2008 Woodie Awards
Back to black
Chronicles of a passenger
Anna Nguyen
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Life & Style
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Two girls walk past as I sit outside L'Europe, a café located downtown, waiting for my daily afternoon consumation of a cup of café crème. One is wearing skinny black jeans, a black and grey striped sweatshirt, and black Converse sneakers. Her companion is wearing a similar ensemble, donning skinny dark denim, a snug grey hoodie with a star motif and simple black ballet flats. Both have straight, extremely noir - perhaps dyed - hair and kohled eyes. The girl in all black has a "Monroe piercing" and is smoking a Vogue, a skinny, long cigarette similar to Virgina Slims. Both are carrying shopping bags from Bershka and Zara, the two stores being some of the most popular clothing stores in Pau other than Mango and H&M. L'Europe is located across the street from Zara. I look at the store's display window. The mannequins, like the majority of the residents of Pau, are also dressed in fashionably somber colors. The only hints of color come from the pink or yellow accessories and decorations.
Perhaps one would call the style in Pau "emo" and suggest it in a negative or playful connotation, but the look comes from the pages of French Vogue and Elle. To describe the female style, I dare say it's a combination of Kate Moss' superchic, supercool look and Amy Winehouse's archetypical rockstar style.
The main fashion motifs I've come to expect when walking downtown: blacks, whites, greys, and stripes are popular shirt or sweater wear; scarves, piercings and tattoos are the most popular accessories for both females and males. Even the elders and the men here seem to carefully choose their outfits as they also dress cautiously, wearing blacks, argyles and stripes. Mothers who accompany their daughters for a shopping trip downtown dress similar, though intelligently aware of the age difference, wearing skirts and the popular black, capri-length leggings. I've even seen several elderly ladies who dye their greying hair to an outrageous color, maroon purple being the common color.
Perhaps one would call the style in Pau "emo" and suggest it in a negative or playful connotation, but the look comes from the pages of French Vogue and Elle. To describe the female style, I dare say it's a combination of Kate Moss' superchic, supercool look and Amy Winehouse's archetypical rockstar style.
The main fashion motifs I've come to expect when walking downtown: blacks, whites, greys, and stripes are popular shirt or sweater wear; scarves, piercings and tattoos are the most popular accessories for both females and males. Even the elders and the men here seem to carefully choose their outfits as they also dress cautiously, wearing blacks, argyles and stripes. Mothers who accompany their daughters for a shopping trip downtown dress similar, though intelligently aware of the age difference, wearing skirts and the popular black, capri-length leggings. I've even seen several elderly ladies who dye their greying hair to an outrageous color, maroon purple being the common color.
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