Around the World in 80 Dresses

 Argentina and Chile are Poncho countries. The Indians and later the gauchos used to ride across the Patagonian pampa wrapped in their poncho which doubled as blanket at some make shift shelter during the night. The gaucho is nearly a figure of the past, but the poncho stayed. I can testify to the warming capacity of an ample woollen poncho. I did not cross the wind swept plains on horseback but even as a pedestrian ambling in the street of some forlorn  Patagonian town I experienced the fierce wind and was happy to have my poncho tightly wrapped around me. The dark red one is coarse but quite warm. The soft grey one is the city version from Mandra Diseño in Buenos Aires. The poncho has no button or zip. You best close it with a tupo , the silver pin known since times gone by. And it serves as a welcome excuse to endulge in ornate silver jewellery which comes in many enticing shapes.

He hails from South America and he does not rely on his heavenly nature alone. He carries a spear to protect me. In many a church in Argentina, Brazil and Chile I saw paintings of angels in arms. I am not sure if these strange attributes reflect the violence which accompanied the spreading of the Roman Catholic belief amongst the Indians of South America or if it is a topic the local painters copied from European baroque images. I once listened to the lecture of an art historian who was adamant that the latter is the right interpretation. Let’s leave the matter to the experts. I feel somehow protected by my guardian angel although he is just a copy. I am posing with him in some fake fur from Chile, his country of origin. It is all about fake and fun.

The tailor made dog-tooth suit is demanding for a hat. Why not playing with the image of Jackie Kennedy and adding a pillow box, albeit the fashion conscious first lady may never have put on a poncho. I purchased half a dozen in South America as they come so handy when it is too warm for a coat but too cold without a cover. My silver necklace comes from China. When I was in Malta I happened to see an exhibition of the silver jewellery hand made by the Miao tribe in China’s Southern mountainous region. What a pleasant surprise! There I saw a display of a necklace very similar to mine which I had found in Shanghai’s French Concession and a silver adornment exactly like mine. The Miao women wear the heavy jewellery for weddings and other festive events to this day. My dear friend who is the proud owner of a white vintage Mercedes convertible and even joined a club of other fans of these elegant cars was not at hand for the photo with the vintage pill...