Sunday’s Observations

Sunday morning I was on my way to church – it was a lovely morning, bright, not too cold (or at least not too windy). As I walked along the river (still walking between tram stops, since it was lovely, I didn't want to wait on the boat; but it should only be a few more days), I noticed the swans…again. I have been somewhat fascinated, or at least delighted, by the waterfowl on the Vltava. Swans, a few dozen at least, with their little ones, sometimes huddled along the bank, other times gliding across the river. Ducks, brightly-colored, ducks! Sleek, green heads, bright yellow bills and orange feet! The contrast with the gray of their feathers, the stone walls around the river and even the river itself is striking. And the gulls – I guess they are gulls of some sort – I don't know birds but that's what they look like to me. I guess it's that touch of nature that you don't often get to see in an urban setting.

When I got on the tram, I found a bird of a different sort. I believe the scientific term is undergraduatis americanus, and they were the female of the species. This creature tends to sport leggings (in place of pants), Ugg boots, waist-length down jackets, and heavy black eye-liner. While I only saw one of this exact plumage, the others in her flock wore some aspects of the "uniform." Regardless, seeing them together, even though not dressed exactly the same, I had the same thought that I have had numerous times walking across college campuses – how so they (the undergraduates) dress differently yet still look exactly the same? So, I started to think more about the Czech teens, young people that I have seen and have not noticed the same level of similarity. Czechs, in my humble opinion, have a set of fashion rules that truly allows for personal style and variation, but within boundaries. Now, these observations are primarily about women; men seem to dress using a much narrower array of options. But Czech women love to accessorize (at least in the colder weather) in a very matching way (what some of you may call "matchy-matchy"). For example, the young 20-something-year-old on my tram last night wore a green jacket, scarf, hat and belt, in a very unique and stylish yet counter-mainstream style. Another young woman caught my eye with her hat – it was a camel-colored felt/wool (?) pillbox meets army hat that sat on her head, topping off a up-do, lending her a very polished look. And the older woman with the maroon hat, purse and gloves to complement her brown boots and dark green coat. The rules of fashion seem to be those that governed fashion in the early half of the 20^th Century, maintained yet evolved. In American fashion magazines, they discuss ways to break the matchy-matchy rules, so not to look like your grandmother. Here, they seem to have figured out how to make it work.