On the subject of top hats... (why?...)
ON THE SUBJECT OF TOPHATS
I've always liked tophats. Of course, i've always liked foppish dandies too.
My sister asked for "clockwork orange" for christmas this year. Corey mentioned that appearantly the tophat and cane has been flippantly embraced by the emo kids, (this had something to do with with that they wear them in the movie.) Really? Granted i don't know any emo kids (...except my sister) but i doubt many of them have invested in a real gentlemanly accessory set as such.
I believe the modern associations with the tophat come from occupational memories. Examples include the magician, circus ringmaster, and (the mad) hatter (altho this latest generation doesn't even seem to know what a "hatter" was or what their subsequent job hazards entailed.) There is also the general knowledge that it was a sign of wealth, to some degree, or at least good dress etiquette, for men to wear in centuries past.
Wondering about the time table for popularity and production for different kinds of tophats (mainly was interested in materials more so than style,) i looked at wikipedia-- and was surprised to see that it says, rather as a mere late mention, that tophats have become a popular fashion statement in rock music.
REALLY? no, i'm serious! i can only think of four musicians off of the top of my head (..haha) who wear tophats. The first is slash with his gigantic stove pipe and equally profuse poof of hair smoking out the reverse end. Second, is hyde, more on that later of course. Third,... that guy from Panic at the Disco (which admittedly seems to mirror the clockwork orange style, makeup and all.) Lastly, i think i saw manson in one once. Once. Oh, wait, yes, and i think Gwen Stefani did once in her ticktock video, obviously in reference to the mad hatter in alice in wonderland. ...or was that her harajuku girls? (lol, hootchi cootchi girls. kinda sounds alike, no?) OHH, YES, and of course Tom Petty in "Dont come around here no more" pv which parodies,-- can you guess?-- THATS RIGHT, ALICE IN WONDERLAND!
That hardly seems like a lot to me. I'm sure there may be more to pop a topper, but rock music is oft round and about being different, freakish, and herefore we loop back around to the circus theme. spelling it out: f. r. e. a. k. s. h. o. w. So it seems to me that the pop fad in question is not the tophat, but the idea it represents is fundamental to/at the school of rock n' roll.
Personally, the history is wonderous on this strange design. How did a hat like this survive so long? centuries of use, popular use at one time... This fine upright hat encourages the wearer to mimick it: rigid, upstanding, smooth, asthetically appealing,-- the gentleman dandy by definition.
So, with that, lets look at mr. hyde. Well now, his very namesake conjures the fashions relevent to the time its story is from. Not to mention his visual and theatrical mastery, twisting and slumping under it (occasionally), he symbolicly reminds us of the character. He is by all means a dandy (a foppish one at that,) and a freaky little magician. I do believe he has all bases covered. Conjurer. Oh what meaning we might pull out of that (more everyday tophat phrases/idioms keep popping up without even TRYING to think of them.) (con- juror. with/without conscience?)
*pulls head back out of the lala cloud*
Where does this leave me? Still mooning over that beautiful beaver hat in the local antique store that hasn't been bought in a year. And who is going to with a price tag so high? I've considered it but despite its immaculate condition, i can't bring myself to pay almost 150 dollars for something i don't need. Never mind the fact that i have always wanted one. I've even tried reasoning with myself that i could excuse offering her less than a hundred, but even then... no... *sigh*
There is a particular self portrait photo i've been wanting to do for many years now. The one thing i'm missing is a tophat. I would love that tophat, as i love all my antiques. I am awed by their history and significance. I have respect for it/them, silly as that may seem. ...For this reason, (and my personal belief that secondhand items should be used over newer items whenever sensible,) i can not bring myself to buy a new cheap tophat.
So back into the hat goes my plan.
....wait.
What was the point of this post?
Ah well i shall end with this fact: I've been very lax lately in my cg exercises and have a few photos i'd like to play with. Perhaps i can appease by incorporating a false one (in the sense that i don't actually own one) into a different self-portrait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
its past 2 am. why the H3LL am i up writing about TOPHATS??
it must be that caramel coffee smoothie i had at 3 pm today. i swear tropical smoothie must have super caffienated coffee. No other coffee affects me as it does. *siiigh* this is no good... work. ...morning. ....ugh.
