left intact. In a globalizing world, I can think of many types of attention from the outside world that would not be quite so benign. If it was done without compulsion, which appears to be the case, then I think that broadcasting the beauty of a people for the world to see is a good thing. Change is inevitable. Hopefully this sort of attention will help ensure that the change is positive.

   Reply
2. 

   Noemi / October 31, 2010

   Review by Noemi for Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa
   Rating:
   As a visual artist I can tell you that when I first picked this book up in my local library, the fantastic and surprising images nearly took my breath away!! I took it over to another artist’s house and we looked through it together. Deciding right then to get our own copies. The wild painting on the beautiful black skin is very similar to the free and easy strokes in my own paintings. I am considering getting the other African related book my the same author.
   

   Reply
3. 

   Lone Hansen / November 1, 2010

   Review by Lone Hansen for Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa
   Rating:
   This is an amazing book. I am a painter and it made me want to get in my studio and start paintings, the textures, the patterns and then now and then the sad contrast of weapons and Natures beauty, brings you right back to “real” world.I can’t stop looking at the pictures, they draw you in. It is truly a beautiful people. The first time I saw it ,was at a friends house and I just had to go get it for myself. My friend offered to loan it to me, but that just wasn’t enough. Thank you Hans Silvester for creating this book. Lone Hansen, Bainbridge Island , WA

   Reply
4. 

   K. Mcfarland / November 1, 2010

   Review by K. Mcfarland for Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa
   Rating:
   I am an artist and this book has been such an inspiration to me. These people are absolutely beautiful, the photography is beautiful and it is all presented with elegance and simplicity. This books takes my breath away and I am mesmerized everyday when I open it’s pages.

   Reply
5. 

   R. Nichol / November 1, 2010

   Review by R. Nichol for Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa
   Rating:
   Beautiful imagery. It will have you near tears… One of my most precious finds in recent months…the faces, the creativity, raw natural talent. Unbelievable. A wonderful book to draw inspiration from.

   Reply
6. 

   Raymond L. Llompart / November 1, 2010

   Review by Raymond L. Llompart for Allure
   Rating:
   Diana Vreeland was one of those RARE individuals who ENTIRELY created themselves……. A RARE GEM of a GLOSSY, LACQUERED, somewhat aristocratic woman who, through SHEER WILL (and intellect and breeding, certainly) became THE paragon of style in a world that continues to coarsen and disappear,,,,,,,Interestingly, as the years went by she became more ALIVE, more liberated, hopefully more happy……A woman of EXCEPTIONAL TASTE, she was able to maneuver the Park Avenue crowd where she purpurtedly grew up, but as she grew older she KNEW that new blood was needed and she headed DOWNTOWN to mix with the “demimonde” and started to leave behind all that stuffy old money that was growing more and more irrelevant…..
   
   I have been GREATLY inspired by Mrs. Vreeland, even though I never had the honor to meet her……
   
   Her joy of life, of BEAUTY, of humanity was alwyays PALPABLE, and I believe she had a great heart……
   
   BRANDED forever an UGLY GIRL by her unstable,rather monstrous mother, perhaps that came to define her life, as she says in her”Bio” DV—which I highly recommend…..
   
   This particular book is filled with large black-and-white cutouts from newspapers and magazines that she kept for inspiration, and the subjects are varied, but always come back to her obsessions with royalty and the most SOIGNEE women of the 20th century….. Half or more of what she says is pure FLUFF, but frothy and delightful (and sometimes downright CRUEL). I have derived much pleasure from this book, but may I suggest that you ONLY buy this book IF you have a fascination with the upper classes, STYLE, and the sayings of a very STYLISH woman who sometimes verges on madness and parody——-tongue-in-cheek parody, as she was too intelligent to take herself too seriously.
   
   In a world that COARSENS more and more, Mrs. Vreeland is the perfect antidote——-a “figure of fantasy” that can offer us a moment of respite in a CRASS, VULGAR, let-it-all-out society…..
   
   She was very SPECIAL, and she is missed…….
   

   Reply
7. 

   J. Ying / November 1, 2010

   Review by J. Ying for Allure
   Rating:
   This is an essential of style by one of the seminal figures of fashion, Diana Vreeland.

   Granted, some of the print qualities aren’t exceptional; however, the visuals compensate.

   Reply
8. 

   AP / November 1, 2010

   Review by AP for Allure
   Rating:
   I am very pleased that those of us can’t afford the first edition can now own this classic!

   Reply