Adios New York

:(

Last day, last post. I took myself out to a luxe dinner at a porterhouse last night and now am totally broke but still have presents to buy. There is a bookstore nearby called Printed Matter I am going to check out this morning, and then I will get my last Peppermint Mocha from the Starbuck's around the corner. Pick up my bags and then make a dodgy trek to the train. Have I mentioned I now have a garment back with 7 coats and 2 dresses, 6 pairs of shoes, 8 books, a MAC parcel worth over $400 and 2 suitcases to lug home? Wah!

Anyway, I fucking love this place. I don't want to leave. Well, I do. It has been a good length of stay. But I'll see it again soon. It has a piece of my heart.

See you all at home in approximately 2 days!

P.s can someone, who is reading this, actually pick me up from the airport on Friday morning at around 8am? If I have to carry this all on a train home, I will actually commit suicide.

xx

Finally, a slice of decent cake

So by the end of your trip, you kind of realize that you barely have any money left, and you feel like you haven't seen everything in perspective. This is me on my second last day, literally rationing out the dimes trying to find another way to see Manhattan. It is an obscure experience.

Anyway, something that was on my list of things to do, but then kind of got discarded in the flurry of shopping was to catch a boat (ferry) out to Staten Island, which is off the east coast. It only takes 25mins or so to get there, and is free. It feels a bit dodgy at first, because the boat is seemingly as big as the Titanic and it doesn't feel safe cramming 1000 people on it. But it isn't so bad. The journey takes you out over the eastern ocean so you can see the Statue of Liberty, and also has a really cool view of the three islands aligned: Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey. Statan Island itself is a bit of a shithole, there is nothing there to see and the cafeteria staff are impossible (one girl had to explain to me why their coffee machine wasn't switched on at 1 in the afternoon. HELLO? Beyond any kind of comprehension as to why). But there are some nice fish tanks in the terminal I suppose.

So on safe ground in Manhattan again, I ventured to find Margiela. It was my duty to friends back home to step foot in that magical place, and after a couple of cab rides and wrong street turns, I eventually found it at some non-descript address on Greenwhich St. Excuse me for being smug, but I did actually have the pleasure of a delightful sales assistant who allowed me to try on every piece from the new Spring Summer collection, and yes, it was gorg. I was curious to see how that collection would translate into something wearable, considering everything on the catwalk had a piece of cardboard behind it. I couldn't break the trust by taking photos of the store, but trust me, it was a wicked experience (also, the change rooms have heated carpet on the floors...).

I came home and the boys had bought a cheesecake. I don't normally like cheesecake, but Junior's is actually the most amazing thing you could ever put in your mouth. Like eating a slightly warm, ice-creamy textured cloud of happiness. That is Junior's Cheesecake. Best way to end the trip.

Balthazar's/Tziporah Salamon/SNOW!

Anyone who knows anyone who knows anything knows that Balthazar's French Restaurant on Spring St in SoHo is the place to be for brunch on a Sunday morning.But becuase Marc was preoccupied with being a film star all weekend, thus ruining perfect Sunday brunch plans(they usually book out up to 3months ahead), we were able to secure a table for Monday breakfast. Balthazar's, if you haven't heard of it, is a French bistro de Patissiere on Spring St in SoHo. The interior decor of Belle Epoque in the Emporium back home is somewhat reminiscent, but it doesn't quite retain the same air of French eloquence. Although the waitstaff were, perhaps, a little overly attentive...the general organisation of management is commendable. Balthazar's served the best coffee I've had in New York (justifying the hefty $5.20 price per cup), and my dish was like heaven had betrothed me a miracle. Hazlenut Waffle delicately baked to crispy perfection pf crust, served with a light sour cream and warm berries marinated in juices. Food envy? Jealousy would explain why Marc was in bitterness over his eggs benedict. I make all the right decisions in life.
While M&M took tours of cultural buildings...I mosied around SoHo a while longer to see what I could find. I found the scientific artstore Evolution on Spring st which specialises in taxidermy and skeletal accessories. They even sell raccoon willy bones. Delicious. Despite connecting to his WiFi around the same area...I couldn't find Marc Jacobs which was tres poo. I then went on a mission to the Issey Miyake Concept Store...which literally was a mission walk from SoHo to Tribeca. On the way I found Rick Owens and needed to kill time so I sampled some of his winter collection sale. He has these weird bagged out leather collars which are a bit uncomfortable to wear, and aside from the shoes, there wasn't much left that was impressive. Keep trekking down to N Moore st and you will come across a building which catches your eye because of its sophisticated design and utilization of desolate industrial space. Displayed on suspended mannequins in the windows are pieces from his stunning 1.3.2 collection which is inspired by chrystalisation and origami. And from there his store falls short of nothing less than amazing. I was surprised that they didn't have the APOC concept instore...where you could cut your own garments from rolls of fabric. But forgivable.

