intimo piu mare

Under The Root seen in print with Intimo Piu' Mare.  We were contacted and with quite delight by Maria Christiana a handful of months ago in regards to send over our recent collection lookbook.  It is a delight and continues to push the envelope for our work here underneath.  A warm thank you to Maria for her eyespy and inclusion to this sensual publication.
Image credits:
Libby Loo Photography
Nessa June Lyons Model
Amyrose Ahlstrom Hair Design
Sarah Jordan Makeup Artistry
Wardrobe Echinacea Lingerie Set and Crystal Castle Capelet

The text is in Italian and roughly translated below:

UNDER THE ROOT is an American brand that owes its success to its mission: to produce an intimate quality, with a focus on environment and a strong creative for the total satisfaction of the consumer.  The fabrics are recycled, eco-friendly, derivatives from renewable sources, vintage. The package is manual, and held in high esteem fit and comfort, as well as, the elimination of processing waste.  And the design is innovative, fresh, with great use of colors and prints, like a fairy tale.

when the clown comes to town

The Green Man Parade 1893

a mandrake's scream

Hermann Peters 1899

Alruane

de Bry's Florilegium 1641

Tacuinum Sanitatis 1474

Folklore names:
love apples
root of folly
servant of health
earth apple
moon plant

Mandrake originates in the eastern Mediterranean 
region and is distributed throughout southern Europe, 
the Middle East and northern Africa, 
where it grows in waste places and abandoned fields 
in sandy and rocky, well draining soil.  There is also 
a species that is endemic to the Himalaya. 
Nowadays it is cultivated in gardens north of the Alps, 
but doesn't naturalize there, as it needs a warm 
and protected setting.  It doesn't tolerate frost well 
and in cultivation needs to be mulched during the winter.

It has a large, brown root, somewhat like a parsnip, 
running 3 or 4 feet deep into the ground, sometimes single 
and sometimes divided into two or three branches. 
Immediately from the crown of the root arise several large, 
dark-green leaves, spread open and lie upon the ground. 
From among these leaves spring the flowers, somewhat 
tinged with purple.  They are succeeded by a smooth, 
round fruit, about as large as a small apple, full of pulp 
and with a strong, apple-like scent.

The leaves are quite harmless and cooling, and have been 

used for ointments and other external application.

The fresh root and dried bark operate very powerfully 

as an emetic and purgative.  Mandrake was much used 

by the Ancients, who considered it an anodyne and soporific. 

In large doses it is said to excite delirium and madness. 

The lore of this plant runs from hermetic, alchemic, and
witchcraft.  The most spellbinding of them all is  
thought to be little dolls or figures given to sorcerers 

by the devil for the purpose of being consulted by them 

in time of need.  Alraune was the name given to these dolls.  

Originally, an Alraune might have been any talisman 

carved into human likeness and possibly inscribed with 

a spell.  The Grimm brothers later write how the alraune

answered questions about the future and told their owner

all they wanted to know.

follett and the lore they adore

A Follett is a creature of the night, seemingly anthropomorphic small, established by tradition and popular beliefs of certain French regions.  Throughout the centuries these Little Peoples have been mixed with the Mediterranean and Nordic, thus giving rise to a European folklore.  Although the names Follet, Lutin and Fee are  often used interchangeably, the elves they represent belong to quite different groups.
The name Follet is used primarily for the descendants of elves who lived in the once-bustling underground  dolmen metropolises.  As these elf cities lost their strength and power, the Follets moved away and came more and more under the influence of human beings.  Perhaps because of their long association with humans, the Follets cannot be driven away by exorcisms or holy water but continue their pranks right under the nose of history.  They are a merry, independent group and know no masters.  The only thing they fear is steel, and a good strong knife often drives them away.  
Humans who have the patience to withstand their high jinks and who do not give way to anger and retribution earn the respect of these Little People.  As proof of their friendship, the Follets bring presents, complete unfinished work, and feed and pasture the animals.  Their lore spans through the ages and most prominent in France.  They do live in underground caves, sea or land caverns, and among dunes.  Their dress is in multi-colored coats covered with tiny bells.  Usually between one and two feet high, their animal form is a goat and their passage into homes is through the cat doors or chimneys.

images above from Brian Froud, myself, and W. F. Wiegard

dance, dance, otherwise we are lost

Clara Bow

Isadora Duncan

Zoe/Juniper

Lar Lubovitch

Pina Bausch

TickTock Dance

Vanessa Justice Flatland

Vietnamese Dance