Pittsburgh Pirates gear… panache?

Yinzers take note: your beloved sports team is being appropriated by hip-hop pop culture! That’s right, Pittsburgh Pirates paraphernalia is totally en vogue in New York City. I can’t walk even a few blocks – whether it’s in Harlem or on Madison Ave – without seeing some cool African American guy sporting a pirates hat or shirt.

Apparently they do not know or care that the Pirates bungle what they’re supposed to do best (baseball). Instead, it seems the decision to purchase and adorn the self with these officially emblazoned textiles is aesthetically motivated. This tickles me pink, but I can see why they choose my hometown team; pirates gear is simple gold text on a black background, occasionally with red details/piping. It looks snappy. In fact, these are the selfsame reasons why I purchased my Pirates jersey at the thrift shop. Happily I brought it with, and when I wore it to the Met I certainly got some covetous looks.

The Met was amazing. I particularly enjoyed an exhibit called blog.mode, which had historical and contemporary couture. Among them I saw this dress which I saw about a year ago on the Met’s sweet Timeline of Art History. (Great reference tool, that.) That dress is pretty freaking weird, no? And it doesn’t hold a candle to some of the Japanese designs I got to see, one of which was reminiscent of the character design for Vanessa from P.N.03 with a bustle.

Back on topic, it’s pretty interesting to see something that for so long I’ve associated with blue collar group-think removed from its native context and transmogrified into a fashion fad in the city that never sleeps. Haha!