The Lipstick Papers: ART, VINTAGE JANE NORMAN AND HOMERIC BANQUETS

Here I am last night, at the Belle Arti student exhibition, featuring the work of students from 4 and 1/2 to 70 years of age! Belle Arti is one of our most distinguished art institutes, and I'm friends with the owner's daughter. It's housed in a lovely classic building, though the exhibition was in the gallery Kypriaki Yonia (Κυπριακή Γωνιά, Cyprus Corner) here in Larnaca.

You can see I am wearing the most amazing silk skirt. I loved it so much I bought it one size too small (coz my size had sold). As for the top, it's almost Vintage, I bought it 15 years ago from Jane Norman in Oxford street, London!

I bought the skirt from Coffret, the same boutique I got the fantastic blue crinoline. To the best of my knowledge, Coffret is the only boutique in Larnaca to have such classy stuff (and reasonably priced too).

I very much enjoyed the exhibition, and took many pics! It will deserve more than one post. Here you can see some canvases and a part devoted to items found in Cyprus museums. So cool!

There was a huge buffet, with home made sweet and savory dishes. In Cyprus nothing is complete without an overflowing buffet. Guests must be offered huge amounts of food, a habit that goes directly back to the Homeric notion of Xenia (ξενία, hospitality). Xenia is a sacred notion in the Olympic religion. Zeus protected the xenoi, strangers/ guests (same word meaning, ξένοι) The host had to be generous to and protect guests, while the guests had to respect and honor the host. Any breach of xenia was seriously punished by Zeus himself. The Christian religion has a similar notion in the Good Samaritan parable, and Jesus himself said, "when you refuse hospitality, and kick out a xenos, you refuse me".

Enjoy the weekend and stay tuned!!! Xxx