The Met's 2024 Costume Exhibit - Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
YES, this exhibit review post is a year late. Sometimes time moves too quickly, I don’t make the rules. (I did see this year’s exhibit the other day, so you can expect that post a lot sooner (haha, am I lying? Nobody knows).) Thoughts below!
The 2024 Costume Exhibit at The Met, NYC
Absolutely loved the 2024 exhibit. The items were lit very well against a white background (why would they ever deviate from this idea?) and the entire exhibit made great use of the space. It’s true that I don’t (and never will) like when they display things too high up (see above photo), but since there were so many pieces to display I suppose I’ll allow it this one time.
I’ll never forget the Alexander McQueen exhibit from 2011 (Savage Beauty). I wish I had this site back then so I could have documented how gorgeous and well done it all was. (This oyster dress is burned in my memory forever.)
There was a “smell experience” also within the exhibit that was a good idea in theory but didn’t really land in execution. But that didn’t bother me (surprisingly?) because I respect effort.
Oldest line in the book
Love this idea
I’m patiently waiting for the day that The Met decides to do a wedding costume exhibit. Can. you. imagine. the. decadence. You’d need a whole wing of the museum to do it properly, too. None of this up-high nonsense. I want to see TRAINS. Can someone please put me in charge of something.
I didn’t realize cocktail aprons were ever a thing and now I need one (below).
Reminded me of how much I loved that Collina Strada bodysuit from the 2022 exhibit.
I don’t know if that’s supposed to be hilarious (above) but it is and I love it.
Bug dress!
Okay, I love this rose dress. I mean, I kinda already designed it but as a headpiece.
French ball gown, 1957
Why aren’t we all wearing more capes?
It’s wild that an H&M dress (below) is in this exhibit but I do love that it’s recycled from shoreline plastic waste. Considering how much harm this company has already done to the planet, this seems… dense.
There’s something so timeless about a Dior gown. Just the definitely of elegance, I love them so much.
I recognize these two Dior dresses (above and below) from the 2016 Manus X Machina exhibit.
A man whispered, “I’ll have the branzino” to his wife while looking at this dress (above) and I’ll be honest, I really laughed. So dumb. People do take this stuff so seriously sometimes, so it’s nice to hear people’s out-loud thoughts.
BRING BACK THE CLOAK.
I really love how much fun the Iris van Herpen pieces are. I remember seeing her work for the first time in the 2020 About Time exhibit (online, since it was 2020). I mean, look at how whimsical this one is.
There was an entire room devoted to poppies, which I didn’t love. I mean I get it, poppies are associated with remembrance and eternal sleep so it does fit the theme - but I wasn’t in love with the pieces used.
Will forever adore any sort of draping.
Sidenote: I loooove this wig coat with my whole heart.
Nothing better than a big bouncy dress and I love Oliver Theyskens. Look at this other breathtaking gown he made.
Would die for a Rodarte gown. I still have dreams about the one I saw from the In America: A Lexicon of Fashion exhibit from 2022 (seen here). Oh! And can’t forget this gorgeous dress from the Women Dressing Women exhibit in 2024.
Properly lit and positioned garments make me swoon, I’m sorry
Okay, look at how much fun this gown is.
Note: this exhibit was on view at The Met from May 10 – September 2, 2024.
And since you’re here, I’ll show you what the rooftop exhibit was at The Met for 2024 as well:
Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, The Met Rooftop, 2024
Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, The Met Rooftop, 2024
Petrit Halilaj, Abetare, The Met Rooftop, 2024
Past fashion exhibits I’ve seen at The Met:
2023 - Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
2022 - In America (Part Two): An Anthology of Fashion
2021 - In America (Part One): A Lexicon of Fashion (as well as the updated Part One that a few months later)
2018 - Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (not a full post, but a brief summary)
2016 - Manus x Machine: Fashion in an Age of Technology
I’ve also written about the Thierry Muglar exhibit as well as the Christian Dior one (both at the Brooklyn Museum).
The Best of April 2025
Upper East Side, April 2025
Upper East Side, April 2025
Spring marches on! Is that good? Bad? I am the wrong person to ask. But May is here so we keep going. Here’s what went down last month!
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I compiled a separate list of my favourite White Lotus tweets since the season ended (includes spoilers), too.
I read and reviewed Viola Davis’ new memoir - as well as Ina Garten’s.
I did that viral onion ring snack recipe and it was really good. This is definitely an end-of-times recipe, though. Absolutely not fussy in any way.
Nathan and I went to Central Park for the first time without Baby Dog and it was brutal but nice at the same time. Why does it feel like every person on earth right now has at least four dogs? It’s an epidemic.
Central Park, April 2025
The gluten-free restaurant Thyme & Tonic remains my favourite place on the Upper West Side. That popcorn chicken is everything.
