BEAUTY: Clothing--MP Massimo Piombo

Massimo Piombo's eponymous label, MP Massimo Piombo, continued a theme that we have seen for several seasons now...that of the eccentric traveler (previously here and here), a Westerner who has reverentially adopted his surroundings whether that might be an Indian kurta or a Peruvian blanket. His '19-'20 FW collection presented in a lookbook for Milano Moda Uomo featured a character who seemed like a wandering sadhu or some kind of hermit-holy man, alone in the forest wearing plaid blanket skirts, luscious overcoats, and extravagant retro-printed scarves. But this is one lucky hermit because his wardrobe consists of coats created from alpaca, mohair, and cashmere blends from Hungary or from Austrian wool. It's a lovely idea, being able to travel and to immerse oneself in other cultures, to take them into oneself instead of simply skimming the surface like a tourist..to go deeper into ways other than what we know of in the West. In fact, it's probably the fault of the floppy hat, but I can't help but flash on Jodorowsky's character in his film "The Holy Mountain" (previously here)...

https://www.mpmassimopiombo.com/

Seeker of Visions

“Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn’t have any kind of prison.
Because of this, we had no delinquents.
Without a prison, there can be no delinquents.
We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves.
When someone was so poor that he couldn’t afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift.
We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property.
We didn’t know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth.
We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another.
We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don’t know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society.”
--John (Fire) Lame Deer


In the early 70s, Lakota (Sioux) wichasha wakan or holy man John (Fire) Lame Deer, (in Lakota: Tȟáȟča Hušté) recounted his fascinating life to writer Richard Erdoes. The book was published as LAME DEER, SEEKER OF VISIONS.