tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post7873772823548537889..comments2024-03-02T06:33:28.289-05:00Comments on Anthropology in Practice: Reflections of Gotham: Why Do New Yorkers Wear So Much Black?Krystal D'Costahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-86542024132887006012014-04-21T22:36:01.556-04:002014-04-21T22:36:01.556-04:00Let the people blend in black..let our City do the...Let the people blend in black..let our City do the shining..as it always does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-7574498009874423662014-04-21T22:35:07.588-04:002014-04-21T22:35:07.588-04:00Let us blend in black..let our City do the shining...Let us blend in black..let our City do the shining..as it always does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-36968920293139532222014-04-19T15:15:47.514-04:002014-04-19T15:15:47.514-04:00Good coin laundries run on change machines.Toronto...Good coin laundries run on change machines.<a href="http://24hourlaundromatanddrycleaners.com/" rel="nofollow">Toronto laundromats</a> If a customer cannot get change, they are going somewhere else<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12462410445646617665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-86409061458123977612013-06-09T00:11:00.412-04:002013-06-09T00:11:00.412-04:00You forget that New York has a strong Protestant h...You forget that New York has a strong Protestant history lending to dark, drab modest clothing. Liberty Ellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380504944286995151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-54512887525674804422011-05-20T10:14:27.117-04:002011-05-20T10:14:27.117-04:00I keep meaning to come back and add something insi...I keep meaning to come back and add something insightful and interesting here; it's a wonderful topic!<br /><br />But, since I don't have time I'll just share two tidbits of information.<br /><br />First, I am one of the more brightly-clad members of my social circle. It's not that I dress like a parrot or anything, but I don't wear black much. Some wear black for religious reasons, some wear it for community - many are "goths" - and some for the simple practicality that you can dye *anything* black. It's odd, because this represents a generally younger crowd; I've not seen anyone over 40 with such a monochromatic wardrobe.<br /><br />Second, I have a friend who is studying in Japan for a year. One of her first tasks was to order her scholarship kimono (apparently a formal kimono for certain occasions). In her own words "I chose a blue fabric, which one of my doukyuusei insists is more appropriate for older women; my understanding is that colors like pink, orange, and yellow are particularly appropriate for younger women while colors like green, blue, and gray are more appropriate for older women." No mention of black, but perhaps there is an association between darker colors and maturity?Hasufinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09033552756567416359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-58717778403483834712011-05-03T01:22:03.577-04:002011-05-03T01:22:03.577-04:00someone said "blonds look bad in black" ...someone said "blonds look bad in black" -- but actually people with blond hair look fabulous in black.Felicityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06730724928358591249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-36012826776724234182011-04-26T14:39:10.925-04:002011-04-26T14:39:10.925-04:00I'm not an anthropologist (though I'd like...I'm not an anthropologist (though I'd like to be), but I am a New Yorker. I really believe we wear a lot of black almost purely for practical reasons.<br /><br />As Anonymous pointed out, NYC is dirty, very dirty. And the majority of us are not navigating it in cars; we are taking the sidewalks and public transportation and occupying very heavily trafficked spaces. Dirty.<br /><br />Most of us have small apartments without washers/dryers/elevators. We have to heft our laundry onto our backs and take it to laundromats which are often none too clean themselves. So we probably don't do laundry as often as the rest of America. So we need clothes that hide the dirt. And if all your clothes are black, you can wash them all in one load.<br /><br />As Wendy Caster said, black is classy. This is a town where fashion matters a bit more than in most places. If money's an issue (and with the rent around here, it's an issue)dark cheap clothes look less cheap than bright cheap clothes, and dark expensive clothes will last longer, show less wear-and-tear, get you more for your money.<br /><br />Black goes with everything and it goes everywhere. You can wear the same top and skirt to a funeral in the morning, school at noon, job in the afternoon, opera at the Met in the evening, and a bar/party at night. Then, because black is subtle, you can wear the exact same outfit the next day, and unless people are paying close attention to your outfits (which they are too self-absorbed to do), they will never realize you stayed out all night and didn't go home.<br /><br />In addition to all that, many of us are orthodox Jews. Even more of us are waiters. Some of us are Goths. And a couple of us are S&M enthusiasts.<br /><br />So that's why we wear black all the time, really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-39944223475302868992011-04-22T14:12:08.017-04:002011-04-22T14:12:08.017-04:00These are all great ideas—and I love that you'...These are all great ideas—and I love that you're sharing personal reasons for adopting black. <br /><br />My reading of the literature and my own personal experience suggests that persons of Italian, African, and Latin backgrounds come from cultures where colors are celebrated and woven into the patterns of clothing. Italians especially, as they were a part of the rich trade in dye and cloth that occurred in history. So I'm not so sure that I necessarily buy the ethnicity theory. On the 7 train here in New York City, it's not uncommon to see East Indian women in brightly colored saris and shalwars.<br /><br />Wendy, I'm intrigued by your comment on climate. To a certain degree, I do think our clothing reflects our environment, and you make a valid point about the reflectivity of certain colors.Krystal D'Costahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14745684576219479646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-54620455220471085052011-04-21T12:08:09.981-04:002011-04-21T12:08:09.981-04:00Great post.
I agree with the commenters and have ...Great post.<br /><br />I agree with the commenters and have a couple of additional points.<br /><br />One is that black doesn't work in a place like San Diego, where it is sunny a great deal of the time, because it pulls in and retains heat. <br /><br />The other is that I wear black a lot because it makes my nondescript wardrobe look a little bit classier. I tend toward jeans and t shirts. Blue jeans and, say, a red t shirt = casual. Black jeans and a black t shirt, not as much.Wendy Casterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02736636055295848483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-42186009751977654912011-04-21T11:19:10.656-04:002011-04-21T11:19:10.656-04:00Interesting post. My preferred theory at the momen...Interesting post. My preferred theory at the moment is ethnicity. New Yorkers often have Jewish, Italian, African, and Latino ancestry. With dark features, they look good in black clothing. On the West Coast, features are more often blond and blonds look bad in black. <br /><br />You see this same divide in Canada. Toronto has many more of the darker featured ethnicities and black is the dominant colour. Out West, there are more fair-featured people and the colour palette is brighter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-92180867100977949682011-04-20T17:00:53.547-04:002011-04-20T17:00:53.547-04:00Black doesn't show dirt. The subway is dirty a...Black doesn't show dirt. The subway is dirty and the many automobiles emit a lot of sooty, oily bits. When I live in the city, I was always amazed at the soot and grime that piled up on & around the windows.<br /><br />Great history of color and dyes, but I think the NYC reason is heavily functional.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-567551886916883231.post-62219055879032570902011-04-20T16:33:54.258-04:002011-04-20T16:33:54.258-04:00Nice bit of history. I've had this conversatio...Nice bit of history. I've had this conversation with others, and one theory stuck out. Theater workers traditionally wear all black so they aren't seen by the audience, and during the 1950's, the Beatnicks and artists crossed paths with them, hanging out in the same bars and nightclubs. The artists and other thought the black attire was cool, so they adopted it, and it came to be associated with artsy, creative, fashionable types.neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856163982742897562noreply@blogger.com