The Black Dress Traveler

Two Must Visit Phoenix Museums: The Heard Museum and The Musical Instrument Museum

On my recent trip to Phoenix, I had the chance to visit two amazing museums - the Musical Instrument Museum and the Heard Museum. They are both very special places and definitely worth the time if you are visiting the area.

Musical Instrument Museum

I would love to get trapped overnight in the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) and just rock out! MIM's mission is to collect, preserve, and make high-quality musical instruments, images, and music from every country in the world accessible to the public. Highlights include an Experience Gallery where visitors can play unique instruments from all over the globe and the Artist Gallery that showcases musical instruments that were played by legends such as Eric Clapton, Elvis Presley, Carlos Santana and John Lennon - in fact, MIM has the piano that Lennon used to compose Imagine. In the Geographical Galleries you can take a musical journey around the world. 

Heard Museum

Founded in 1929, the Heard Museum is an extraordinary tribute to the history, culture, and lives of America's Indigenous peoples - especially the American Indian cultures of the Southwest. The Heard's 12 exhibition galleries display an amazing array of baskets, pottery, and jewelry. Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience is a powerful exhibition that tells the little known story of how Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes by the federal government and sent to boarding schools hundreds of miles away. The Heard's gift shop boasts a beautiful selection of jewelry, art, books and more.

Come See About Me: The Mary Wilson Supremes Collection in Philadelphia

Talent, beauty, and style - the Supremes had it all. From Stop! In the Name of Love to Where Did Our Love Go, their Motown hits have stood the test of time and a new exhibition shows that many of their fashions have held up too! You can view the Supremes' fantastic frocks up close and personal at the African-American Museum in Philadelphia from January 25, 2012 to June 30, 2013 in the fantastic exhibition Come See About Me: The Mary Wilson Supremes Collection.


Mary Wilson strikes a pose with a few of the Supremes' dresses from her collection that will be on display at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

A few weeks ago I was invited to get a sneak peek at a few of the dresses and to meet the marvelous Mary Wilson. A founding member of the Supremes, Ms. Wilson became the guardian of the dresses when other members left the group - the singers may have come and gone but the dresses stayed with Mary. Sadly, some of the dresses vanished when Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles but occasionally they pop up on eBay and Ms. Wilson has found herself in the surreal position of purchasing back the gowns. (Really, if you're reading this and have a Supremes gown in your collection, can you please return it to Ms. Wilson and not charge her? Come on people - show some respect for a music legend!)

More than just a dazzling collection of sequins, beads, and feathers, the dresses displayed in Come See About Me send a powerful message about achievement and overcoming obstacles. The original Supremes were poor young women from Detroit who made their dreams come true and went from singing in the housing projects to topping the charts and performing at the request of the Queen Mother. And, through it all they made a conscious decision to appear glamorous and to show the world that young black women could be elegant and sophisticated. Bravo! I think every woman can be inspired by the Supremes' story.

Today, Ms. Wilson still performs and has just released a solo CD. I asked her to share the secret to her incredibly youthful appearance - "Prayer and Bikram Yoga," she said with a dazzling smile. Amen and sign me up!

For more details on Come See About Me, visit the website of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. This exhibition is a great girlfriend getaway.

Where to Stay: I recommend the Loews Philadelphia Hotel at 1200 Market Street for your stay. Within walking distance of the Come See About Me exhibition (about 10-15 minutes), the Loews Philadelphia Hotel was recognized as one of the "World's Best" by Travel+Leisure readers. Located in the first skyscraper ever built in Philly, the Loews is in the heart of the city and boasts 581 guest rooms. I stayed here on my recent trip to Philly and the room was spacious and the bed very comfortable. The Loews is also just down the street from Macy's in case you feel inspired to buy a new dress after viewing the exhibition! Check out VisitPhilly.com for more tips on planning your Philly getaway.

 

Worth the Trip: Frida Kahlo's Dresses On Display in Mexico City

Visiting Casa Azul in Mexico City, the home of the late artist Frida Kahlo, has been on my travel wish list for many years. Her paintings have always moved me - not only for their artistic genius but also for how much they revealed about the woman who created them. Strong, non-conformist, and passionate, Frida's creativity also extended to her personal appearance. From her unibrow to elaborate blouses and peasant skirts, Frida's style was utterly unique.

Starting November 22nd, you can see Frida's wardrobe up close and personal in an exhibition at Casa Azul sponsored by Vogue Mexico. "Now, a full collection from her wardrobe is going on display in Mexico City after being locked away for nearly 50 years in her armoires and dressers: jewelry, shoes and clothes that still carry the scent of the late artist's perfume and cigarette smoke or stains from painting," reported the Associated Press. 
Visitors will also see that Frida wasn't just making a sartorial statement with her clothes - they also helped to conceal parts of her body that had been injured by polio and in a serious bus accident. And, through it all she painted.

