Her gaze drifts somewhere past the horizon, chin lifted, spine straight, utterly sure of herself. The fan in her hand does something subtle, something almost theatrical. For centuries, people have puzzled over what that small gesture actually meant. Stories abound about a secret code, one where a flick of the wrist or a particular angle supposedly carried a hidden message between lovers, rivals, or strangers across a crowded room. This summer, that gesture suddenly feels familiar again. As…
Fan It: Abanicos
Nothing like a cool breeze on a hot day. But sometimes there is not even a breeze. And the air is stuck in the streets. What helps to survive the summer in the city is an abanico. The fan is an accessory with a long tradition in Spain. However, it were the Japanese who invented the folding fan, or sensu in Japanese, in the 7th century. Legend hast it that a farmer designed the first folding fan after observing how a bat’s wings folded and unfolded. But you’re not just fanning yourself. Playing…

