Pendleton and the collective unconscious

Look at that sweater!

Partly because I just finished a Navajo-inspired design, Slate's slideshow on the history of the Pendleton blanket caught my eye this morning. Not only was it really interesting in itself, it led me to discover Pendleton's new Portland Collection, which is beautiful.

I especially like this quote from the slideshow (talking about Navajo weaving):

So as white Americans were making blankets that were supposed to look authentically Native American for a largely Native American market, Native Americans were making textiles tailored to white use for white people.

That dynamic reminds me of the West African wax textiles made in the Netherlands (although production has increased greatly in China...which reminds me of the interesting expansion of Chinese business in Africa).

This also reminds me how interesting trends are; the Slate slideshow pegged the recent interest in Native American (-ish) design elements as starting around 3 years ago--exactly the time I suddenly developed a burning desire for a pair of moccasins*. I still haven't figured out how it works, but I think there's something to be said for the idea of the collective unconscious**.



*Which turned out to be the most comfortable shoes I've ever had, and surprisingly durable for shoes with no conventional sole.
**I'm sure that this application of the term would make a true Jungian bang his/her head against the nearest wall.

{ Photo from the Fall/Winter 2011 Pendleton Portland Collection lookbook, via honeykennedy.com. }

peek

Preview of one of my projects for the upcoming issue of Nuno (out soon).

The colored yarn was a Kool-aid dye job, which is always so much fun (despite having to go back and redo the orange because the first try was Safety Orange).

le rayon vert

I watched Le Rayon Vert (Summer) a while back and was slightly surprised at how much I liked a lot of the clothes in it. This is surely an indicator of age, the dividing line being between a Youngster (who would say, "of course the clothes are great, it's from the 80s") and a non-Youngster (who would either dislike the clothes or be surprised at liking so many of them).

Although it would undoubtedly tire a viewer with little patience for a neurotic heroine and/or a distaste for the French pastime of sitting around and having borderline-combative philosophical exchanges over food and beverages, I would recommend this movie to those not falling into the former two categories. It really is a sweet movie if you can get past the dithering and frequent crying jags.

By the way, the last time I watched the sun set over the ocean (which is not something I have occasion to do very often), I did not see the fabled green ray, somewhat to my disappointment.

nostalgia

We've been trying to figure out a good location for a visit with my husband's family in Europe, and Valencia looks like a frontrunner, which makes me nostalgic for the city and, in particular, our apartment when we lived there.

beautiful

I love the platform bed, and the whole house, in this sneak peak from Design Sponge.

snippet

What I've been working on for the new issue of Nuno.

Katie Scott

I love Katie Scott's fantastically detailed drawings. They look like things that would show up in my dreams. She also has prints for sale in her shop.

{Found at Little Paper Planes.}