To learn more, visit the Casa Azul/Frida Kahlo Museum website.

A New York Minute: Schiaparelli & Prada, Harlem Jazz Shrines & Wine Tasting

Metropolitan Museum of Art
May 10 - August 19
$25 recommended admission.
It looks like the Costume Institute at the MET has another blockbuster exhibition on their silk-gloved hands. Inspired by Miguel Covarrubias's "Impossible Interviews" for Vanity Fair in the 1930s, this exhibition explores the affinities between two iconic Italian designers from different eras: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. The exhibition will showcase approximately ninety designs and thirty accessories by Schiaparelli (1890–1973) from the late 1920s to the early 1950s and by Prada from the late 1980s to the present. Signature objects by both designers will be arranged in seven themed galleries: "Waist Up/Waist Down," "Ugly Chic," "Hard Chic," "Naïf Chic," "The Classical Body," "The Exotic Body," and "The Surreal Body." 

Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival
May 7-13.
$10 tickets. Some shows are admission free.
No trip to NYC is complete without a visit to Harlem. Head uptown for the Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival - a weeklong celebration of Harlem's legacy as a Jazz mecca. Venues include the Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Lenox Lounge, Showman's Cafe, Red Rooster, Columbia University, Abysinnian Baptist Church, Small's Paradise, Minton's Playhouse, and many more. Noted performers include Nona Hendryx and Wycliffe Gordon.

Mini Grand Tasting: A Taste Around the World with 20+ Wines
Saturday, May 12. 1-3pm at Italian Wine Merchants
$95
Take your tastebuds on a trip around the world at this mini grand tasting featuring more than twenty wines from Italy, France and North & South America. Sip on Champagne, Barolo, Burgundy, Super Tuscans and many more. 

A New York Minute: Cecil Beaton Exhibition at MCNY

If your travels bring you to NYC, be sure to pop by the Museum of the City of New York and explore the exhibition Cecil Beaton: The New York Years.  Along with this gorgeous photo of Marilyn Monroe, the exhibition includes images of Greta Garbo, Marlon Brando, Queen Elizabeth, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, and other legends. Drawings and costumes are also showcased. (Did you know that Beaton designed the costumes for the film My Fair Lady?) Photographer, designer, writer - Beaton was truly multi-talented, a tad scandalous, and quite the bon vivant. The exhibition runs through April 22.

Another interesting exhibition currently on view at MCNY is The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan 1811-2011 (through July 15). It celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, the foundational document that established Manhattan’s famous street grid. And, since this native New Yorker still gets lost when I am downtown and off the grid, I am most appreciative of the commissioner's vision!

PS. The Museum of the City of New York is one of my favorite museums in the Big Apple. It is small enough so that you can see everything in one visit but large enough to offer an eclectically curated and satisfying experience. And, the location on Fifth Avenue, just across the street from Central Park on 103rd Street, is very convenient. After your museum visit, you can stroll in the park, head uptown and see more of Harlem, or meander south and browse the boutiques in Carnegie Hill.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the MET

 
Wow, wow, and more wow! I FINALLY made it to the blockbuster exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If your summer travel plans include New York City, you must add this to your itinerary - the MET will be displaying McQueen's breathtaking, jaw-dropping, technically perfect, and emotionally-charged couture through August 7, 2011.

 

Savage Beauty brilliantly displays McQueen's genius not just for creating avant-garde clothes but his amazing talent for building a narrative with fashion - his Scottish heritage, the Victorian Gothic, and even Jack the Ripper influenced his designs. The fashion world truly lost a genius when McQueen committed suicide in 2010 but his relevance has not diminished.  After all, Catherine Middleton opted to wear a "Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen" wedding gown on her walk down the aisle to Prince William.  As lovely as Middleton's dress was, and the form-fitting frock worn by her sister Pippa, I can't help but imagine what a wedding gown truly designed by McQueen himself would look like. Maybe some strategically placed feathers?

A few tips for visiting Savage Beauty: arrive at the MET really early (the museum opens at 9:30 AM) and save time by ordering your tickets online - this exhibition draws huge crowds. The suggested admission for adults is $20 and includes access to Savage Beauty, all museum galleries, and a same-day visit to The Cloisters Museum and Gardens. The audio guide is absolutely worth the extra $7 - it gives great background information and features interviews with McQueen collaborators/admirers such as Sarah Jessica Parker and  famed milliner Philip Treacy. Another option - pony up $50 for MET Mondays with McQueen and you can visit the exhibition on Monday, when the MET is normally closed (audio guide included, other galleries are closed).

I plan on visiting Savage Beauty again - it was truly exceptional!

Gallery photography by The Photograph Studio, The Metropolitan Museum of Art