 |
| First Beach, Newport R.I. |
Hello Lovelies!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. I got to spend some wonderful time in Newport with old and new friends, laughing, chatting, napping, eating lobster rolls, drinking lots of coffee and wine and honoring that age old tradition, perusing the Yellow Page like tomes, that make up the annual September Fashion Books.
I like to pretend that the stunning and stylish Kendall Jenner isn't really one of "them." She seems stitched from a whole other family cloth and her 'off duty' street style never fails to impress; flat out fabulous, every time.
Though I had the entire summer, I was hoping against hope, that Manus x Machina, Fashion in the Age of Technology, this years Met Costume Institute Exhibit was extended. As luck would have it, I and the rest of the tri-state area were in attendance, (no doubt after abandoning beach plans for the hurricane that wasn't). We got lucky. Labor Day was the end of its extended run.
It was nothing short of spectacular, exceeding all expectation. I wrongly imagined that it was going to show the mechanical elements of design. Instead, the exhibit focuses on the end product; the incredible creations that incorporate the handmade and the machine-made, primarily in the ateliers of the haute couture.
The 170 coutour designs featured were magnificent fabrics, embellished with embroidery, pleats, beads, hand and machine made flowers, sequins and raffia. Others were created solely from leather and feathers. The imagination, vision and skill that is required to produce a single garment is artistry, and team and machine work at its best..
 |
| Chanel Metallic Duck Feathers |
 |
| Chanel |
 |
| Raf Simons for Dior |
 |
| Alexander McQueen |
 |
| Alexander McQueen |
 |
| Raf Simons for Dior |
 |
| Monsieur Dior 1950's |
 |
| Karl Lagerfeld's 2014 Wedding dress, Chanel Couture |
The 20 ft. train is ivory scuba knit material. The gold embroidery computer generated, than hand stitched. The rhinestones were printed by machine. Pearls and gemstones were applied by hand for the finishing touches. Simply breath taking.
I almost didn't write about this, knowing some of you would feel badly about having missed it, but I was too inspired not to share my good fortune.
I no longer have to worry about Back To School Shopping thank God, but I did do my annual trek for my version of it, which includes starting off the fall "term", with a visit to CVS, Sephora and Ulta.
Naturally, there will be tales to tell...
Happy End of Summer.
xox,
DD
