First some links, then a little recap of my 48 hours in NYC. đŸ™‚
– I love LUSH and I love mermaids, so I was super excited to see this mermaid-shaped bath bomb. While I prefer the bubble bars to bath bombs (a bath just isn't a bath without bubbles!), I do think I'll pick some of these up anyway – proceeds go to to The Sea Shepherd, an ocean conservation organization.
– An old-timer like me was pleased to see that some of my makeup habits are in line with those of milennial women. Of those who answered Lab 42's survey, 58% say they buy different products for winter and summer months (yup), and 61% started wearing makeup between the ages of 13 and 15 (also describes me).
– I wholeheartedly agree with this Jezebel article on why "real beauty" campaigns are crap.
The random:
– Trailer for new Arrested Development! Can't wait!
– This list of 43 things that make you feel old is spot on. Sadly, I've been experiencing most of these since I was a teenager. (My sister calls me an "old soul" – I think I've always been an elderly person trapped in a younger person's body.)
– Cool exhibition on 19th-century fashion plates at the Art Institute of Chicago.
– Interesting commentary on the lack of non-white girls within the Riot Grrrl movement. While I acknowledge this was an issue within the movement (see pages 64-68 of my thesis), I agree with this comment, which provides an excellent counterpoint to the article and points out that while the movement was nowhere near perfect, it was still important and valuable from both feminist and cultural standpoints. I have a few other arguments to make on the author's other points but they're too long to go into here.
And now for my little jaunt up to the Big Apple!! This pic basically sums up the trip: eating, shopping and museum-going (our usual M.O.).
I was positively chomping at the bit to see the punk-themed Chaos to Couture show at the Met, and seeing as how another exhibition, Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity was closing soon, I figured now was the best time to head up there.
I thought the show was great. It's been getting a huge amount of criticism, but I'm not sure what people are complaining about. The main thing I keep hearing is that it's not "authentic" punk. This critique at Bust Magazine, I think, gets it all wrong – the author says, "The Met values history,
but in this exhibit, the history of punk was swept under the rug,
almost an after thought." Well, yes, the exhibit wasn't about the history of punk, it was how punk's gritty fashion roots were translated into high-end clothing over the years. She also remarks, "Because poor people making up their own aesthetic on the cheap is not good enough for the Met. I'd pay a lot to see one of the DIY leather
jackets, from a gutter punk back in the day, displayed next to a Comme
des Garcons design. Punk is all about authenticity people! The roots of
the subculture are displayed in photo form and in the multi-media
installations, but the real uniform is not included as 'fashion.'" Actually, it was – there were original t-shirts worn by Johnny Rotten and other punk icons. And I don't think the Met left out pieces by "real" punks due to snobbishness. It's probably pretty hard to find those authentic items. What are curators supposed to do, hit up garage sales? In any case, I'm glad someone else liked it. I picked up the catalogue and couldn't resist a shirt as well.
We also stopped at LadurĂ©e – a delicious splurge. But what I liked even more than the cookies were these LadurĂ©e tees at Uniqlo! I went beserk and got four of them.
They all have the little Ladurée logo on the back:
Also got this adorable Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo top – I bought this one because I love how her eyes are closed. Reminds me of my beloved naps.
Some other deets: we stayed at the lovely Mondrian Soho. We stayed there when we were in NYC last year and stayed at the one in L.A. when we went in October. Very nice. We ate at Cafe Habana for dinner (yes, you really must get the roasted corn, and the mojitos were delish as well), and one night we had drinks at Raines Law Room near Union Square. I must admit the vibe of the place scared me a bit (eveything, from the old-timey decor to the ghostly-looking, soft-spoken man who answered the door in a vintage tux, reminded me of the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick's The Shining) but the drinks were amazing. Later that night we went to a burger place that shall remain nameless because I had to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau – that's how unreasonable the management was. I generally like to avoid conflict at all costs and keep my mouth shut even if service is not quite up to snuff. This incident, however, made me livid (as well it should – an informal poll of people I've told the story to were all shocked at the situation). Besides that, overall I had a wonderful time. NYC is intimidating and I could never live there, but it's great in small doses.
What did you do this week? If you've been, what are your favorite places to go in NYC?