McQueen's Reigning Exhibit at The Met

Image pulled from The Met's website.

I cannot even begin to explain the influence this exhibit of Alexander McQueen at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has had on me. I am still reeling two weeks later from seeing it. 

I was able to go with my dear friend Jessica Cadmus of The Wardrobe Whisperer and her adorable baby. Let me say, I had no idea how hot it was going to be that day or what mothers, who live in NYC, have to go through with traveling by subway. It was no easy feat to make it to and from the museum. Jessica and baby were tough troopers and despite the craziness, I was so happy to go with them. Jessica is an amazing stylist, personal shopper, and fashion blogger. The whole ride to and from on the rockin' subway, while delicately feeding her baby, she dispensed wardrobe advice to me. I now have my summer look all planned out!

Image pulled from The Met's website.

We were lucky that we showed up to the museum mid week and early in the day. As we made our way through the museum, we started to see signs that denoted lengths of wait- 1 hour, 30 min, 15 min, etc. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait at all and breezed right in. By the time we made our way through the exhibit it was getting crowded. The show has been so successful The Met has decided to extend it through August and are opening the museum on Mondays with a $50 ticket for special viewings of the exhibit. I'm trying to figure out how I can swing going back for a Monday viewing...

Image pulled from The Met's website.

It has taken me so long to post about this exhibit because I am still processing everything that I saw. Alexander McQueen was exceptionally gifted and its a shame he decided to take his own life. His career spanned 19 years and I can only imagine the work he would have produced if he had given himself another 19.

His body of work is profound. The Met did an excellent job of transforming the galleries to suit his clothing. I can't imagine the money they spent to produce this show. While the environment was spot on, McQueen's work vibrated throughout the galleries. What was so overwhelming to me was his ability to evoke emotion through garments. Its something I have never experienced before. 

When I look at fashion, I think about how clothing is used to express a person's personality. With haute couture, I mostly look at how beautiful the clothing is, how well it is made, and how it fits the wearer's body. The clothing is usually secondary to the person wearing it. The combination of clothing is what expresses the personality. I have never felt a piece of clothing to stand alone and inspire emotion. Somehow, Alexander McQueen did it. When I walked around the exhibit, I would look at a piece and feel anger, death, betrayal, serenity,... It was overwhelming and thoroughly inspiring.

In addition, the craftsmanship of the pieces are amazing. McQueen started his career on Savill Row as a tailor. The details of the stitching, the placement of a lapel, his use of materials was perfect and inventive. McQueen understood construction and material. What he was able to do with leather, fabric, and wood is incredibly impressive.

I left the show all fired up. I was reminded of what I have wanted my work to be to people. Like McQueen, not only do I want it to be well made, I want it to evoke emotion in the viewer. If you happen to be in NYC now through August 7th, check out the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Custom Nike Shox Design by Annick

Check out the Nike Shox Turbo+ VI iD Running Shoe I designed at NIKEiD.com

I have been wanting to design my own sneakers for a while. My boyfriend and I are obsessed with cool trainers and are also very picky about the styles we wear. My current gym shoes are worn out and begging to be retired. I have been having a difficult time finding a style/color that I like, which is hard to believe considering how many stores I have been to.

Nike's online store has a Custom iD option which let's you pick out a style and choose every design detail. I have been wanting to try this out for a while. Today, I finally pulled the plug, designed and ordered these Nike Shox pictured above. I have found that Nike Shox work well for me at the gym. They have the right support and firmness for me. These will be my fifth pair! It was an easy process to design the sneakers, but a pain in the neck to get the order through. I had to call customer service and process the order over the phone. I should receive them in about four weeks. I will post once I get them.

Note: Nike did not sponsor this post. However,... if they ever wanted to sponsor me, I would be game!!! ;)

Jewelry Designer Shana Lee

I was out with my friends, Lucie and Kerry, wondering through Hudson NY. We had just gone to Fredrick Church's Olana and were in search of a good meal. We happened across a very cool jewelry store owned by Shana Lee. How I overlooked this store before, I have no idea. The old building interior is painted all white with ornate black furniture cases mounted on the walls. The interior is both modern and edgy with a nod to the past, which sets a perfect stage for highlighting the jewelry. 
Originally from Brooklyn, Shana Lee is a spunky designer with a killer haircut who makes jewelry that is a little rock and roll, a little raw, and a lot refined. Mostly working in sterling silver and vermeil, the price point is extremely reasonable. Most of the earrings I looked at ranged from $45 to $200. All the pieces have beautiful movement to them. I bought the earrings above and wear them daily. They are about 2.5" long, in the vermeil finish, and are no longer available- sorry!

That day, my friend Kerry bought ones similar to these Gypsy Hoops in vermeil.

A couple months later, my sister came to visit and knowing her love of jewelry, I brought her to Shana Lee's. When we went into the store, Shana Lee recognized me from my previous visit and asked how I was liking my earrings. It was a personal touch that did not go unnoticed. After deciding between three different styles, my sister ended up buying the above earrings in vermeil.

If you are in Hudson NY, stop by Shana Lee's on 315 Warren St. Her jewelry is also available at these locations. If you don't feel like leaving your house, you can also shop online at http://www.shanalee.com.

AMA Arenacross Races

In November, Tom and I with our friend Gene, went to see AMA Arenacross in Albany NY. It was bright, loud, smelled like race gas, and I loved it! We've gone a few times over the years and it's always a lot of fun. The crowd gets super excited and they always have great announcers. In the video above, we got to see the half time Freestyle exhibition. It was the first time I have ever seen a quad do a back flip. We were all dumbfounded and then the crowd went nuts. It was an impressive mastery of riding.

I am always inspired by watching a motorcycle event like this. The colors and graphics on the motorcycles and gear are amazing. Motorcycling keeps getting more and more fashion oriented. Seeing young style trends making their way onto these kids and bikes is very cool. The interpretation of trends into different subjects, such as street fashion to motorcycling, are always of interest to me. 

Stanley & Sons - Custom Aprons and Bags

I believe doing good shop work requires an apron. The act of putting one on switches your mindset to- it is now time to work. I wear one to protect my clothes from paint, adhesives, wood and metal chips, dirt, grime, etc. I also wear one to keep my clothes from getting suck in machinery and to protect my body.
I came across this company, Stanley & Sons, who makes custom aprons and bags in Brooklyn NY. When I'm ready for a new apron, I plan on buying this one. Apron SS0929 -

It's made of waxed canvas with leather straps and has the perfect placement of pockets for pencils, sharpie, small tools, and notepad. I also like that its made of waxed canvas so I don't have to worry about stuff getting stuck in the weave of the fabric. Come to think of it, I might be ready for it now.

Patti Smith

This book by Patti Smith about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe is eloquent, surprising, and makes me want to create. So,... if I'm going to create, it only seems right to be blasting this...


Patti Smith, Gloria from Jc Stolen on Vimeo.

The Sartorialist Video

I really enjoy watching videos of artists talking about their work and inspiration. This video is about The Sartorialist.

Some fun with Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon