Shogun

 
Have you ever been fascinated by something because it was foreign, perplexing, and a little unknowable?

 
 
 
Have you ever bought something because it was foreign, perplexing, and a little unknowable? And then worn it?
 
 
I did! On Black Friday. Technically, I bought the foreign/perplexing/unknowable thing during the run-up to Black Friday, two days before Thanksgiving.
I bought this jacket, with a Black Friday coupon
I bought this jacket with a Black Friday coupon

Was I wrong to do so?
Was I wrong to do so?
It made perfect sense at the time, though I was acting under the influence of this wavy, pearly, green Japanese satin
It made perfect sense at the time; I was pulled into its mysterious depths by this wavy, pearly, green Japanese satin

The Photographer says that he finds this jacket a little scary, but I’ve told him that he needs to walk toward his fear, not away.

side
Come to me, mon ange
back
I will allow no harm to befall you

 
 
 
I seek to broaden my horizons. And his, whether he likes it or not.
 
Note the graceful shape of this belled sleeve; it’s articulated, angular, and crisp.
 
The lines of this jacket are influenced by traditional Japanese design and made me think of Shogun, which I have not actually seen.
Sleeves
The irony here is that The Photographer is an adventurer and I am more of a house cat

This false visual memory, however, prompted me to look up James Clavell’s Shogun on IMDb.com where I was advised that “People who liked this also liked ” . . . wait for it, you know what’s coming . . . The Thorn Birds, North and South (the one by John Jakes, not Elizabeth Gaskell), The Winds of War. I’ve seen all of those!
 
 
 
Ah . . . the golden age of the network television miniseries. A time when we all watched the same things at the same time. There is something to be said for that type of unity.
Actual shogun
Actual Shogun found other ways to keep people unified

collar
Let’s look at my collar together
 
 
But enough sociological musing and misguided nostalgia.* Let’s look at the details. Together, right now.

 
 
And, finishing things off, a drawstring cinched waist.
cinched waist
One more minute of unity

 
Jacket: Marissa Webb Adeline Jacket (Remember: I bought mine with a Black Friday coupon; did not pay full price!)
 
* The network television miniseries of the 70s and 80s — all of which were advertised as a major television event — were pretty dreadful. We are better off today.

16 thoughts on “Shogun”

  1. You had me at Shogun (which I also haven’t seen, but I had to know where The Directrice is going to take us today?). And then when I saw the first photo, my first thought was Princess Leia. An urban, mod Princess Leia. But when you mentioned The Thorn Birds, oh my, I had to get a cup of tea and sit down. Of course Meggie loved Father Ralph, but why? Why was she drawn to the unattainable? Clearly she too longed for the foreign, perplexing and unknowable. Perhaps your jacket purchase has shed some light on this age-old (for those of us of a certain age) question.

    Reply
    • Fortunately, my feelings for the jacket are not tinged with sorrow (only confusion). Just thinking about The Thorn Birds has me shaking my head, trying to figure out where we could have intervened, Shopgrrrl . . . But the die was cast over and over! This makes me think of the song, “I’m So Glad I’m Not Young Anymore.”

      Reply
  2. Directrice,

    I continue to be amazed by your ability to make the foreign, perplexing, and unknowable into something wearable – and to see the possibility in photographs that make me think “insane” and “WHY?” You may be rubbing off on me, however, and inspiring me to attempt more complicated items, as I recently purchased this jacket as the tiniest of tiny steps toward the asymmetric, folded, complicated world you inhabit.
    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/armani-jeans-side-pleat-blazer/4643888?origin=wishlist

    Love the blog, love the cultural references, loved The Thornbirds on my tiny black-and-white turn-dial TV.

    Reply
    • I love your new jacket, RKT. It’s beautiful and interesting. Fly, kitten, fly! I love thinking of the two TVs in the house I grew up in. The black-and-white was in the basement and used primarily by my father for watching baseball and hockey games; the reception was not that reliable. Today’s children would probably find that incomprehensible.

      Reply
      • You just reminded me of adjusting the antennae and the round wire receiver to try to limit the static, blurring, and lines across the screen. A strangely happy memory.

        Reply
  3. The jacket is great – it’s utilitarian, like Ginger is alluding to, and slightly foreign with the sleeves…. if you ever feel “done” with the sleeves, you could have Fatima chop them off to the shoulder and Voila! a really sweet safari vest…

    Thornbirds… my mom busted me for reading the book as a teenager… I loved it!

    Reply
    • I read a detailed synopsis of The Thornbirds after writing this entry (I needed a refresher) and after each major plot inflection — and all of them are tragedies — would nod my head and say, “Oh yeah. That happened. That was pretty bad.” Totally makes me want to watch it over the Christmas break.

      Reply
  4. I am a lurker from New Zealand and don’t usually comment on blogs but just wanted to say what a delight your postings are As an escaped lawyer I marvel at that fact you have the spare brain power and energy to create such interesting and entertaining content, not to mention manage to buy stylish to boot.

    Reply
    • Now you are a lurker-commenter! I must confess, Kathryn, that at least once a week I stop and think about this blog . . . and what I think is, “This is bonkers! What are you doing? Why are you posting photos of yourself on the internet? You should be reading the U.S.A. trilogy!” But I get a lot of enjoyment from creating these posts and from reading comments like yours. So thank you for lurking and commenting!

      Reply

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