Gluten-free popcorn chicken at Thyme & Tonic, Upper West Side
The mini cubano at Guantanamera reminded me (and fell flat) of how good the best cubano on this planet is at La Cubana in Toronto. So that was sad.
The summer felt friends were released and I might have bought them all because their faces bring me joy. (Nope, absolutely nobody’s depressed over here.)
Okay, but I would die for them
The happy hour at STK midtown might be one of the most reasonably-priced places still in this city. With a patio, too!
Happy hour at STK midtown
I saw a few shows!
Death Becomes Her - absolutely wonderful. The costumes were beyond gorgeous and fun. It was really funny and everyone did such a great job. Better than the movie.
Wonderful Town - so good! My dear friend Jessie is in it, but I swear I’m not biased at all. I loved the dancing; there isn’t enough modern tap these days.
Maybe Happy Ending - a new level of terrible. More thoughts over here.
I started using hydrocolloid bandages (that I cut up to smaller sizes) instead of branded pimple patches (that are more expensive) and they’ve been working so well. Such a cheaper option and they are way bigger than the Mighty Patch ones.
I made this egg and sweet potato dish that came out great, so I’ve already made it a few more times.
Sweet potato egg boat
I gave in and bought a night serum: the Trader Joe’s one. Might return it though because my face has been flakier than normal lately, so maybe that’s why? I don’t know what the hell to do with my face. Can I just let it be a face… can that be a thing?
I refuse to learn what retinol is or why I need it please don’t tell me
I did this plant hack (below) and it really helped, new leaves are growing and it’s wild.
I got pistachio milk in a cappuccino the other day and I hope they never stop introducing new nut milks (ick, sorry that’s a terrible phrase). Just when you think they’re done, there’s another one that tastes great.
The best frozen yogurt (the really tart kind) is back at Madison Fare. Cannot recommend enough.
Madison Fare frozen yogurt
Levain Bakery has limited edition lemon cookies and black and white cookies right now and they’re so good. Such a perfect host/hostess gift.
I don’t usually endorse cookies that are $5+ but these are the exception to the rule
Yes the gluten-free pizza at Rubirosa is good, but do not sleep on their caesar salad. Unbelievable.
And speaking of caesars, L’Industrie Pizzeria makes a special sandwich each Wednesday so I tried their chicken caesar and it blew my mind right to pieces. I was going to request that they omit the banana peppers on it because I thought that I didn’t like them, but I kept them on anyway because maybe my tastebuds have changed (I accidentally had a black olive a few months ago and it actually tasted good??) so of course it tasted incredible. It was honestly one of the greatest sandwiches I’ve ever had in this whole city. The lesson? Maybe you don’t know everything about yourself.
Some things I watched:
Leaving Las Vegas - I’d never seen it before and never will again. Just awful. Anyone who liked it might be a moron.
Black Mirror (newest season) - my favourite episodes were definitely Common People and Eulogy. The Issa Rae one was appallingly bad.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: there’s a wedding at the end of the month that’ll be a nice weekend getaway so that’ll be fun, I really want to see the new Stranger Things on Broadway, and Marla comes for a visit! All great things.
You can read last month’s roundup over here.
Sunset in Queens
The Best Tweets of April 2025
Be Ready When The Luck Happens By Ina Garten - A Review
Obviously, I loved this memoir because Ina Garten is beyond likable. I’ve made her recipes for years - two of my absolute favourites are her insanely good sausage and fennel pasta and these decadent cauliflower toasts. And since this is her first non-cookbook, I was so eager to read this one. Favourite parts ahead.
<When talking about the French countryside> “On the road, even the infamous roundabouts that popped up every so many miles seemed charming to us. In the States, rotaries, as we call them, usually provoke squealing brakes, honking horns, and the occasional rude hand gesture, because nobody understands who has the right-of-way. But in France, these little traffic circles are a reminder that life is not about straight lines or the shortest distance between two points. Slow down, they seemed to say, you can take a little twirl and still get exactly where you’re going. Such a nice approach to life.”
“I love when changing your behavior - in this case how I dressed - changes everything without your saying a word. It’s a lesson that I’ve used many times in my life.”
“There’s a wonderful quote attributed to George Lucas: “We’re all living in cages with the door wide open.” That was me until I realized I had the power - and the responsibility - to set myself free. To step out of the cage of whatever I’d experienced in the past, to think for myself, and to believe in my choices.”
“I also learned that it’s important to listen to advice and then decide if it’s true to who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish.”
“I always say that you can’t be inspired at home alone by yourself. You have to go out into the world and see what people are doing, and that will trigger something else in you, and then you’ll do it your way.”
“Limit your liability. What’s the worst thing that can happen if it doesn’t work? Will it change your life or just be a learning experience? Who and what will it impact? What’s the upside if it does work?”