I've always liked tophats. Of course, i've always liked foppish dandies too.
My sister asked for "clockwork orange" for christmas this year. Corey mentioned that appearantly the tophat and cane has been flippantly embraced by the emo kids, (this had something to do with with that they wear them in the movie.) Really? Granted i don't know any emo kids (...except my sister) but i doubt many of them have invested in a real gentlemanly accessory set as such.
I believe the modern associations with the tophat come from occupational memories. Examples include the magician, circus ringmaster, and (the mad) hatter (altho this latest generation doesn't even seem to know what a "hatter" was or what their subsequent job hazards entailed.) There is also the general knowledge that it was a sign of wealth, to some degree, or at least good dress etiquette, for men to wear in centuries past.
Wondering about the time table for popularity and production for different kinds of tophats (mainly was interested in materials more so than style,) i looked at wikipedia-- and was surprised to see that it says, rather as a mere late mention, that tophats have become a popular fashion statement in rock music.
REALLY? no, i'm serious! i can only think of four musicians off of the top of my head (..haha) who wear tophats. The first is slash with his gigantic stove pipe and equally profuse poof of hair smoking out the reverse end. Second, is hyde, more on that later of course. Third,... that guy from Panic at the Disco (which admittedly seems to mirror the clockwork orange style, makeup and all.) Lastly, i think i saw manson in one once. Once. Oh, wait, yes, and i think Gwen Stefani did once in her ticktock video, obviously in reference to the mad hatter in alice in wonderland. ...or was that her harajuku girls? (lol, hootchi cootchi girls. kinda sounds alike, no?) OHH, YES, and of course Tom Petty in "Dont come around here no more" pv which parodies,-- can you guess?-- THATS RIGHT, ALICE IN WONDERLAND!
That hardly seems like a lot to me. I'm sure there may be more to pop a topper, but rock music is oft round and about being different, freakish, and herefore we loop back around to the circus theme. spelling it out: f. r. e. a. k. s. h. o. w. So it seems to me that the pop fad in question is not the tophat, but the idea it represents is fundamental to/at the school of rock n' roll.
Personally, the history is wonderous on this strange design. How did a hat like this survive so long? centuries of use, popular use at one time... This fine upright hat encourages the wearer to mimick it: rigid, upstanding, smooth, asthetically appealing,-- the gentleman dandy by definition.
So, with that, lets look at mr. hyde. Well now, his very namesake conjures the fashions relevent to the time its story is from. Not to mention his visual and theatrical mastery, twisting and slumping under it (occasionally), he symbolicly reminds us of the character. He is by all means a dandy (a foppish one at that,) and a freaky little magician. I do believe he has all bases covered. Conjurer. Oh what meaning we might pull out of that (more everyday tophat phrases/idioms keep popping up without even TRYING to think of them.) (con- juror. with/without conscience?)
*pulls head back out of the lala cloud*
Where does this leave me? Still mooning over that beautiful beaver hat in the local antique store that hasn't been bought in a year. And who is going to with a price tag so high? I've considered it but despite its immaculate condition, i can't bring myself to pay almost 150 dollars for something i don't need. Never mind the fact that i have always wanted one. I've even tried reasoning with myself that i could excuse offering her less than a hundred, but even then... no... *sigh*
There is a particular self portrait photo i've been wanting to do for many years now. The one thing i'm missing is a tophat. I would love that tophat, as i love all my antiques. I am awed by their history and significance. I have respect for it/them, silly as that may seem. ...For this reason, (and my personal belief that secondhand items should be used over newer items whenever sensible,) i can not bring myself to buy a new cheap tophat.
So back into the hat goes my plan.
....wait.
What was the point of this post?
Ah well i shall end with this fact: I've been very lax lately in my cg exercises and have a few photos i'd like to play with. Perhaps i can appease by incorporating a false one (in the sense that i don't actually own one) into a different self-portrait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
its past 2 am. why the H3LL am i up writing about TOPHATS??
it must be that caramel coffee smoothie i had at 3 pm today. i swear tropical smoothie must have super caffienated coffee. No other coffee affects me as it does. *siiigh* this is no good... work. ...morning. ....ugh.