Some Southern Style (with a touch of India)

Photographer Mark Starnes is a soft-spoken native Southerner with a passion for documenting his region. He shot the Charleston shop window, above left, and I've been thinking it would look great hanging in a man's apartment. Some sort of room with a Billy Reid vibe -- tattered Persian rug, a handsome secretary or Georgian chest, seersucker upholstery.


The suits Mark photographed appear to be seersucker and there's even a striped umbrella in the corner. (Click the larger image below to see if you notice it, too.)

Even though we all think of seersucker as the quintessential Southern or East Coast fabric, I always feel compelled to slip in the little reminder that it originated overseas, just like Madras plaid. "Seersucker" comes from Hindi and Persian words meaning "milk and sugar," as in the alternating rough and smooth stripes woven into the fabric.

Here's a link to an essay on Madras plaids published by Land's End.

The photo of the chest is via Mrs. Howard. Phoebe Howard has a stellar collection of chests. For more on Mark Starnes' photography visit Providence Antiques in Atlanta or contact him directly. Mark holds the copyright for his Charleston shop image, shown here with his permission.