Today’s interview is with somebody who might be familiar to some of you – the lovely TangoTosca, a Tango and Hermes silks lover (among many other things) from Houston. I have long followed TangoTosca’s scarf adventures and am happy today to have the opportunity to share more about her with you all today. I think that you will find her as fascinating and charming as I did, and I loved hearing more not just about Hermes silks, but also about subjects ranging from the South, to Tango. Enjoy meeting the beautiful TangoTosca!
Who are you? What do you do, and where do you live?
I write online as “TangoTosca.” Some of your readers may know me from my “Scarf Circus” thread on the Purse Forum, or as the theme-week organizer of the Scarf of the Day thread. I am somewhat unusual among your interviewees in that I live on the Sun Coast of the United States, not the East or West Coast. I’m a native of a tiny, tiny town in southeast Texas on the Louisiana border, and have lived in Houston since 2005.
You’re a self described Southerner at heart. What is it that you love about the South, and what makes it unique?
I could sooner envision myself living in another country before I could see myself as a permanent resident of Chicago or Boston! I think our best asset is our people – people are genuine here, and genuinely nice. Perhaps we’re not as fashion-forward as people in New York or Los Angeles, but looking nice and put-together is valued here.
Maybe the worst thing about living in Houston is the humidity. Yes, it’s hot, but even the Midwest can reach those temperatures. What adds to our particular brand of misery is we’re basically sitting on a swamp and the humidity is stifling. This is not the most “scarf-friendly” environment so it’s very ironic that I would fall so deeply in love with this little square of silk.
Some favorite bags
What are some common Southern “stereotypes” that are true – and maybe not true?
The rumors are true. We do like big hair. Bring on the Aqua Net!
Joking aside, there is a tension with history here that you don’t find elsewhere in America, or as William Faulkner put it, “The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.” On one hand there is the “moonlight and magnolias South” with its graciousness and good manners, and then there is the “scary South” with its nasty legacy of racism and poverty. And these two opposing forces are bound together in a way that makes the South the complicated and intriguing place it is, and an endless source of fascination for outsiders. Continue Reading
