Nothing Elegant: 2008-12-28

Monday, January 5, 2009

Cupid in the Form of a Shoe

I know it is not Valentine's Day yet...but I love you. Will you be mine??
[Yailla, Nine West].

Part I: Upcoming Exhibits and Gallery Openings, 2009.

As much as I need my fashion fix, I need my art fix, too! Here is Part I [2 parts total] of my list of upcoming and ongoing museum exhibits from around the globe -- all well worth checking out in 2009. Now all I need is a flying carpet to take me to...

1. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX. The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African-American Art. See the works of more than fifty African-American artists from the late 1800s to the early years of this century. June 6-Aug. 23, 2009.

2. Art Institute of Chicago Museum. Impressionism Returns. After a nearly six-month absence, works from the museum’s Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection return. Ongoing exhibit.

3. The British Museum. The Intimate Portrait: Drawings, miniatures and pastels from Ramsay to Lawrence. This exhibition explores the fascinating but relatively unknown aspect of intimate portraiture that flourished in Georgian and Regency Britain between the1730s and 1830s. March 5 - May 31.

4. Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY. From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith. Trained at Cooper Union, Art Smith, an African American, opened his first shop on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village in 1946. One of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-twentieth century, Smith was also an active supporter of black and gay civil rights, an avid jazz enthusiast, and a supporter of early black modern dance groups. Through July 19th.

5. Dallas Museum of Art, TX. Surreal Things: Surrealism and Design. A major exhibition organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum, offers a new approach to surrealism, examining its impact on architecture, design, and the decorative arts. Oct 4, 2009 - Jan 24, 2010.

6. Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK. 101 Ranch: The Real Wild West. Over 300 items relating to the famous 101 Ranch in Ponca City, OK and its Wild West Show. Through January 25, 2009.

7. Guggenheim, NY. Frank Lloyd Wright: From within Outward. an exhibition about the significance of Wright’s thinking about space and the large impact this has had on the organization of modern life. May 15 - Aug 23, 2009.

8. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna 1575-1725. In the late 16th century, the Carracci family of painters from Bologna burst onto the scene with tremendous energy and vitality, raising art to new heights. Their heroic achievement set standards that were to remain authoritative for more than 200 years. Through May 3, 2009.

9. Los Angeles County Museum of Art [LACMA], CA. Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008. The first major exhibition to bring together the magazine's historic archive of rare vintage prints with its contemporary photographs. Through March 1, 2009.

10. The Louvre, Paris. The Gates of Heaven: Visions of the World in Ancient Egypt. Containing about 350 artefacts spanning three millennia, from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period, the exhibition endeavours to place everyday objects in their social, religious and artistic context. March 6 - June, 29, 2009.

**I ALSO ADDED NEW LINKS LISTS ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT -- FOR SHOPPING AND FOR MUSEUM SITES. CHECK THEM OUT!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Drop Japan: Streetstyle Crack

Drop Japan is my new favorite streetstyle blog, and it is seriously addictive. Seriously. My eyes were throbbing and my butt fell asleep after browsing for hours. Here are just a few of MY favorites...

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Just a Self-Indulgent Weekend Post...

Thanks so much to Chuck for the beautiful New Year's Photos! You made us feel glamorous!

[left to right: Spring, Sarah, Tara]

Friday, January 2, 2009

Have an Elegant Weekend [even if you're not elegant]

I would never consider myself an "elegant" person, per se [thus the title of my blog!]. I hate feeling too matchy -- unless it's all black -- and anytime I feel as if I've overdone my hair or makeup, I always have to muss it up a bit. Because of my embrace of imperfection, I have always felt it difficult to relate to 50's fashion. The perfectly-powdered, girtled, and coiffured look of the 50's makes me feel slightly suffocated (see the beautiful, but oppressed Betty Draper of Mad Men).

However, as I've grown older, I have started to appreciate certain timeless elements of mid-century fashion, such as: red lipstick, well-tailored coats and jackets, hats/gloves, and simple silhouettes with touches of glamour. So, while it's not a New Years' resolution, I would like to experiment a bit more in the coming year with adding some understated 50's elegance into my wardrobe --while also staying true to my own casual/down-to-earth/quirky way of dressing.

Here's to having an elegant weekend -- even if you're not terribly elegant most of the time [like me!!]

This year, I'm going to play more with:

Feathers