#John Smedley

[permanentstyle]

https://www.permanentstyle.com/2024/06/reader-profile-tetsuya.html

Reader profile: Tetsuya

[pairs-studio]

[vogueman]

Ross Lynch photographed by Sam Wilson for Wonderland, Spring 2018. Ross wears top John Smedley

[lovefrenchisbetter]

John Smedley Polo Knit

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Chris Evans in John Smedley and Eleventy Milano at the 'The Gray Man' Berlin Premiere (2022)

[dansar04]

The Grey Turtleneck.

Coat from De Petrillo, Attolini jacket, turtleneck from John Smedley, Ströms trousers, Poszetka ps, shoes from Tricker’s and a Calabrese scarf. Scent: Profumum Roma Vir. 

Also check out our website: Diplomatic Ties.

And if you are interested in music, check out: All Kinds of (Good) Music as well.

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Le goût du jour : navy et Shetland jaune...

~ derby cinq oeillets ‘wan’ en impala patiné indigo par Siroeno Yosui, bottiers à Tokyo ;

~ jeans coton et laine, Jacob Cohen ;

~ tricot cachemire navy, John Smedley ;

~ chemise milleraie navy, Maison Lucca, Paris ;

~ écharpe en laine Shetland, Johnston of Elgin ;

~ bleu de travail version couture, ‘bleu Herringbone’, Soubacq, Paris.

[oldcountrybear1955]

John Smedley SS 2014 Collection - Joe Collier

[pulpwagon]

JOHN SMEDLEY(ジョンスメドレー)

ポロシャツ

Style:MYCROFT WELTED SHIRT SS STANDERD FIT

Color: CHARCOAL

JOHN SMEDLEY(ジョン スメドレー)

ジョンスメドレーは、ファインゲージニットウェアをリードするブランドとして世界中に名前を知られています。1784年創業以来、現在に至るまでスメドレー家族によって経営されており、職人たちが230年以上にわたって築き上げた手作業の仕上げ技術を誇り、更なる革新を続けています。

ーーーーーーーーーー

PULP WAGON

北海道釧路市錦町5ー1 幅口ビル 1F

[paniniseller]

10/10/2019

Royal visit to John Smedley store for 235th anniversary celebrations.Tokyo.

Apprehensive boi.

[lilflowerpot]

not to be "that person" but the implications of calling half-galra/mixed galra/part galra, "hybrids" feels dehumanizing.

In a real-world context I'd be inclined to agree with you, but within the realms of the narrative there are several elements at play as to why I personally choose to use the term hybrid—chief among them being that race as we define it is a social construct (see below), whereas Keith & Lotor's status as hybrids very much has a biological basis—but let us first start by clarifying the key components of the topic at hand.

A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society.[1] The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of various kinds, including those characterized by close kinship relations.[2] By the 17th century, the term began to refer to physical (phenotypical) traits, and then later to national affiliations. Modern science regards race as a social construct, an identity which is assigned based on rules made by society.[3][4] While partly based on physical similarities within groups, race does not have an inherent physical or biological meaning.[1][5][6] [1] Barnshaw, John (2008). "Race". In Schaefer, Richard T. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. Vol. 1. SAGE Publications. pp. 1091–3. ISBN978-1-45-226586-5. [2] Roediger, David R. "Historical Foundations of Race". Smithsonian. [3] Amutah, C.; Greenidge, K.; Mante, A.; Munyikwa, M.; Surya, S. L.; Higginbotham, E.; Jones, D. S.; Lavizzo-Mourey, R.; Roberts, D.; Tsai, J.; Aysola, J. (March 2021). Malina, D. (ed.). "Misrepresenting Race — The Role of Medical Schools in Propagating Physician Bias". The New England Journal of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society. 384 (9): 872–878. [4] Gannon, Megan (5 February 2016). "Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue". Scientific American. Springer Nature. ISSN0036-8733. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023. [5] Smedley, Audrey; Takezawa, Yasuko I.; Wade, Peter. "Race: Human". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Retrieved 22 August 2017. [6] Yudell, M.; Roberts, D.; DeSalle, R.; Tishkoff, S. (5 February 2016). "Taking race out of human genetics". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 351 (6273): 564–565.

The dictionary definition of a hybrid is pretty clear-cut across the board, but I've included several different sources, for the sake of both clarity and peace of mind.