“I knew the past couldn’t hurt me now, but it’s always there deep inside. It’s what we do with those feelings that can determine the rest of our lives.”
“Everybody thinks that successful people are smarter, more talented, or just plain lucky. I don’t think it always works that way. The people I’ve known who are successful have faced enormous challenges, but they didn’t let the challenges stop them - they figured out some way over the wall or around the wall, or they just smashed the wall down. In fact, it was exactly those challenges that shaped their success.”
After hearing her descriptions of some of her recipes, I absolutely have to make these in the near future: coq au vin, grilled lemon chicken salad, outrageous brownies, coconut cupcakes, perfect roast chicken, banana crunch muffins and Beatty’s chocolate cake.
Such a great book, can’t recommend it enough.
Finding Me By Viola Davis - A Review
Available here
Available here
The main reason I wanted to read Viola Davis’ memoir was entirely because of this short clip (below).
And I’m so glad that I did. What an incredible woman. Favourite parts ahead.
“Memories are immortal. They’re deathless and precise.”
“That period of my life was filled with shame. The feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you have stage fright or humiliation. Shame completely eviscerates you, destroys any sense of pride you may have in yourself.”
“Success pales in comparison to healing.”
“May you live long enough to know why you were born.” - Cherokee birth blessing
“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” - Ray Bradbury
“Everybody has secrets. Everybody. I guess the difference is that we either die with them and let them eat us up, or we wrestle with them (or they wrestle with us) until we… reconcile. Secrets are what swallow us.”
“Life is happening as your career is happening. Stone-cold life. I realized my joy is not just attached to artistic fulfillment, but life fulfillment.”
“A mutual friend of ours, Tommy Hollis, told me a story about Danitra. He said he saw a performance art piece of hers called “The Feminist Stripper.” She came onstage and began to take off items of clothing. She had music playing and was cracking jokes while stripping. Everyone was on the floor laughing and egging her on! She got down to her thong and her back turned to the audience, tantalizing them before ripping off her bra. She then turns around and reveals her mastectomy scar; a big X made of tape covered the scar. There was a collective silence, a brutal quiet in the room. They were forced to contend with the woman who was in that body and not just the body itself. Tommy said his heart stopped and he would never forget that experience. She died about two months later. When she passed her final words were, “Y’all have a parade.””
“Success is wonderful, but it’s not who you are. Who you are is measured by something way more abstract and emotional, ethereal, than outward success.”
“I know for sure what we dwell on is what we become.” (This was her quoting Oprah, but still including it.)
“My biggest discovery in life was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past.”
“Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a different past.”
“The purpose of life is to live it.”
“Even if the Oscar had never happened, it would have still been a defining moment for me. It was an overflow of blessings that I could not even possibly have imagined for myself. What I have realized since is that those moments of feeling alive are part of a continuum. You find that moment. You bask in it. Then as soon as it passes, life becomes about chasing the next moment. I now understand that life, and living it, is more about being present. I’m now aware that the not-so-happy memories lie in wait; but the hope and joy also lie in wait.”
Such an incredible read, especially for actors/performers.
The Best White Lotus Tweets <spoilers>
The Best of March 2025
Turks and Caicos
Turks and Caicos
Considering how bad January and February were, it’s kind of a miracle that this past month was so full of good things. I had the best birthday (of my life?) and it feels like there’s so much hope. Am I deluding myself? Anything is possible! But I’m going to try and ride this high as long as I can. Here’s what went down last month.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I made these cottage cheese crackers that are ridiculously good. I’ll put the recipe below because I got it from someone’s mom on Facebook (jesus, that’s the most I-just-turned-40 statement I’ve made so far).
Cottage cheese crackers
I brush the parchment paper with olive oil as well so that nothing sticks
Speaking of turning 40, Nathan took me to Turks and Caicos to celebrate and it was an incredible trip. I should probably do a post about it. Yeah, I’ll do that. Stay tuned.
I finally visited The New York Earth Room art exhibit that’s been going on for decades and it was very neat.
The New York Earth Room art exhibit
Discovered the secret to amazing chicken parm: get bone-in. Changes the entire game.
I got these brown wedge heels from Target that I am currently living in, I love them so much. Might get them in black, too. I also bought this comically large bed pillow that might fix my life.
Lord, how I missed the Hillstone caesar salad.
Hillstone caesar salad
Nathan and I have started picking up garbage around our neighborhood twice a week and it’s been great. He got a trash grabber stick months ago, and it might seem insane but it makes us feel pretty good.
Some things I watched:
The Monkey - hated majority of it. And I realized just how much I loathe this new genre of body-harm horror. It’s gaining traction and I can’t stand it (think Hereditary, Smile 2 etc.)