I couldn't shop for long as Marc and I were fortunate enough to be granted some of Tziporah Salamon's time to film one of her dress up shows and talk to her about the essence of style. The woman is an eccentric but entirely lovable doll. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with her in her apartment on Upper West, where we filmed a really great interview and she showed us some of her amazing clothing collection. I can't say much more on it, except that my cheek temples literally ache from smiling so much (you can't help but smile when you talk to her). Keep your eyes open for an article on RaraCurio's Latest Cry by the end of Janurary.

To top off a near perfect day, it actually legit started snowing when we left Tziporah's late in the evening. It was so beautiful, you can't even imagine how amazing it felt to see snow for the first time in your life, IN New York, after that interview. Luxe.

Da Bronx G

Sunday was a really miserable day in NYC, drizzly and cold…I was going to sit around and mope all day until I decided I could do that on a train to somewhere as far out of Manhattan as possible. So I gathered some Radiohead and took the first train out to nowhere. 45mins later, I could get as far north as the Bronx and got off at Van Cortland Park at the end of the line. I hadn’t properly thought my plans through, and probably should have braced myself a bit better, but I was in a mellow state of mind and didn’t particularly care where I was. Besides, I was always curious about the Bronx…I have something of an interest in experiencing the best and worst of everything when I travel. And I had dispositions of the area, of course…but it wasn’t as bad as anticipated. The build up of the area is very much like what we rode through in suburban Brooklyn; built up housing commisionaries in dull, brown blocks hundreds at a time…ghostly streets and desolate parks. The poverty was a lot more confronting…walking out of the station there was a homeless community and one single mother was trying to change her baby’s nappy on the street in the cold. But what I did notice was different to Brooklyn was a sense of community despite the low-income social ratio. It was a little more old-worldly, and you could tell people looked out and cared for each other a lot more in the Bronx. Which was slightly uplifting.

Van Cortland Park is a massive baseball park that took me ½ an hour to wander around. It was empty, which was REALLY strange…it was the first time I’d actually been alone in a situation and place in New York with no one around. The paths were littered in fallen autumn leaves and I have never seen such a squirrel population! So that was actually really, really nice to sit in and mull over the atmosphere.

I have no stereotypical thoughts of New York now, because there is such a diversity of people and cultures. And everyone unites. It is really inspiring.

I love being pretentious.

So Marc went off today to be a film/art star for Mark the artist, leaving M and I at home (holy shiznizzle I can't deal with knowing any more Mark/c's in my life right now). It was pretty gloomy and cold, but we thought it would be a good idea to go back to Barney's to analyse the technical details of the clothes on 5th,6th and 7th levels of the store.
To do this inconspicuously, you need to either 1) look like a total tourist or 2) act pretentious as if you were a potential buyer. I did the latter, it is way funner, and then that way you can sample the clothes because you look half decent. Anyway, while I couldn't take photos of anything in-store discreetly, I can tell you exactly what trends in details I have noticed across my two trips for winter next year:

1) cut out armholes under sleeves
2) seam welt pockets
3) pocket shapes fused on the outside of a garment
4) embossed fibres and woven textures into fabrics
5) cardigans being worn upside down for a drapy look around the neck
6) hems and edges left raw with fabrics that don't fray

And my highlight collections are Alaia, Margiela, Prada, Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga.
What I also love about Barney's is the AMEX commodity. Much like my Prada experience, you can't actually tell who is a celebrity or not, but they're loaaaaded. And SO much plastic surgery.

