mandie_rw | Exhibit (Reply)

I neglected to post yesterday and tell you all how much I enjoyed the Shopping in Paris : French Fashion 1850-1925, at the the Philly Art Museum. I went yesterday morning, because my mom pretty much woke me up that morning and said, "Hey, do you want to go to that exhibit at the art museum this morning before I take you back to school?" Um yes plz!

They had a lovely collection of dresses, a majority of which were from the 1870s and 80s. I've been thoroughly spoiled by the last exhibit I went to, in Allentown, though, where the dresses were Right There in front of you , on tiny platforms, and you could put your nose about an inch away from them to see the stitches (which

heidilea and I did...quite often), and practically get a 360-degree view! Those were movie costumes, of course, but it was still fantastic to be able to get that close. In Philadelphia, the mannequins were on a three-tiered platform, about waist-height, and the clothes in back were too far away for me to see any real detail Or, well, the detail a seamstress wants to see!. *sad face*

But I still really enjoyed the exhibit, and I especially enjoyed the signs pointing out the 18thc influence on some of the pieces from the 1900s. Yay 18th century! And here are links to a couple of my favorite pieces... The black Pingat gown was displayed with its long-sleeved bodice, and I really wish they'd put up a photo of the front of the black Worth gown, because I could barely see the front in the exhibit! I realize the back is more interesting and all, but come on.

I really liked that black Worth dress, actually...you can't tell so much from the picture on the site, but the beads on the front drapery had a rainbow sparkle in the light. Fabulous. Hmmm...I do have some black silk fabric, actually -- it's taffeta, not faille, but...(I may or may not be having wicked ideas right now...)

Focus, self. Concentrate on the sewing you actually have to do right now! (Hmm, yeah, imagine if I actually did that. Stuff might actually get done!) I brought up the Tudor gown when I came back (and it takes up so much space and weighs a ton), since I had lots of icky paper-writing to do for school, and also since I ditched any thoughts of actually sewing a Halloween costume, I'll have time to sew for the Ren Faire. A week and a half, anyway. I'm pretty sure I can finish this in a week and a half, and might even get done the embellishments of the neckline of the gown that I figured I'd only do if I had time.

I managed to finish all my schoolwork that needs to be done for tomorrow before dinner, so what am I going to do? Not get ahead on my work, no. Sew velveteen and fake fur ~~so this blog actually looks like what I claim it is, a sewing journal~~!