I’m all caught up on The White Lotus and this season isn’t the greatest, so that’s been disappointing.
I’ve really been considering whether or not I should go to Dollywood this year. It’s the 40th anniversary (which we share), so that’s why I was thinking about it. Just a thought.
I saw The Jonathan Larsan Project (so good) and Buena Vista Social Club (stellar). I didn’t realize how much I really missed going to shows.
I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen (the Goop dupe) for a few years now, but I saw actual proof of how good it is recently. When I was on vacation, I guess I forgot to sunscreen the very top part of my forehead and to see the difference between that small area and the rest of my sunscreened face after an afternoon in the sun? Wow. This stuff is a holy grail product.
I am in love with these duos that Target keeps releasing each season (below).
Friends
I had lunch at La Mercerie and it was good, I don’t know that I’d ever need to go back but it was fine. The older I get, the more I tend to be annoyed at trendy places.
I’m still making these GF bean muffins constantly. Yes they sound disgusting, but they might be the best chocolate chip muffins I’ve ever had. I should stop telling people that they have beans in them.
I did a spring french tip manicure and it turned out pretty good!
Spring french tips
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: it’ll be nice to pack away my winter clothing, I have to start looking for wedding guest dresses and I’d really like to make this firecracker chicken again.
You can read last month’s roundup over here.
The Best Tweets of March 2025
The Best of January & February 2025
The beginning of this year has been rough to say the least. There’s no way to know when things might get easier, but in the meantime - here’s what went down these past two months.
The best tweets of January can be found here and the best tweets of February can be found here.
Very in love with this Patcha Soap Co. salt scrub I got from Healthy Planet. A salt scrub is forever a good gift, especially the Sabon ones.
I ate at the gluten-free place Gud Daae on Lakeshore and it was so good.
Potato Pucks at Gud Daae
Brown Chicken Sandwich at Gud Daae
Sundae at Gud Daae
I’ve come to the newish conclusion that Sephora has nothing for me. Every single time I enter that store, I feel an alarming amount of rage. Stop telling women what they need.
Andrew Dismukes has been so good on SNL lately. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice this sooner.
I took my niece Maya to see Come From Away and it was even better than the New York production (maybe because the accents were better?).
Come From Away in Toronto, ON
I bought (and had tailored) these Gap jeans and I also bought a pair of tan loafers. Really testing out a new aesthetic here.
I finally tried out the Mel Brooks idea of slicing a bagel into three parts instead of two and I feel enlightened.
Mel Brooks is a genius mainly because of this idea
I took the kids to a maple syrup farm (Elliot Tree Farm) because it should be law that every Canadian child must see how sap is made at some point. Of course their gift shop had some gems (below).
The most Canadian candle
Incredible
I cancelled my Costco membership because I’m trying to support less American companies, so I found Bulk Mart (which is Canadian) and it’s great so far.
Some things I watched:
The Substance - such a great movie. The sounds/audio was brutal to hear at times, but all in all one of the best movies of last year for sure.
Babygirl - loved it.
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (documentary) - pretty despicable, hard to watch.
Child Star (documentary) - it was good, but there was too much of a focus on Demi Lovato (which makes sense because she made it) but I was expecting less of her.
Enlightened - I hated Laura Dern’s character so much that it made it hard to watch.
The Apprentice (movie) - meh. But Jeremy Strong was fantastic.
The Resort - the first half of the series was good, but then it took a turn.
Mommy Meanest - I love watching a bad Lifetime TV movie maybe once a year.
Little Women (the 90s one) - how have I never seen this before? Absolutely loved it.
Big Little Lies - I was expecting more since the cast is so wild, but it kind of sucked. I really don’t think Laura Dern is a good actress and the writing was so bad.
Succession (rewatch) - Logan is so much funnier upon second viewing, I didn’t notice that before.
Lost (rewatch) - still great. Still can’t really explain the ending.
The Last Showgirl - I do like Pamela Anderson but wow is she a bad actress. Also Jamie Lee Curtis overacts in every single thing she does these days and Bautista was so hollow. The script was awful, but since it had a nepo director it’s not surprising that it wasn’t good. I did like that I could tell it was shot at the Rio in Vegas but otherwise, hard pass.
Heart Eyes - love Devon Sawa, but this was nothing special. I do love a themed horror movie always, though.
The White Lotus - god, this season sucks so far. It’s just so slow, I can’t stand it.
It would be insane if I didn’t mention it here, but Baby Dog passed away in January and everything collapsed around me. It happened quickly, but I was with her until the end and it’s hard to speak about it at all even now. Every time it snows it makes me think of her so of course there was record snowfall this year. It still doesn’t feel real, so I’m just trying to take it day by day.
Baby Dog
Baby Dog, January 2025