On Sunday November 12, I participated in an observation at Open City, a high ceiling coffee shop/French eatery located in Woodley Park. It is normally full with but a few tables open at a time. Tonight however, Open City was rather sparse.
Two women working on i-Books at popular coffee shop studying for the GRE, while drinking coffee out of oversized coffee cups. They stop every few minutes, chat, sip coffee and reengage themselves in their studies. They are wearing blue jeans and sweatshirts. Their table is located in the far right corner near the wall that divides the kitchen from the wooden chairs and tables spread about the floor. Several tables’ over sit three other women, exchanging phones to view text messages each has received. They continue this exchange for several minutes, laughing at comments sketched on the phone, grinning when one received is not of their liking.
One waitress is wearing a blue jean skirt, with spandex underneath and a studded black leather belt. A black tank-top is the choice of upper body wear with Dr. Martens on her feet. Another waitress, more decadently dressed is wearing knee-length jeans, rubber rain boot, tank-top and track jacket. Turquoise jewelry graces her neck and wrists and in conversation she mentions she recently graduated from Vanderbilt.
But what is most noticeable: glasses. Of the thirty-eight people in Open City this night, twenty-three are wearing glasses. Of those twenty-three, all are wearing what would be termed “fashion glasses.” That is, glasses that have a nuveau style, purpose, determination and look. Glasses that suggest the people wearing them are hip and part of a larger cultural conversation.
No comments:
Post a Comment