There were gowns fit for my childhood Barbie doll...
...ornately embroidered jackets...
...and beaded...
...and artfully engineered bodices.
This elegant, coral-encrusted beauty...
...was worn by Princess Grace of Monaco...
...and it looked like it would be quite heavy to wear!
The collection contained hats...
...dubious headpieces...
...evening bags for the 'unashamed'...
...beribboned gloves...
...and designer shoes (some drool-worthy)...
...and some...erm...not.
They displayed an openwork Tyvek curtain...
...designed by Tord Boontje...
...which may once have looked interesting...
...but which now read more 'department store' than 'couture'...
...and with the exception of this amazing coat...
...and this two-piece dress...
...the rest of the collection seemed...
...(to me, anyway)...
...like outfits one might actually wish to forget! ;)
We rounded out our visit with a trip to City Hall...
...(where we were encouraged to practice kindness and to pass it on)...
...and took a peek at Claes Oldenburg's Clothespin...
...still charming, still huge. :)
On Halloween...
...my daughter and I took the train into Philadelphia.
It was a glorious autumn day...
...and there were lots of fun things to see and do...
...but it was this collection which was the focus of our trip.
Consisting of high style garments...
...(mostly from the 20th century)...
...and gorgeous textiles...
...this collection was truly a feast for the senses!
There were dresses...
...straight from the pages of a Jane Austen novel...
...stunningly ornate ruffles...
...beading...
...and lacework...
...and teeny-tiny shoes! :)
It was interesting to see...
...how favored colors changed over the years...
...and how some vintage pieces could look so modern...
...while others just made you shudder. ;)
Doesn't this elegant dress look like something Madame X might wear?
Next time: crazy colors and silhouettes!