These are some photos of the Barney's

MOMA

A really sneaky tip we have learned from trusty Lonely Planet is to go to galleries closer to the closing hour for cheaper prices. On Friday nights, the MOMA is open until late (8pm), and cheaper tickets start from 4pm. To our great delight, we actually were lucky enough to score free tickets anyway from a Target initative...however, if you really are interested in the Modern Art I would suggest allowing a little more than 4 hours to explore the place.

MOMA is...amazingly overwhelmingly filled with goodness. Its vast collection expands across an impressive archive of arts in various forms of media, including design and architecture, photography, prints and illustrations, film, performative installation and painting and sculpture. They have artefacts by all the big art figures: Dali, Miro, Cezanne, Monet, Pollack, Warhol, Chase, Klimt, Boccioni...as well as the continuous pursuit of some of art's more recent icons like Alex Prager. Considering I couldn't stand within 2m of Gough's Starry Night because of the swarm of people surrounding it, I put my favourites down to 2 exhibitions at the gallery.


One of the installations as part of MOMA's Performance Exhibition Series, was a piece by artists Jennifer Allora (b. 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971) present Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano (2008). For this piece, the artists carved a hole in the center of a grand piano, through which a pianist plays the famous Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, usually referred to as “Ode to Joy.” The performer leans over the keyboard and plays upside down and backwards, while moving with the piano across the vast atrium. Becuase I have studied prepared piano, this was particularly cool to me. But it was the kind of thing anyone could be amused by.

The second exhibition which I took particular liking to was On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century on the gallery's sixth floor. The exhibtion explores the radical transformation of the medium of drawing throughout the twentieth century, displaying a transition where artists instead pushed line across the plane into real space and installation. It features probably around a couple hundred pieces of work that connect drawing with selections of painting, sculpture, photography, film, and dance (represented by film and documentation), by artists such as both Aleksandr Rodchenko, Karel Malich, Eva Hesse, Anna Maria Maiolino, Richard Tuttle, and Monika Grzymala. I have a tendancy to use lines in graphics and texture of my own work, so I can see this as being as source of inspiration at some point.

All in all, a wonderfully colourful and cultural evening. On the train home, it slightly snowed. Not enough. But winter is coming :)

Hipsterville

I was in the mood for another lonesome adventure, so I thought, considering I was so intrigued, to check out hipsterville in Brooklyn for market research. Williamsbourg is Hipster Capital, I literally had to walk 20m from the station to find my first example. They were a cute couple who pointed me in the direction of the central hub, Belgrave Avenue. One of their biggest tips for people watching was to head to a cafe called Oslo, which is run by some attractive young lads. The experience is comparable to Cup in West End I suppose...loyal regulars and connoisseurs in coffee, and then the passers by who know of the place and their clientele.
The suburb honestly disappointed me on the whole. I found every aspect pretentious and overwhelming. Williamsbourg style is nothing to fuss about; granted everyone is pretty chilled, but I think I would be pretty chilled too if I spent my weekly income on Cheap Mondays and some green.

So in curing my frustration, I headed on the first train to Manhattan, and retail therapy hit the spot in SoHo. I headed straight to my favourite vintage store, What Goes Around Comes Around (351 West Broadway) to organise some opera attire with a $300 budget challenge. Not sure if I mentioned it in earlier posts, but I struck up friendship with the lovely vintage collector Colby who works at the store, who has been fantastic in supporting my shopping obligations (for educational purposes of course) while in New York. We had originally planned to spend the day out at the store's garment and textile archive in New Jersey; however, work commitments restricted us in SoHo. Never fear, readers, I spent as much time as possible doing what I do best: scouring every rack and knook for possible and excitable treasures. Downstairs from the street level (and generally closed to the public except by appointment) is a whole other room dedicated to periodical womenswear by era and designer, where I found some extravagant pieces by Pucci, original Hubert de Givenchy, and Azzedine Alaia among others. Collections by era included everything from Victorian through to 1980s without missing a single defining moment in fashion... I even found braided edging on jeans by Vivienne Westwood. Unfortunately I could only be permitted a couple of store photos, and even then I felt a bit dodgy taking the time to capture good ones. But if you're ever in town, place this store high on your shopping hotspots for vintage because you'll want to spend every penny you have left there.
By the way, I ended up purchasing a 1960s pleated kaftan with a deep keyhole back opening. It reminds me of a sunrise, so now I need to find some Marni blue shoes to wear it to Carmen at the Met Opera tonight.

