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I hope you were looking out for this one. It's Volume 12 and I headed to The Met for the much anticipated Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.
What started as a birthday tradition the past several years has turned into what I would say is optimal timing. I highly recommend going to see the fashion exhibit towards the beginning of August. At this point the hype has died downed and people aren't yet in tune with it closing the start of September. Apparently you need to reserve a spot in their virtual queue but I didn't know this. Luckily there was no line so I was able to head in anyway. Definitely check that out if you are planning to go!
This theme was twofold but in all I really think when you are there it comes together. Essentially it is focused on different facets of nature and they pull pieces from what feels like eons ago (hence the reawakening) up to contemporary designs. The walls are built as if you are walking through a dense forest, so it is a narrow hallway with works on either side. Sectioned in main zones of land, sea, and sky, you'll see the work organized specifically into categories like poppies, roses, shells, beetles, and so on.
For a real fashion lover it is amazing to see some of these works. You have a Fortuny dress secured behind glass on view, designed by Henriette Negrin and her husband Mariano Fortuny, famously known as pioneers in pleating dating back to the early 1900s. Also included is a moody black bird motif patterned silk dress by Madeleine Vionnet, noteworthy for her popularization of bias cutting. And a more contemporary reference is the iconic butterfly mini dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, notably worn by Elizabeth Banks in The Hunger Games series.
The scented components for me it was a take it or leave it. It definitely adds a layer of sensory experience if you are looking to engage further. I felt overall the focus is very much on the featured works with little design to the space itself. It would have been cool to feel like I was in a garden but maybe that would have taken away from the sleeping beauties. I did really enjoy the way the theme was played out and celebrated fashion throughout the years which was totally the point.
I know I sound like a broken record but I'm sticking with it, keep it simple summer. If you are taking the subway, walking around town, essentially out in the elements, the Polokwane Dress is the piece to rock. Made of a cotton viscose blend, you feel cool and dry to the touch with a soft hand and subtle drape. There is a high slit up the center back which is great for ease of movement. Faux leather straps hook into an O-ring for a detailed hardware moment. Pockets of course because if I can I will always add them!
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