Flamboyant

I was really stunned at the colors on this man's patchwork clothing. I spoke with him and learned he was from Senegal - there are many Senegalese street vendors in the city.
There is a group of Mouride warriors known as the Baye Fall who roam the hot and dusty interior of Senegal "singing, proselytizing and begging." They dress in patchwork clothing and wear dreads. I don't know if this man had some connection to this group or whether the dress is derivative in some way. A little investigation I'm sure would answer that question ...
New York city is large enough and diverse enough to allow all manner of the unusual. Ethnic groups with traditional dress or body art can be comfortable here - their appearance will not draw much attention in a city of sensory overload - a continuous impact of colors, sights and sounds. If you have read this blog, you know I frequently have stated that many things get overlooked - like the dessert truck in my neighborhood (see here) and then there are the eccentrics, the extreme, the fringe and the flamboyant. This is one of the few places where they could survive and be happy. I have done a number of postings on a spectrum of colorful characters - many of these are personal favorites of mine and readers of this site. See the links below for more of the flamboyant ...

Realated Postings: Spike, Fashion Forward, Out There, Narcissism Gone Wild.