Ice Skating in Central Park

On my absolute to-do list of outdoor activities before I left was ice skating in New York. The most popular places to do this are at Rockefeller Place or Central Park, and the latter is where Marc and I ventured to today. On the upper west side of the park is the Lasker skating rink where you can skate til your heart is content for $6 between 10am and 3pm. We picked a good time to go...not only was it empty, but towards late morning the sun is quite intense at that side of the park; pull some sweet moves and your cool cred won't be the only thing burning up. Apparently Marc is actually a figure skater in a past life, but I'm not boosting any egos more than they need to be.

Wall St/Trinity Church

I spent the better half of the morning around Wall St and the WTC site with Austin. There is a historical graveyard at the centuries old Trinity Church across the road from the site. Someone I know photographed it in the winter while it was snowing, and although it isn't quite cold enough for snowstorms just yet, the winter certainly adds to the aura. The church and graveyard dates back to the 1750s and so many of the graveheads have worn away with age, leaving unmarked resting places. It is a very interesting site.
My day was quite depressing after that...we also went to Century 21, a place which both freaks me out and enrages me because of the fashion commodity. I would never want my stuff to end up there. It is quite disgusting.

Museum of Natural History/Soho

Mark and I went to the Museum of Natural History this morning...a little bit on the repetitive side of things I've seen, although it was still thoroughly enjoyable and an educating experience. Disappointingly, the Big Bang simulator wasn't working...but I found out I weigh 20.1lbs on the moon apparently!
They have a really fantastic geological collection of rocks that my Papa would probably have enjoyed more than me. I liked the gemstones and diamonds room, naturally. But also what was cool, which Marc later agreed, was the room of human evolution from ape to man. I was comforted by the fact that old Neandethal ladies had saggy boobs back then too. What was super interesting was a wall of a collection of human skulls and skeletons over time...I learnt, from observations, that we have lost 2 knuckle joints in our fingers since our prehistoric ancestors!

I met up with another friend for cupcakes from Magnolia's in SoHo which were super yum. It was conveniently right near the Marc Jacobs bookstore, Bookmarc, so we mosied around there too. Fantastic selection of artsy books, but for such a small store, I don't understand the necessity of have 4 people working at the same time? Anyway, continuing down Bleeker st and into the heart of SoHo shopping, I came across an amazing vintage couture store called Roundabout which has this Issey Miyake piece I really wanted to buy. Other treasures included Yohji Yamamoto, Hussein Chalayan, Balenciaga, Junya Watanbe, Dior, Chanel, Gareth Pugh, etc etc eat your heart out, I die, etc. They are super reasonably priced also, and the pieces are in amazing condition.
Later had lunch at the Mercer cafe in SoHo, where we waited 25mins for a toasted sandwich, wtf! But it was satisfying, and I saw a guy wearing some crazy attire from the window so I popped up to steal a snap. We also went into Chanel which wasn't nearly as decadent or sophisticated as Prada. But whatevs.

Coney Island!

