As a quick followup to the summer 2018 exhibition, I wanted to share the images that inspired it. Obviously this will be a very photo-heavy post without much substance, but what better time to take off our thinking caps and indulge in some tropical eye candy than summer?
In looking back at the planning process, I have determined that Smashbox's Pinks and Palms palette was the item that planted the seeds for the exhibition. It was released all the way back in early April, but after I laid eyes on it I couldn't get the vibrant pink and green color scheme out of my head.
From there I started seeing palm trees and flamingos as well as pink and green basically everywhere. In addition to this gorgeous jewelry branding and an amazing photo for a beautiful spread in Harpers Bazaar Thailand, here are a few "moodboards" of sorts composed of images that popped up on my Instagram feed over the past few months. (Sorry, Pinterest, but with Instagram's "save to collections" feature, I'm afraid I don't need you much anymore.) In addition to palm trees, monstera leaves are so ubiquitous there was even a whole article about why the motif is everywhere right now.
Top row: crikirsten, franzi.fri, marinedequenetain
2nd row: caroline_south, labelsforlunch, violettinder
3rd row: artdeco, benefit, clarinsusa
Bottom row: beautyhabit, nailsinc, makeupforeverofficial
Top row: marcbeauty, marinedequenetain, smashboxcosmetics
2nd row: theebouffants (Kendra Dandy), ringconcierge, rodartekaren (co-founder of PaiPai)
3rd row: atomicbooks, lipstickqueen, nailsinc
Bottom row: kikomilano, willnichols, paulandjoe_beaute
Top row: audreyestok, diormakeup, thebalm
2nd row: winky_lux, capitalofficial, clarinsusa
Other exotic birds besides flamingos are trending too – parrots, toucans, cockatoos all seem to be popular. Perhaps it's partially the influence of the New York Historical Society's "Feathers: Fashion and the Fight for Wildlife" exhibition. In any case, as I was browsing my usual shopping sites, I came across tons of palm trees and birds.
- Gap pajamas (I totally bought these and I love them!)
- Flamingo Tangle Teezer
- Palm tree and flamingo garland (see also these napkins)
- Nails Inc. Flock You nail polish duo (bought these too, they're so pretty!)
- Anthropologie parrot dress
- Kate Spade flamingo tote
- Anthropologie toucan clutch
- J. Crew flamingo tee
- Palm tree and flamingo mug
- Old Navy pajamas (if the Gap ones weren't doing it for you…they also have palm tree and flamingo prints by themselves)
In terms of what items to include in the exhibition, I was somewhat overwhelmed with the number of pieces – both new and ones the Museum already has – that fit the exhibition theme. However, I didn't want to repeat too many items from previous summer exhibitions, so off I went in search of new and exciting things. Below are some items I was mulling over but that didn't make the cut for various reasons (i.e., not available, too expensive, or I just didn't think the design was that special). I was so sad the Guerlain Sous Les Palmiers bronzer wasn't released in the U.S. in time for the exhibition launch, as I had been planning for that to be one of the stand-out items. Oh well. Perhaps I can tuck it away for next year's summer exhibition. ;)
- Vintage Stratton compact
- Benefit Flamingo Fancy bronzer
- Laura Geller Island Escape palette
- Coastal Scents Jungle Roar palette
- Lise Watier Eden bronzer
- Streamcream Flamingo moisturizer
- ArtDeco Jungle Fever Beauty Box
- Guerlain Sous Les Palmiers bronzer
- Vintage compact
- Vintage Estée Lauder parrot compact
- Mark Havana Sol eyeshadow palette
I had also considered printing out the ad for MAC's Flamingo Park collection and putting them with Felicia the Flamingo, but given how I felt about the latter I decided not to include it. As for MAC, I much prefer original ads to reproductions.
So those were all the things rattling about in my head that inspired the summer exhibition. Do you like exotic birds and tropical plants as design motifs? I like them, but not as much as my beloved mermaids – I still can't believe I managed to do a whole summer exhibition without one!