life inspires art which in turn inspires life and so on and so forth.
it was this past friday i finally made a little time to get to the metropolitan museum of art to see the downright AMAZING exhibition of chinese textiles and fashion, "china: through the looking glass". this show details high fashion juxtaposed with chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, films, and other art, and it runs from may 7th, 2015 through september 7th, 2015.
inspiring to say the least!
the vibrant colors, the variety of textiles, the juxtaposing of vintage kimonos with more contemporary and even modern designs in fashion, set to a back drop of chinese films was like no other textile or art exhibition i've seen… my excitement resulted in some sort of hyperventilation hiccup.
i've always been fascinated with the intricate designs and patterns of kimonos, as well as crewelwork and embroidered silks and other textiles.
it wasn't so long ago on a saturday afternoon that i found myself at an estate sale and happened upon an intricately embroidered silk kimono...
i was looking through a master bedroom closet, checking out a lot of men's vintage wool and cashmere coats and jackets. my eye caught a thread of bright orange wonder inside what i thought was the lining of a coat. upon closer inspection, i found a beautiful kimono complete with the most intricate of detailed embroidery and appliqué work. it was completely and perfectly preserved under a man's winter coat… JACKPOT!
just what i needed to fuel my already passionate search for asian textiles and art at local estate sales and on road trips.
lately, i've been finding some really incredible asian and asian-inspired goods;
this vintage pink ceremonial wedding kimono is a beautiful piece, and i was lucky enough to find it close to home!
this highly embroidered silk piece is from the 1940's. it can be worn as a shirt or a jacket, the perfect compliment to many styles of dressing.
i was also lucky enough to find this c.1950's gold-threaded men's robe on a recent road trip through new england. [new hampshire of all places!]
a little bit of inspiration can be found anywhere.
from a fern leaf in your own yard, to the back of an old crusty closet, to a brilliantly curated exhibition...
if you find the opportunity to get down to the metropolitan museum of art before september 7th, i absolutely suggest you do it. and if the opportunity doesn't present itself, try to create a way to make it happen. you won't regret it, i promise.
[click here for information on china: through the looking glass]
and don't forget, pretty funny vintage is just up the hill from the tarrytown train station. there will be cookies...
see you at the shop.
~stephanie
p.s. don't forget to follow us on instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest!!