Well it was again a super cold day in New York when we woke up...but the sun looked inviting and so, as we've done each time the sky looks nice, we planned an outdoor adventure. This time it was down to Coney Island, which is a long standing icon of American amusement parks. To get there, it is an hour long, insightful train ride to the bottom shores of Brooklyn, passing through the suburbs along the way. When we got off the train the air was icy with a ghetto feel - you wouldn't want to wander around seemingly lost in this area. It is a very industrial part of town until you reach the amusement park grounds, which are eerie and desolate in the wintertime. There are no blaring lights and children running around screaming and laughing as depicted in the films...instead, the ocean winds swell around the grounds creating haunting sounds as they pass through the tall, inactive attractions.
In a sense though, it all seemed very right and peaceful. I felt no apprehension walking along the boards alone (because M&M have a tenacity to walk 2km ahead of me). It is still a very popular place for people who exercise (they look hilarious running around with something like pillows wrapped around their faces). And the cutest thing ever was an old couple huddled together on a bench listening to jazz radio.
But I can only imagine what Coney Island is like of a summertime when it is alive.

We of course had to go to the famous Nathan's Hot Dog joint near the boardwalk...I didn't have one, I had fries marinated in cheese...but I assure you, it was much more satisfying watching the boys eat those things.

Arts and Cultures Initiatives Conference at CUNY

I´m not going to admit I totally enjoyed the 12 hour day of conferences and fashion events seedy and hungover, but I am pretty proud that I lasted until 5.30pm without much to complain about, except that we were running nearly 2hrs behind schedule.
The first day of talks was engaging…very focused on the power of the consumer. We started the day ambitiously with an invigorating talk on the power play in fashion being driven by the consumer, and moved into the definition of style and current fashion. We had an amazing panel of empowering women in style, including lovely Tziporah Salamon who all of the fashion girls met at the cocktail launch and have fallen in love with because of her audacious nature. Our gathered notes defined style in 5 components:
1) Knowing and complimenting your body
2) Studying other people with style
3) Relying on vintage for rare and treasurable pieces
4) Avoiding or ignoring trends
5) Not only knowing yourself, but complimenting your personality and embodying the essence of your style.

The most fantastic quote of the day was "style is me only, fashion is me too", and with that we left a little more confident about our budding fashion aspirations.

The second day of the conference ran a little more smoothly and certainly had mmuch more resourceful information on offer. We had an upbeat and engaging talk by Anna Sui, who explained her identity as a designer as well as the inspiration behind her SS 11 collection. The collection references heavily the 1979 film Days of Summer and definitely put me in a seventies mood for when I come home. I am rushing out to find floaty, floral, feminine prints inspired by a sunset colour palette, soft chambrey denims and Western style tassles.
By far the biggest highlight of the day was glove maker ______ who explained, meticulously and tediously, the lengthy process of crafting a Couture glove. He had a lisp which made matters worse, but he was definitely entertaining (I couldn't keep the innuendous thoughts to myself). Hamish Bowles spoke about curating the Balenciaga exhibition we viewed last week at the Spanish Institute, and although I was super excited to meet him, his talk failed to meet expectations as it was generally just a drawn out reading of the exhibition catalogue.

My favourite speaker was in a panel discussing the values of vintage exhibitions. He was an outlandish Dutch designer who had emigrated to New York to expand his brand. What I love about Dutch people and miss about home is their complete audacity in having no qualms about expressing their controversial opinions. He emulated this all. The most interesting speaker was an artist from L.A. who worked in photo media and technology portraiture. Watch this space for a future collaboration.

As it was the last night for the girls and Kay, we joined them for dinner at a Dallas Texan Barbecue joint near home, where everything served is actually bigger than life (or what is capably edible). My spinach salad was actually a salad bowl serving of mushrooms and leaves, plus half a chicken carcass. Not even implementing mind over matter could have accomplished that feast. I think the most enjoyable and worthwhile thing offered on the menu is if you oorder a Texan margherita, which is actually a bowl-size goblet of slushy ice alcohol for $8. Really hits the spot.

Anyway, now I miss the girls and am spending the rest of the trip with the smelly boys. They're actually not that bad, but I am looking forwards to spending a lot of time travelling on my own to reflect on my practice and perceptions of where it is going.

