The photographer Xavier J. Peg titled his presentation of the hat designer Ferdinand Faucheux, “An Exercise in Opulent Restraint”. “Opulent restraint” is as much a paradox as a heavy Wild boar hat on a delicate Southern lady – or an European hat designer in an U.S. chapel with the name “Zion Bathed in the Blood” / CME Apocalyptic Baptist Church. As paradoxical as outrageous aggression and elitist attitude against market-driven, easy saleability to the general clientage. But perhaps the power of subliminal fashion is always based on the capability to have no fear of contact with paradoxes. Arrogant, where you should be humble. In the attitude of false humility, where it actually would do well, if you were sincere and friendly.
title=”An Exercise in Opulent Restraint” – photo by Studio d’Xavier, kindly sent to my group BLOG IT!, click on the picture to enter Xavier J. Peg’s galleries on Flickr.com or visit is excellent website http://studiodxavier.zenfolio.com/
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P.S.:
other portraits composed by the same photographer:
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Flickr Comments 
She could be a walking garage sale!
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Don’t see any restraint.
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maybe his dress and hat have a kind of understatement – whereas her hat is opulent indeed
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I agree with bebs… 😀 🙂
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It looks heavy… and yet she doesn’t seem to be under any stress… Is she really wearing that or is it nailed to the wall? As much as I hate the entire notion of fashion, I have to admit, the hat looks nice 🙂 Perhaps it would work as an art installation instead of a head gear!
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I believe, many of the portraits made by Xavier are presenting the models not under stress, even completely relaxed – so he is a very good photographer, or?
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other portraits composed by the same photographer:
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Nothing subliminal about that beauty!
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I love her attitude!
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I do believe that her hat is a political statement (hahaha) with the restraint lying in the fact that it is only the boar’s head and not the whole pig…
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…with the successful hunter riding on the wild boar’s back! But really, sometimes I saw women in Africa or India and Asia carrying a lot upon their heads! Metaphorically they do for sure! Featuring all the triumphs of their husbands!
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title=”V O Y A G E”. Photo. Rajasthan by Claude Renault Photography, click on the picture to enter his galleries on Flickr
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We must all wear different hats (to continue the metaphor)!
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so take my self portrait metaphorical:
click on the picture for more comments …
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or visit my hat parade at
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for example:
title=”Birthday Boy!” – photo by suzalayne
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Now that is a hat parade I would enjoy for sure and it’s subliminal too Frizz. I have a craving for party cake now. LOL! What a beautiful kitty! 🙂
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LOL! Great hat Frizz. 🙂
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A virtual warrior – love the sieve!
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What kind of hat is that?
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a happy birthday cat hat…
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Wrong location for my comment. So sorry. I meant the colander-looking hat on the gentleman’s photo right beside the words “Frappi and Frizzi.” Is that a colander? I was afraid to ask.
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when I asked my wife, the portrait photographer, to give me a hat like on Rembrandt’s painting – she gave the colander to me from her kitchen.
comments there:
mezze: Last time I went out with a soup-pan on my head was in ’71, when I really, finally hád to walk my dog, hurricane or not, rooftiles falling down everywhere…
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ReyGey: Reminded me of images from WorldWar 1
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Rob Hogeslag: Je krijgt er wel een plat hoofd van. Schitterend portret.
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David Haggard: at first I thought you had taken the resonator out of your dobro.
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emrxgs: The model has stoic Mona Lisa quality.
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Leenda K.: I often say I have a head like a sieve…but never thought of you in that way!
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Too funny!
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She has one crazy head on!
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Don’t see the restraint either nor the opulence! On the other hand isn’t fashion about being able to carry it off? She does that with aplomb 😀
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“Aplomb” (from Madhu) is a good description.
I don’t know what my subconscious is saying about the hat, but I know what my conscious is saying.
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I like the comment “She could be a walking garage sale!” by Bebs1; I cannot translate Madhu’s “Aplomb” = special Indian English? More creative subliminal version of frizzenglish?
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ahh now I got it – aplomb = placidity = coolness, cool attitude – German: Gelassenheit
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I like “cool attitude.”
The translation in my mind when I read her comment was “confidence, composure, poise.”
Thank you for another german lesson – “gelassenheit”.
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There are many philosophical articles about “Gelassenheit” (most famous: Martin Heidegger), because coolness is a goal for all philosophers; the Stoa (philosophical school) or religions in Asia have their focus on aplomb, placidity … – perhaps this is the main advantage of the Asian religions compared with Islam and Christianity, that they make it very clear and put it in the foreground as a goal: placidity, coolness, serenity …
German:
Vielleicht ist das der Hauptvorteil der asiatischen Religionen gegenüber dem Islam und dem Christentum, dass sie sehr deutlich das Ziel der Gelassenheit in den Vordergrund stellen.
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you inspired me, Fergiemoto, to:
thank you for all your feedbacks!
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We should write about our concepts of “coolness.” I’m sure it will be different to each of us.
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a very interesting challenge! on what to put the focus? fashion dress, apartment interior, body language, written language, friends we collect, time management we have?
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So many! This could start a very very long conversation. Should we suggest it to DP?
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Another commenter suggested that the boar hat must be nailed to the wall, and I tend to agree — unless the hat-wearer’s neck is filled with lead or the parts of the hat are completely hollow, it would be hard to hold that gaudy thing up.
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Pingback: Asian Religions | Flickr Comments
Being paradoxical can be a burden.. builds heavy weight = “An Exercise in Opulent Restraint.” Very insightful, Frizz 🙂
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Ah…garage sales…yes, wonderful things.
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