In Pursuit of Fashion

I love checking out the exhibits of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. The current exhibit is called In Pursuit of Fashion and it displays the best parts of private collector Sandy Schreier's costume collection. I went during the Christmas break when the museum was super crowded, but I was still able to snap some pictures. Sandy loved fashion since she was a little kid and initially collected used dresses from the Chicago socialites, but then expanded to collecting from auctions, estates, and anywhere she could find amazing clothes. Sandy did not collect these items for wearing, but to preserve and catalogue. This became her passion and life's pursuit. Whether you love fashion or not, you must admit that clothes tell the story of the time, and are an important part of our history. What's cool about the collection is that it's not only couture or big names. Some of the most beautiful dresses are by anonymous makers, like the flapper dresses from 1920's Paris below. The exhibit is at the Met until mid-May. Well worth a visit!

The Day at the Met

Early April I took two of my daughters and a friend to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a nice sunshiny spring day and I was in the mood for wearing something pink. Not my usual color, but this year I'm really feeling it. We took these photos at the waiting room of our LIRR station.

Before the Met, the teenagers had to get their make-up shopping fix at Sephora and meanwhile I took my younger daughter to see the Macy's Flower Show. The theme this year was Carnival. The show is pretty every year, and this year even more fun for the kids to see.

After the shopping and the Macy's flower show it was time to uber to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the teenagers of course wanted to take a ton of pictures sitting, standing and just generally looking cool on the famous museum steps. All we needed was some frozen yogurt to really channel Gossip Girl. 

Have you ever been to the Met? There is so much to see that you can hardly scratch the surface on one visit. You could probably keep going back to the Museum for months if you wanted to see everything they exhibit. So when you don't have months to explore, you have to pick what you want to see wisely. We picked two things: the French Impressionists and the Egyptian wing. 

It is fun to find things that you love in the museum. My daughter fell in love with Degas' Dancer sculpture and ballerina paintings. 

I totally fell in love with this painting of a sunset picnic on the beach by Eugene Boudin. (I'm so predictable.)

Another painting that spoke to me was this Renoir. Wonder why... (Hint: it has three daughters, a dog and a piano...). 

I love asking the kids stupid questions about the art to make them look at it in a different way, or potentially notice something they wouldn't have otherwise. They probably think I'm a total fool. But that's ok. 

Here's a painting by my favorite impressionist, Pierre Bonnard, who loved painting his garden (and his wife taking a bath). 

I also think it's fun and funny to recreate the poses of the paintings. 

I've never been to the Met so that it hasn't been packed with people. It would be fun to have the place all to myself one day... 

The Egyptian temple was closed due to a private event set-up, but the Egyptian tomb was open. It'a bit claustrophobic in there, but if you take a deep breath, and quiet your mind, you may feel the vibes of the people who built it some two thousand years ago... 

I want to go back to the Met soon. And then my destination will be the Costume Institute exhibit that just opened up showcasing Rei Kawakubo's work. I never get tired of going back there, and I hope to instill a love of the museums in my daughters as well. After all, this is how we transfer much of the knowledge of art and culture to the masses.