Just....give me directions to Prada please

I felt so confident after getting lost at the Met, that I wandered off and spent the day with myself. Started the day with a coffee and a bagel…there is a super cute café near my closest subway called Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company. The guys who work there are super nice, and despite no one in America actually knows how to serve a bagel going LIGHTLY on the cream cheese, their coffee made up for it. Sew Good.
I walked up to the Fabric District bright and early because I knew I´d be spending at least a few hours there. First on my list was Mood, naturally, where I got swatches of a few different types of fabric blends I am interested in using for my graduate collection. I found some really amazing double faced cashmere for a sweet price, and I like the weight of it, which would suit the type of simplistic construction path of tailoring I am conceptualizing at this stage.
I also stumbled across an insanely crazy fabric store called Fabric Garden which specialized in insanely crazy ornamented fabrics, huzzah. Not that the pricetags could actually justify embellishing a bit of polyster with some sequins, but it would be fun for party costuming I guess. I came across it trying to find a store which specialized in tailoring materials and fabrics (satorialist guys, eat your hearts out at Beckenstein Men´s Fabrics on West 39th). En route, I found a silk house which specialized in pleated silk…so I also grabbed a business card for any future references.
Feeling accomplished, I felt the necessity of treating myself to some Prada after that increadibly superstitious dream I had the other night where Prada released their SS11 range of footwear and I beat Deb Quinn to be the first in Brisbane to acquire a pair from the collection. The Fashion and Garment district runs from 7th Av to Broadway, so after trawling a few streets and checking the Prada address and then happening to be ON Broadway, I thought it would be a cinch to wander down to the store (note…Broadway addresses at the Fashion District start at like…number 1120, Prada is number 575 Broadway…). Delusional. An hour and 15mins later, bothered, cold, hungry, needing to pee and lost in SoHo, I actually found myself BEGGING passers by to give me the directions to Prada. By this point my expectations of the store were pretty damn high, so lucky to you, Micciua, that your store is UHMAZING. I once heard someone married a momument…well I´d marry this store. Hello 2 levels of decadence and sophisticated beauty, yes sir you may cloak my jacket and large noob camera upon entrance. The main store feature, aside from the change rooms that frost up when in use, was a skate-bowl like arena with mannequins fashioning the Spring collection in large golden frames. Downeth thy stairs of heaven thou treadth into the depthful maze of womenswear, whose aisles are tread by the elite and AMEX husbands (literally, some decadent bitch was just trawling through the racks with her husband behind her, who was pulling out pieces to which she replied ´honey I already HAVE that one, it should be arriving tomorrow…´)
I had to visit the menswear on behalf of my elegantly refined companions at home…and gentlemen, you would be pleased to know I would never sell you a linted pair of tweed pants from a rack, unlike some (although extremely attractive) unattentive Prada employees.

I learnt my lesson from walking 40 blocks unnecessarily, so managed my way home on a transport mechanism called a SUB-WAAAAAY. Legit professional. Back home just in time to deck out in some RWB for the Arts Initiatives cocktail launch on Upper East. By the way, where is my hubby with an AMEX? You can put this dazzling number on it for a sheer $400 000 thank you and please. I will take some more Moet et Chandon too. The launch was amazing…I literally died being in the presence of so much glamour.

The night´s progression is a bit of a blur after the champagne and that ring…but I know I had an amazing dessert at ???? some amazing asian place.
Such a good day.

The Met!

We woke up and it was RAINING LIKE CRAZYTOWN with wind and chills and all kinds of horrible puddles in the cobbled stone roads. Perfect day for indoor activity…

Considering the many hundreds of discarded, destroyed and tangled umbrellas…I didn´t even bother using one because I know mine is only flimsy, so I braved the weather in my chic pants and beret. We made our way up to Upper East to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art…and I cannot even contain myself, the Met the most amazing thing I have ever seen or could ever imagine exist in the world. We spent over 4 hours there, I got lost many times but it still was no where near enough time to explore culture in the world over its expansive floor space and levels of discovery.
I have decided that I would like to collect the art of Chuck Close in my French Renaissance décor house, pioneer civilization like the American pilgrims, dress myself by mood each morning with a wardrobe akin to the archived periodical costume collection, aquire the wisdom of the great Japanese monks and then die happy, buried with dignity in a tomb like the Ancient Egyptians. The Met is just…out of this world amazing. Visual orgasm, get-in-my-pants-history-of-cultural-and-social-development amazing.

I am so pissed off, I didn´t know you could take photos. But I wouldn´t have wanted to review today behind a lens anyway. Perhaps I will go back before I leave.

Exhibitions and Broadway!

Because of the confusion of museum and gallery openings throughout the week, M&M accompanied me to the two fashion exhibitions on at the Fashion Institue of Technology on Tuesday morning. Japan
Fashion Now, which was curated by prominent fashion theorist Valerie Steele, explored the history and examples of Japanese experimentation with dress and ornamentation throughout avant garde and pop culture. It was a colourful journey through distinguished movements like the 1980s Japanese Avant Garde when designers like Issey Miyajke, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto exploded onto the fashion scene with fresh and innovative ways of remoulding the body and dress through innovative technology and shapes. The pop culture part of the exhibit featured examples of mainstream adaptations and styles of dress, including notable figures like Gothic Lolita, Kamikaze Man and Sailor Moon schoolgirl. The exhibition was thoughtfully curated with atmosphere and mise en scene, utilizing media devices and technological enhancements to improve the curated experience.

The His and Hers fashion exhibition, curated from an archive of men and women´s periodical clothing, explored the evolving discources in gender and dress throughout history. On a personal note, once you´ve seen one exhibition like this, you´ve kind of seen them all…and this exhibition certainly wasn´t one outstanding from the million I have seen in my lifetime. As pointed out by my sartorial connosieur companions, many of the dress conventions, particularly in the menswear were either outdated or incorrect…and it is true that the `resentation of the garments certainly would have benefited with better use of mannequins, or better mannequins for that matter. I liked the space age section though…

We treated ourselves to a Broadway production that night, and decked out in style, took ourselves to see the Mary Poppins production at the historical New Amsterdam theatre. This theatre is the home of the original Zeigfield Follies of the 1920s, and there was a gorgeous monument cabinet dedicated to the preservation of those golden days in the lobby bar lounge. Mary Poppins was fantastic…I thoroughly enjoyed myself, mostly because I was an insane fan of the story as a child. And the production still captured moments of magic such as the rooftop chimney sweep routines and of course what Mary could pull out of her bag. The costuming was quite amazing (aside from the annoyingly huge bustles on the ladies skirts), and explosion of colour and frills. I would say though, that the most astounding part of the production was the set design, which revolved with each scene, transforming from room to room on suspended platforms.

I can´t get ¨´spoonful of sugar´out of my head…

Balenciaga and the Fabric District

We had planned to see a couple of fashion exhibitions today with the group, but as we discovered upon reaching the Museum of the City of New York all the way up at 103rd st, many of the galleries and museums are, in fact, not open of a Monday. Woo. So, rearranging plans, we decided to view the fantastically curated Balenciaga exhibition at the Spanish Insitute in New York first before discovering the orgasmic Fabric District.

Hamish Bowles worked with Oscar de la Renta to curate the exhibition and pay dutiful homage to the legendary career of Christobal Balenciaga. Displayed across 3 levels in the graceful Institute building, the exhibition was an exploration of his work and inspirations throughout his career, featuring notable garments (including his famous pleated=sleeve coat of 1969) as well as a collection of various points of reference and illustrations within his work. The exhibition was breathtaking, and as a fond admirer of his work since a very young age, I felt truly privileged to be in the same room as some of those recognizable pieces, where I was able to appreciate and admire the intricacies of his techniques at an arm´s length distance. On a side comment on the curatorial of the exhibition, Bowles created a particularly compelling impact on the viewer by strategically placing each piece among pieces of cohesive concepts and inspirations. It was utterly beautiful.