​Oxford: [1] (of an animal or plant) Having parents of different species or varieties.​ [2] That is the product of mixing two or more different things. Cambridge: [1] A plant or animal that has been produced from two different types of plant or animal, especially to get better characteristics. [2] Something that is a mixture of two very different things. Merriam-Webster: [1] An offspring of two animals or plants of different subspecies, breeds, varieties, species, or genera. [2] A person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions. [3] Something heterogeneous in origin or composition. Collins: [1] A hybrid is an animal or plant that has been bred from two different species of animal or plant. [2] You can use hybrid to refer to anything that is a mixture of other things, especially two other things.

So yes, the term hybrid is much more commonly used to refer to plants and animals than humans, with Merriam-Webster's definition alone being the only one to specify "people", but all the above agree that it is a term that references anything that is a mixture of two different things (heterogeneous). Scientifically speaking, humans are never this; we are all of the same species—homosapiens—and our perceived "race" is actually a societal construct born of phenotypical traits. So while objectively we can argue that Keith as a character was written as biracial, within the narrative he is very explicitly born of parents of two different scientific species: the term hybrid isn't being used to other him, it's,,, literally a genetic fact.

But let's approach this from Lotor's perspective. Our favourite galra prince is a scientist with "a modest background as a geneticist, [his] particular field of study being the rather niche subject area of galra hybridisation" (LB:ch13), meaning it's hardly surprising he'd feel comfortable using the scientific terminology. If ever the term hybrid was used in imperial circles as a slur intended to dehumanise (degalranise?), then Lotor as a hybrid himself has reclaimed it in much the same way that n-slur has been reclaimed the black community. I, myself, am not black, so I can't really speak to that experience, but I do not imagine the reclamation of that word to be dissimilar to that of queer by the queer community. Approaching it from this angle, I am personally happy to identify as queer, and equally happy for other people to identify me as queer; that being said, there's still intent to consider. Though I've no problem with (and in fact quite like!) the word queer, if a homophobe were to throw it at me with obviously malicious intent, it would still sting—not for the word itself, but the fact that the person using it is aiming to other and dehumanise, which begs the question: does the Empire consider hybrid to be a slur?

Personally, I don't think so. I certainly don't write LB with that in mind, but what I do do is apply that sort of a weight to "half-breed" given that canon made particular use of it as a derogatory term, most notably with Throk in s3ep01—"Worse than that, [Lotor's] top generals aren't even pure galra, they're half-breeds at best. He has no honour."—and Haggar in s5ep04—"The blood that so bolsters your claim is also what quells it! You are not full galra, you are a half-breed."—both of whom put a distinctly unkind spin on this term with both their tone and the context within which they use it (to discredit the inherent "worth" of hybrids). In Little Blade, it has thus-far been used twice, both by Lotor and both when he's evidently echoing cruel sentiments that he himself suffered in the past:

“Impure half-breeds we may be, but weak we are most certainly not.” It’s a cold sort of pride. - Lotor, Little Blade, chapter 15 “Any commander worth his quintessence would be able to subdue a mere cadet with ease, especially one so small as you.” the amused lilt Lotor says this with fades in favour of something sweet and deeply saddened, “As for the rest of it—the neglect you suffered as a child—that would never have happened had you been raised galra. Even if we are half-breed whelps, our value is in our blood: it is an irrefutable part of us.” blue eyes turn baleful, “The Empire, for all its faults, would not have forsaken you.” - Lotor, Little Blade, chapter 24

So no, within the context of LB, hybrid is not a derogatory term, but a scientific one that Lotor, his generals, and Keith all identify with and use to encompass the rather unique experience of their lineage in a universe where both sides of their parentage are likely to other them for simply existing as they are.

[girderednerve]

i wanted to write about military apologia in a fanfiction. sorry all

now that i am at long last done with my stupidly long naruto podfic [codename sasuke derangement fic 😔] i am reflecting on the process. i had a lot of time to reflect during the process also, especially since the fun part of making podfic is the reading & the dull part is the editing, i did all the reading a full year ago, & the editing took forever. i keep thinking about popular depictions of the military & ways that military culture filters outward into civilian life. the story that i read has an immense 'my cousin is in the army' vibe to it, i don't know how else to express it; there's a particular way of articulating what being in the military morally & materially consists of that is fascinating to me. i, too, come from a military family to some degree—my father was an army officer during desert storm, and my partner was preceded by three generations of marines—which maybe makes this topic feel more present to me.

