I just got back from a long weekend jaunt to New York City to celebrate the fact that I have turned a year older. Yay. Take a moment to feel my enthusiasm. But, seriously, I was so happy to catch the Schiaparelli and Prada exhibit “Impossible Conversations” at the Met before it closed on Sunday. While it didn’t have the moodiness or elaborateness of the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty installation, it was still an interesting exploration of two celebrated designers separated by time (the 30s and present day)—Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada.

While I didn’t wear Prada (feel sorry for me), I did throw on my new Ducie dress and Balenciaga bag (happy birthday to me!) for the occasion.

Shame on me, no photography allowed. And they let me know right after this photo was snapped!

The exhibit starts with a film, directed by Baz Luhrmann (I cannot wait for his “The Great Gatsby”), starring Judy Davis (as Elisa Schiaparelli) and Miuccia Prada as herself.  In “Neck up, Knees down” Schiaparelli’s hats are paired  with Prada’s shoes (oh, I could talk about the shoes all day!) which is a play on Schiaparelli’s focus on the neck up and Prada’s focus on the waist down.

My first pair of Prada shoes

Speaking of shoes, let’s pause this conversation for a moment and discuss my first ever pair of Prada shoes. I’ll never forget the day I bought them. I walked into Barneys because when I was in my early 20s, my girlfriends and I loved to make believe that we were all kinds of wealthy. Shoes were definitely more important than food. Or rent. Anyway, I walked into Barneys, took one look, pulled out my credit card and spent more than my weekly salary in five minutes. These shoes to me were works of art and they made me feel more glamorous than anything else possibly could. In that moment, I was Carrie Bradshaw. The irony here of course is that part of the dichotomy between Schiaparelli and Prada rested largely in their conflicting points of view about fashion as art. Prada does not believe fashion is art. I have to agree with Schiaparelli on this one—don’t you think my shoes are works of art?!

Via Habitually Chic

And now back to our regularly scheduled program. This was one of my favorite collections! I love the belted cashmere coat over the embroidered dress from Winter 1999-2000. It is timeless, so chic and very wearable.

If you haven’t ever visited the roof, it’s a must. The views are incredible.

 After the main exhibit, we headed over to the Modern Art.

So, I know it’s a bummer that this exhibit is now over, BUT, they are about to open one on Andy Warhol. I expect it to be all kinds of cool. It opens to the public September 18th and will be there until the end of the year. If you get a chance to go, let me know how it is!

Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada’s Impossible Conversations Met Metropolitan Museum of Art museum exhibits New York City