Inspired once again by the grace of Balenciaga´s career, it seemed naturally perfect to venture back to the Fabric District to source ideas and materials for my own studio collection. Alas, I was completely overwhelmed by the extent of the district, which runs across 2 avenues and 4 streets between 33rd and 37th near Union Square. I walked out of Mood (225 W37th) without any amazing swatches…however, I did purchase a large wooden button to inspire initial concept development. I will definitely have to have a better idea on my direction before I return to that part of Manhatten again.

Battery Park

With slightly heavy heads from a fantastic night before, Marc and I ventured down to Battery Park and the World Trade Centre site after a long sleep in. There is a really big memorial there for the victims of September 11, in a church next to a massive graveyard site. I was particularly interested in spending a lot of time there to build concept research, however it was late afternoon and the church was closing so we wandered down to Battery Park and the sights of the Financial District (uber boring). Again, we’d picked the perfect time of the day for sightseeing architecture and landscapes, and the lighting from the sunset at Battery Park produced some photos of brilliant quality of objects like the Statue of Liberty as well as the city docking bays.
I will have to go back down to that area of Manhattan to spend more time at the memorial site. I´m also quite interested to see whose skins and bones are buried in the cemetery.

Marc and I attended dinner with the girls at a Japanese Restaurant on 8th Av down the road from their hostel. All I had was Tempura Shrimp, and unfortunately felt the uneasiness of food poisoning.

I can´t believe it has been a week and I´ve not seen any celebrities…boo!

Chelsea Flea Markets and the High Line

Yesterday we ventured to the flea markets in Chelsea with the girls. The flea weekend markets in New York have gained immense popularity, and even on a Sunday have replaced the traditional morning church activity. Flocked by the masses on a chilly Saturday, we navigated through the antique strips along 28th St and 7th Av with eagle eyes, determined to find some rare gems. Flea Market activity is popular amongst young and old in New York, attracting the likes of artists and avid collectors, as well as tourists and passers by. There is something on offer for anyone, I guess...any individual going in without much intention could find something, as in the case of Marc, who ended up purchasing a pair of opera spectacles (although I actually haven´t seen them be put to use yet...)
I wouldn´t say that there is much variation in the type of product offered in the New York market manifesto, but certainly there is much more of it. In one particular warehouse, some of the best deals I found were, for example, current season´s Bally shoes in perfectly new condition for a third of the retail price, hipsters‐eat‐your‐hearts‐out poloroid camers for under $30, and I saw in one particular stall a collection of 80 belt buckles from the art deco period ‐never used‐ for $400. Mark picked up some original edition covers of the classic New Yorker publication magazines...and I found an antique gold telescope on a keychain for my papa for $10. I could literally have spent all day there, but there were surrounding hubs to discover that morning, including an insanely amazing jewellery store 2 stores down which was frequented by the likes of Zoie Deschnal among other raging whimsical startlets.

Mark and I didn´t continue with the group to the Young Designers Markets, but we still have plenty of time to check them out. There is, however, a common chain of second hand stores in New York called Housing Works, which often have a pretty good collection of brands like Brooks Brothers, so Mark and I wandered off to find the local store. We were pretty unimpressed with the collection on offer at the Chelsea store, although they did have some pretty unusual colours in the Melissa for Vivienne Westwood range of shoes.

Not sure whether it was jetlag or general sleep deprivation, but Mark and I fell into slumbermode when we got home around lunchtime. We woke up to a really nice sun setting in the early afternoon, and so after Marc met us home we decided to go and investigate the everspoken about High Line down on W23rd. The High Line is a recreational park transformed from an existing train track which was partly suspended through the sitting near the Meatpacking District. Despite all the grass being dead from the cold weather, the views were fantastic and particurly spectacular at 3pm sunset. I imagine it would be a very popular place in the summertime...and it is a very good example of New York´s use of rooftop attractions to create into recreational spaces and gardens, which I have seen a fair amount of so far.
The High Line was a really nice way to end the afternoon, and we celebrated the fine weather with a sneaky gin cocktail at Don´t Tell Mama´s with Ali and Allanah (a gorgeous little cabaret piano bar on W46th, hilarious entertainment well into the wee hours of the morning). Fun times.