The Exhibit at The Met

It's that time of year again.

It's when I trek to The Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit the Costume Institute's exhibition.

This year, it puts two Italian female designers front and center: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. 

courtesy of Models.com via the shades and scarf

It begins in a dark room. A few benches invite you to sit and view a short film directed by Baz Luhrmann: In a fancy dining room, two women are in deep conversation. The woman on the left is Miss Schiaparelli, and the lady on the right is Miss Prada. They talk about their beginnings as designers, and their views on design. Miss Schiaparelli is feisty, while Miss Prada is reserved.

Here, I slowly understand why the show is called, "Schiaparelli-Prada: Impossible Conversations".  This "girl talk" would never have happened {at least not in the current time} because Miss Schiaparelli passed away in 1973. She is played by actor Judy Davis, with her actual words lifted from Miss Schiaparelli's biography, "Shocking Life." Miss Prada is played by the real Miss Miuccia Prada who is still at the peak of her career.

Later in the exhibit, I find out that Miss Schiaparelli hated talking to designers, and Miss Prada rarely talks about fashion with other people. I wonder, though, if they ever met?

So kudos to the Costume Institute for making this fictional exchange highly believable, engaging, and impressive as it follows the heels of last year's Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. 

The exhibit is divided into three sections, and pieces by both designers are grouped side by side to point out similarities of design even in different eras.

Part 1 is called "Waist Up, Waist Down":

via fashionologie.com

All the pieces for "Waist Up" is Miss Schiaparelli's, which feature embellished and well-tailored jackets. She lived in a time when the cafe society was so popular -- women were seated in restaurants, and the upper portion of the body got a lot of attention. She wanted to focus on the visibility and photographic possibilities of the wearer.

via wallpaper.com

Miss Prada's intricately made skirts make up "Waist Down". She found this area of the body feminine and instinctive, active and dynamic, basic and grounded. It's about sex, making love, life, and giving birth. She wanted to accentuate the natural vitality and spontaneity of the lower body with the dramatic possibility of skirts. How's that for a point of view?


Also in this section is "Neck Up, Knee Down".

via fashionologie.com

"Neck Up" displays hats and necklaces that Miss Schiaparelli was known for.

via wallpaper.com

"Knee Down" showcases Miss Prada's famous shoe designs. She says, "I think you have much more freedom to be outrageous with shoes. There is more room for craziness, for exaggeration."

Part 2 is entitled "Hard Chic, Ugly Chic, Naif Chic":

via The World News Magazine

"Hard Chic" are designs inspired by menswear, military and service uniforms.

via wallpaper.com

"Ugly Chic" are outfits made of colors/patterns that have discordant combinations.

via artnet.com

"Naif Chic" uses the sugary sweetness of children's clothes and translates this to clothing for the "not so young". 

Part 3 is called "The Surreal Body":

via wallpaper.com

The mannequins are enclosed in glass boxes and many of the dresses are more playful with the use of feathers, fabrics printed with an image of a lobster or medicine pills.  

via The World News Magazine

Noteworthy also are the masks on the mannequins made by Guido Palau. 

This week, our blah to TADA! crafts will take inspiration from this exhibit. See you tomorrow!

Two-in-One Special

Hip, hip hooray, it's Friday!

Today, I have not just one, but TWO bracelet ideas for you. Both are made from leather cord that you can get at any craft or jewelry supply store.

Apart from the leather cord, I'm using this fish pendant for the first bracelet. I also got this at the bead store.  It's hollow inside, allowing the cord to go through.

After looping the leather through the pendant two times, and adding clasps at the end, I've got this adorable bracelet! TADA!

The second one is made of a collection of vintage beads. I used this beaded wrap bracelet tutorial as a guide to build my bracelet.

I folded a piece of cord in half and knotted both ends. I tied clear string {in the same length} beside one knot, and strung on the beads. I finished with a double knot on the clear string, and attached this on the knot at the other end of the cord. This strip of beads must be positioned in between the two cords. I used binder clips as "extra hands".

To secure the beads to the cord, and to add some color, I introduced yellow embroidery thread in a crisscross weaving pattern. 

 TADA! Here's what the finished bracelet looks like.

The loop and a sewed-on button become an instant clasp. 

Wear it solo. 

Or provide some company. 

I hope you enjoyed this bunch of bracelets we made.

Have a marvelous weekend!

Beaded Band

Hello! I've got another DIY bracelet to share with you. 

blah: cotton rope rescued from an old shopping bag,

and some metal fixtures

Divide the rope into four, and insert the metal fixtures.

Position them on both ends; we'll use these as

a closure mechanism.

This hook clasp came from a blah lanyard {you know, 

those things you use to wear your ID around your neck}. 

This ring came from a blah necklace. 

Sew the ends of the rope to seal them, and sew the 

individual strands together to create a thick band.  

I found some of these colorful beads in my stash... 

...which I then hand-stitched to my band. 

I chose to make lines, but the possibilities are 

endless -- chevron, diagonal stripes, circles.

The lines made of beads go all the way around. 

TADA! My take on the friendship bracelet! 

When stacked, I use a mix of my enamel and  

colored glass bangles.

Have a happy Thursday!

Dark and Dainty

It's all about do-it-yourself bracelets this week on blah to TADA!

Today's peg is a bracelet I saw while on the subway. A young lady beside me wore a stack of colorful wrist pieces. The one that caught my eye was made of a skull with crossbones, flanked by salmon-colored beads. I loved the contrast of something dark, with something sweet and dainty. I had to make one to call my own.

I used pink beads, remnants from a blah, broken necklace. 

I found my diamond-encrusted skull and crossbones at a New York City bead shop. I got it for $2.50.

I assembled my bracelet using this clear, stretchy cord {I used two strands}. I finished it with tight knots. 

 TADA! A new bracelet made from an old necklace.

 Cute contrast

Pink and silver party!

Modern Ethnic

Thank you for stopping by today! This week, I'm making a few fun and fabulous bracelets.

via Holst + Lee

Today's inspiration comes from the S/S 2012 collection of Holst + Lee, handmade by two spunky women designers based in Brooklyn.

via Holst + Lee

I think using blocks of primary colors with gold accents is quite attractive. There's a modern ethnic feel that commands attention. 

For my version of Natalie Holst and Rochelle Lee's bracelets, here's what I'm using:

blah: an empty paper bag 

I'll be using the straps of the bag. 

It's a cotton rope that's both sturdy and pliable. 

 It's 32 inches long, which allows me to fold it in half and make knots in two areas.

I bought different colors of embroidery thread a few months back {they were on sale too!}. I got them with no specific agenda in mind, but today is the day I put them to use.

Wind a good amount of the embroidery thread around the rope following this process: start with a double knot, create a generous row {wind tightly} while covering the first knot, and end with another double knot. Cut the end of the thread but leave a small tail. Cover the knot and tail as you build another block with thread in a new color. 

Here's what it looks like now. 

Notice that I left an opening at the center. 

I sewed on a few silver beads to add some weight and sparkle.

Insert the tails into the loop and make a few knots to secure. 

 TADA!: My version of the modern ethnic bracelet 

worn alone...

...and stacked with a bunch of other bangles.

More ideas tomorrow!