A trip to cross off in my bucket list! I’ve always wanted to go to the Met and see the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibits. After putting out a feeler to see if any of my friends would be interested, Jo said she wanted to go! Alright! This was something I would have considered going by my lonesome but now there was no way I was going to say no!
Jo is a champ at putting together plans, and here was no exception: finding the Air BnB, where to eat, and other places of interest… she is absolutely incredible. With Jo taking the reins on travel details, I only had to make sure that I got there.The exhibition this year was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. I was super excited to see a bunch of the dresses up close and behold the majestic opulence of haute couture. Around this time I happened to be detailing a dress for an upcoming tea party with a lot of embroidery and beading, and really wanted to see some of the pieces at the Met for inspiration.
Heavenly Bodies – Traveling to NYC!
The first day of travel! I spent some quality time with the family before heading out.
This was to be my first big travel trip after the birth of my son. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around being away from him for a long period of time. It was one of those moments in which I really wanted to go, but also wanted to stay in the safety and comforts of my home.
But at this point it was too late to cancel, so off I went!
The flight was pretty unremarkable. I spent most of my time either working on embellishments for the tea party dress or sleeping.
Meanwhile back on the home front, things seemed pretty chill and calm. I love watching these little family clips when I’m away, experiencing a little slice of home away from home.
Sightseeing in the City
We started the morning off right with Breakfast at Dudley’s; an Americano to wake me up, and a plate of fluffy pancakes with maple syrup. Then we moseyed on to Gelato Pique for some shopping, followed by a visit to the nearby Murakami exhibit; all-in-all an ideal, easygoing start to the trip.
Back at home it was my daughter’s last day of Kindergarten. Someday, I think it would be a blast to have her tag along on my travels. I’ve brought up the idea with her once or twice, but she’s expressed inhibition about air travel due to anticipation of ear pressure discomfort.
Jo and I changed up our usual routine on this day. On most of our trips we’ll get dressed first thing in the morning, but traveling totally wore us out, so we came back to our place to change later in the afternoon.The dress I wore was the Holy Lacy Doll Long OP by Angelic Pretty. It’s a great sort of low-key dress. I love the lace details and the drape on this piece. I also quite like the length, it feels very flattering.
Holy Lacy Doll ロングワンピース by Angelic Pretty
I didn’t very many outfit shots during this trip; I think I was having so much fun that it kept slipping my mind. I did take a quick selfie in one of the stores we ducked into here. I had worn my very pointy McQueen boots, but ended up buying a pair of Buffalo London shoes! I was super inspired by Charlie Jamison; she makes these look so good! I didn’t think I’d actually find them here in NYC as previous efforts to find them online had been fruitless.
Quick selfie at the store
sleep no more
This was the big day! I stuck to my usual routine and got ready first thing in the morning, deciding to wear the Fair Maiden’s Dress by Metamorphose Temps de Fille. I wanted to choose something loosely related to the theme of the exhibition, so I went for a nun look. I didn’t wear the headdress much so I didn’t feel too out of place while walking around. I wore my Dr. Martens x Lazy Oaf boots en route in anticipation of walking, then changed to the Alexander McQueen boots once we arrived.
Using the subway and walking through Central Park towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a bit of an adventure. The park was absolutely lovely and someday I’d love to have more time to explore.
The Heavenly Bodies exhibit was so breathtaking! I think we picked a good day to go. It wasn’t too crowded, which afforded us plenty of opportunities to get up close to the different pieces. Being present to view all these amazing works of art up close was a dream come true. I was in complete awe of the detailing, work, and construction involved in each piece! I remember feeling waves of giddiness every time we’d walk and see a new piece.
I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite because there were so many amazing pieces. I am so glad that I went to this exhibit!
the met cloisters
Back to The Met: part II! We got back to our place pretty late the previous night after attending Sleep No More, a super intense immersive theatre experience. Jo had purchased tickets for us; I’d never heard of it before this trip. I wish there was more that I could write about it but it’s definitely one of those things that’s better to go and see for oneself.
So, due to the late night we opted to dress more casually. This time we planned to visit The Met Cloisters and experience more of the Heavenly bodies exhibit. It was interesting that they had spread out pieces of the exhibit between two locations, but looking back I think it might have been done in the interest of foot traffic.
There were lots more gorgeous pieces to see here, and I was super inspired by a lot of the embroidery. If I had all the time in the world I’d love to learn more about constructing dresses, but alas, I will have to make do with embroidery for now.
Afterwards we did some more shopping. This time we went to Fluevog, and I bought my first pair of Cubist Cupcakes.
Of course I bought mine in black; a staple boot in many goth wardrobes, now in my possession! I had always wanted a pair but was hesitant to purchase online as I wanted to make ensure a good fit. I’m happy to say that after trying them on in person they fit true to size for me, which makes it easy to acquire more in the future.
I had the store ship them back home since I was confident there was no way I’d be able to squeeze it into my luggage, especially with my new Buffalos.
one last go around
Back at it! Jo booked us tea over at the Crosby Street Hotel, an exceptionally pleasant start to our day. The decor was wonderful, and i especially loved all the little prickly animal characters on my tea set.
I tend to lean towards fruity and sweet sort of teas, though I’ll occasionally opt for a more bitter leaf if the mood strikes. The fruity teas we were served paired well with the food, and I loved the champagne! I feel so lucky to know friends who are into this sort of thing, as this is something I’d never do on my own. All the extra stuff we did on this trip was thanks to Jo!
Selfie for the day! Wearing my favorite pair of sunglasses!
Afterwards we did a bit of leisurely shopping and walking around. Since this was our last full day we put a little more focus on finding souvenirs and gifts, and I wanted to find something for my family back home.
Eventually we made our way back to the Met for one last go around. We went to an area we hadn’t explored from our previous trip and found out that there were even more dresses tucked away. It was close to closing time so we didn’t get to stay there as long as we would have liked, but at least we managed to see the majority of the exhibit.
We took a long walk after; I enjoyed it despite the protestations of my feet.
Our last stop was the Beetle House. Very kitschy but also quite endearing.
The place was very dark so I wasn’t able to vlog much. As I recall there was someone dressed up as Depp’s Willy Wonka when we walked in!
comfort plus
Heading back home. I was dealing with some anxiety (as I often do when I travel) and decided to stay up all night. Pulling an all-nighter before a long flight is not something I would recommend to anyone, but I just wasn’t able to relax. Once it was time to head out, I just touched up my makeup and grabbed my things. At some point during the trip I upgraded the seat for my return flight to something slightly more comfortable, at a less comfortable price. After all of that walking and cramped arrival flight, I felt desperate for some modicum of leg comfort.
All in all it was a great trip, and something I’m glad I decided to do. As always I am thankful to have Jo around; company is always better and she’s such a wonderful friend to travel with. Until next time!
MARS 