part of what made the sasuke derangement fic so deranging for me personally is that its sasuke is obsessed with duty; to some degree he was born to be a soldier. he doesn't particularly care about military etiquette & the actual military hierarchy makes no sense at all, but there's this overwhelming idea for him that he has a set of unbreakable oaths, some voiced & some not, & he feels them sharply & continuously. he's a spectacular military man: very no-man-left-behind (comical, i realize, given half the things he does in canon, but there's some justification in the fic itself), despises his own weaknesses, establishes a joking rapport with other soldiers (all of them men, naturally, even though in the actual canon text there are many women soldiers) which hinges on constant low-grade sexism, drinks to excess, struggles to articulate his feelings, grieves only violently or in silence. he's very good at fighting also, obviously. sasuke himself at no point expresses any desire to be a soldier, but is also good at soldiering & has no ideas for what else he could do; he comes from a military lineage, has an aptitude, & that's that.

but these ideas about the military aren't necessarily specific in the way that i've suggested they are, with my mean-spirited 'cousin-in-the-army' comment; in fact, they're very general. it's other things that get me—a scene where, for convoluted reasons, he has to explain his tattoos to top brass (in the real world, recent enlistees explain their tattoos as part of a half-hearted effort to keep open nazis out of the army); flippant comments about ration quality (poor, naturally); a repeated annoyance with civilian governance, even though in the source text there is none; low pay; a long desert deployment his forebears still mention sometimes; even sasuke's suicidality is part of a widespread narrative about the modern american soldier. he manages in the sequel to get a sort of dear john letter, actually, which is hilarious in its way. a military culture that, in naruto, is mostly sketched-out vaguely (it's a story for twelve-year-olds) but focuses on the rigidity of duty & the horrors of war retains these elements but comes with a lot of vague ideas about paperwork and saluting.

i don't have anywhere in particular to go with this other than to observe that it's strange & funny to me to encounter military apologia in anime fanfiction, which makes sense (anime is everywhere; plenty of people know someone in the army) but still feels absurd to some degree. i have one very strongly held opinion about what it means to be an american soldier, & it is that smedley butler was correct: that is called being a racketeer for empire. most narratives about the american military now try to direct your attention away from what soldiers are being deployed to accomplish in favor of pointing to nebulous ideas about keeping the rest of us safe (whatever we might imagine this to mean) & dwelling in loving detail on the honor & humanity of soldiers, their hopes & travails, the sacrifices they make; the humanity of the people whom they kill & whose homes they invade mostly exists as part of the horror of soldiering (sasuke doesn't have this particular problem).

it's so true, though, when people say that there's almost no genuine anti-war position available in the united states: ubiquitous veterans discounts, POW/MIA flags, 'thank you for your service' everywhere, services & programs for veterans only. genuinely it makes me nauseous, and people are extremely resistant to any efforts to stop doing these things. meanwhile i think we should all avoid incentivizing anyone to join the military for any reason. i don't think a naruto fanfiction is going to do anything one way or the other & i doubt most people looking through the naruto/sasuke tag are seriously contemplating joining up (lmao), which is why i posted it.

anyway just thinking it through, happy to receive reading recommendations and/or exhortations to read a real book

[lloydmustache]

Repost from IG: ilariaurbinati

Chris is wearing:

👕: John Smedley Knitwear and Cottoncitizen

🧦: London Sock Company

[vogueman]

Ross Lynch photographed by Sam Wilson for Wonderland, Spring 2018. Ross wears top John Smedley

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Amsterdam

Aw yes. It is the season of the Oscar caliber films that feature the best in storytelling and acting. Well, this film definitely does that in a not so conventional way and I liked it for the most part. When it comes to the "whodunnit" stories set in a period piece that's based on real events, it can be tricky on how you approach it. You want to tell the true story while adding your personal flare while not diluting or trivializing the lives of those that were involved. Its a delicate tight rope to walk especially when its sort of a twisted origin story. This film does deliver all of those aspects while having a fun charm about it. It stayed serious when it was necessary, but also played coy and danced around topics with sometimes nonsensical dialogue. The murder mystery aspect felt fresh in its execution as it jungles with so many characters and all were surprisingly relevant to the plot. There were moments for me where I wish the film stopped diverting from plot forwarding dialogue. It took me out of the film a few times and felt bloated. Like I said before, this film kicks off the season with an all star cast that at this point can be considered generational.

Christian Bale is nothing short of perfection and I loved him as Burt Berendsen. He was quirky and fun as he would narrate the story and go against the grain with his medical practices. John David Washington was great as his lawyer friend Harold Woodsman. He was charming and their chemistry was immediately powerful as they survived World War 1. Margot Robbie dazzles as the artistic and romantic nurse Valerie Voze. The chemistry between her and Harold was great as their love blossom's throughout the film. The bond between the three of them is what held the film together and I enjoyed watching them go on this spiral of a political murder mystery. Rami Malek was great as Valerie's cagey pacifist brother Tom. He was so calm and sometimes intoxicating with his words. Anya Taylor-Joy was truly the most unlikable character in the film as Tom's wife Libby. She would always do her best to discredit and bring down Valerie and Anya portrays this character expertly. Mike Myers was awesome and I loved seeing him do something more dramatic as Paul Canterbury. He still has his comedic charm and impeccable delivery. Michael Shannon was great as his American companion Henry Norcross. The pair of them together was excellent and I loved how they bounced off each other when it came to their double meaning behind their dialogue. Robert De Niro was excellent as you'd expect and this was a cake walk for him as his portrays Gil Dillenbeck whose based on the historical army vetern Smedley Butler. There were some tense moments his character was in and he never flinched.

The score by Daniel Pemberton was light, ethereal and supported the more tension filled moments toward the last act of the film. Visually the film is stunning as we get a romanticized version of Amsterdam and the dirty and progressive view of New York City. The biggest problem I had with the film is that it felt like a parody of itself at times. The story would start to go down this awesome path of discovery as the clues start to form, but then it would quickly dive into a dream state or whimsical story that has almost nothing to do with the moment at hand. I was intrigued by the murder framing of the characters and their efforts to clear their names while exposing a corrupt organization. Not stories about birds and drugs. Writer and Director David O. Russell has brought together yet another all star cast and made a murder mystery that defies convention which was a positive, but also it a detriment to its overall plot. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[sophiechoir]

Books Read in 2022

In 2021, I aimed to finish 12 books and finished only 10. In 2022, I once again aimed to finish 12 books - and this year, I surpassed my goal and finished a full 30! :)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Rilke's Book of Hours translated by Anita Barrow and Joanna Macy

The Fantastic Four by John Byrne - Vol. 2 Omnibus

Siuil, a Run - The Girl from the Other Side - Vol. 1 by Nagabe

Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell

A Collection of Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

War is a Racket by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butley

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

To See a World in a Grain of Sand (a present)

6 assorted vintage comic books (WW, Conan, Vault of Evil, House of Mystery)

The Me You Love in the Dark by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona

Love Me, Love Me Not #1 by Io Sakisaka

The Celtic Twilight: Faerie and Folklore by W.B. Yeats

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles #1 by Naru Narumi

Face by Rosario Villajos

Seeing the Getty Center

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles #2 by Naru Narumi

Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsburg

Rainbook by Claire Wendling

The Cathedral is Dying by Auguste Rodin

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Vol. 1) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Vol. 2) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Rain Like Hammers #4 by Brandon Graham & The Sandman Convergence #39 by Neil Gaiman and John Watkiss

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

The Epic of Gilgamesh

To be fair, some of the comic books that I bundled together were very slim, so I'm probably inflating my final count... but I remember and enjoyed every one of them, so they count to me >:)

Looking back, there are so many books here associated with distinct memories. I remember reading Howl on the plane from LA. I remember exactly where I sat at the kitchen counter reading Rodin's Facebook-style rant about cathedrals (and thoroughly enjoying it, it felt like sitting in his studio!). I dragged my boyfriend to the local ramen place after reading Ms. Koizumi. I still get angry about the translator's note at the end of the Rilke book that I picked up in Beloit lol (okay those translators LITERALLY deleted multiple lines from a poem that they translated because THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE CONCEPT THAT RILKE HAD ADDED THERE. I understand translation can require some creative interpretation but they COMPLETELY ALTERED the poem to better suit their taste, deliberately denying Rilke's intent, and called it translation. UGHHH)

I want to read a lot more Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse was a vision! She's a genius and has stolen my heart.

I also want to return to Proust; finally check out Eliot, Shelley, Byron, Milton, etc beyond Tumblr snippets; conquer The Ambassadors; continue to pursue Dostoevsky, Yeats, LeGuin - I've got a taste and I want more!

Last year I was afraid of taking on too much. Now I'm afraid to take on too little :) I suppose I'll still aim for at least 12 books finished in 2023, but with the intent of matching/surpassing 30.

Right now I'm reading Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides, translated by Anne Carson. Just finished crying over Herakles. It wasn't the tragedy but Theseus' love that made me break.

I can't wait for what 2023 will bring! Happy New Year, everyone! <3