April 10, 2014 |
MARGARET HOWELL: THE ANORAK
Photographer Jason Lloyd-Evans
There was an anorak in the Margaret Howell show. One you pull over your head. In a bright primary yellow. With a hood and a white zip. The hood protects the face from freezing temperatures and wind. There are also two pockets at the front. Big enough for comfortable placement of your hands. Apparently the Caribou Inuit invented this type of garment, originally made from caribou or sealskin, for hunting and kayaking in the Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance. This one does not. It is not made of caribou or sealskin. It might be made of nylon, but we’re not sure. Anyway, here are 10 more reasons to own an anorak.
1. It shows that you are a sensible person who likes to keep dry when the weather is wet. Wet clothing leads to sickness – the flu or even pneumonia, two illnesses you, as an anorak wearer, have never contracted and never wish to.
2. They are wipe-clean. They do not stain. And you are always spilling things down your front. Admit it to yourself and others. Stand up and say it proud: “I spill.” You know it’s true.
3. An anorak indicates to the world at large that you are a person with interests. Yes, it may also indicate that you are ever so slightly obsessive in your interests, but at least you, unlike the wider population, have them. However, yours veer more towards sci-fi and reptiles, rather than trains.
4. Did you know that reptilian skin is covered in a horny epidermis, making it watertight and enabling reptiles to live on dry land? Sometimes you like to think of yourself as a mutant reptile. If you didn’t wear your anorak at all times you would die. Unless you were in the shower.
5. Vincent says they can be sexy. Think of that weird snake-charmer woman in Blade Runner who gets run over. Is she a replicant or an android? Anyway, you agree with Vincent. Anoraks can be very sexy. A real lady magnet. Would be more so, too, if the person wearing it wasn’t pretending to be a mutant reptile.
6. The anorak here is yellow. Not fluorescent. More an orangey, mustardy-type colour. Which is also good if wishing to be seen in the dark. Especially when riding your bike home. Safety first.
7. Yellow is also the colour of raves. You could wear to it one.
8. It has pockets, remember. Pockets large enough to keep things in. Such as keys and others things you may wish to carry. Cash. Water. And what’s great about pockets is you can’t lose them like you can a bag. Bags always get lost or stolen or left behind. Pockets never do.
9. It has a hood.
10. And it’s by Margaret Howell.
By Natalie Dembinska
