As many of you know, last week was fashion week in NY. A good friend of mine sent me a few gorgeous photos from the fashion show and I thought I would share them with you. The flowers in the entry were just spectacular.
Here is the Lauren family taking in the show front and center. Can't you feel the glamour? See more coverage of the Ralph Lauren fashion show HERE at Habitually Chic. Enjoy your weekend!
I was excited to find out that Jack Spade quietly opened up here in Georgetown last week. I had been intrigued by rumors they would be coming to DC for a year now and was caught off guard to find them just up the street! I've been going to the original store in Soho for years now every time I visit New York.
They do the best job merhandising of any store I know so I wanted to share some of the interiors with you. You know it's not a 'normal' store right upon entering when you are greeted with a bright orange checkout counter.
The displays are so well done you don't want to mess them up. I love that they mix in their famous bags with their line of clothing and even other fun items and books.
It all looks like a stylish gentleman's closet (or my dream closet!).
The store is 2 floors with the second story being cavernous in size.
I loved this little vignette of the beautiful rug and round table. I was glad to hear they used one of my favorite local vintage stores, Good Wood, for a lot of their furnishings.
I could see myself carrying this pinstripe bag to work!
Along the staircase are cubbies with a fascinating display of objects and books. I could spend all day here checking it out.
But what is that light fixture in the foreground? I think it wins the award for cutest light ever: A miner on a rope carrying a lantern!
A close up of the stair cubbies.
Spread throughout the store are fun little displays - I wasn't sure if they were for sale but if so, I don't think they'll last long. I loved these offbeat toby jugs.
And these vintage nutcrackers -I wanted to take the cute one on the right home with me!
No detail was overlooked, not even the dressing rooms. I loved the color palette as well as the retro boy's wallpaper.
In other Georgetown news, the park along the riverfront finally opened (across the street from the movie theater) and I'm loving this fountain!
Located above the Museu de Arts Decoratives in the Palau Reial de Padralbes is the Barcelona Textile Museum.
Not where you would probably expect me to be spending time, but honestly, we had some time to kill! What a pleasant surprise I had in store.
The amazing collection traces the evolution of fashion: providing interesting 'how tos' such as how the 'new look' bust was created, seen above, and contrasting elements of different styles.
The patterns of these victorian skirts below were contrasted to a much later 20th century version.
And just how are those hoop skirts held high? Well, here's how!
Seeing the clothing in person and relatively close up was much better than reading about them in a book or magazine.
The workmanship and details on some of the pieces were amazing, especially loved this flapper look. Notice the white suit in the background, so Gatsby'esque!
Examples such as these mid 19th century Empire styled dresses were in such immaculate condition with such vivid colors you would have thought they were just sewn yesterday.
Seeing this fairly recent dress compared with an Edwardian train was another example of a great pairing.
And just how are those bustles kept up (throughout different periods)?
The layout of this exhibit really is impeccable. I always say the right presentation can make the most mundane exhibit interesting (I recently saw a fascinating exhibit on parking garages at the NBM. Come on, I mean...they made parking structures interesting!).
These bodices were in such beautiful colors.
More amazing beading work.
This is a whole lot of look, but in the right situation, pretty fabulous!
Spain's own Balenciaga is of course represented. I loved all of his clothing they showed. 
Some more bizarre pairings showing yet again how things never change; they just come in and out of fashion, nothing is ever 'new'. 
These body conscious dresses below come from all different styles and time periods.
Not everything is so beautiful, will these ever be back in style? That red men's polyester number really made my skin itch!
Make sure to stop by this amazing museum, right on the metro line. You can't beat 3 museums in 1: Textile, Ceramics and decorative arts.
This dress of silk and cotton was noted for its plunging neckline. Supposedly, for more modest women, you could adjust the silk to cover up more......I'm not buying that. Still -it's a beautiful dress! Below is a more modern version of the dress -recognize it?
Lets talk, Nicole Kidman. You're one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. Why are you doing this to yourself? While pregnant, you stopped your 'treatments' and you were back to your old self; you even gained a few much-needed pounds. So why?? I'm one of your biggest supporters but if this is the train wreck we're headed towards - I'M OUT!
While I can barely do him justice, especially in such a short post, I would like to just talk briefly about Christian Dior as I'm currently reading his autobiography from 1957.
Dior believed that accessories MADE the outfit. After coming up with the initial sketches of a dress, he would then go on to chose the accessories right away, even before seeing the finalized dress! He worked with Roger Vivier often for shoes, such as this cheetah printed silk show above. Notice the beautiful details such as the rhinestone button and beautiful catch.
This is a detail photograph from 1954 of his dress called ' Moulin Rouge'. He wrote that he wanted to make women happy and gave his dresses fun, exotic and happy names.
This sketch by Gruau shows Ispahan from 1947 for the magazine 'Adam'. From the start of the Dior salon, it was a huge success. He wrote that after 1 year of business, it was such an established brand that he would hear people talking about it as if it had been around since the turn of the century! All he ever wanted was a tiny, small exclusive salon -he never expected or wanted all of the publicity and growth of his company.
Entry to the boutique. Housed in a grand but sedate mansion /townhouse at 30 Avenue Montaigne - he wanted it to be a simple take on tradition ala the style of 1910: Everything in shades of gray and white.
Cachotier from 1951 - I love this very architectural dress with the ruched gloves. It must be so uncomfortable though!
A dress from Fall / Winter 1954 -this shows the finished product on the right and the process on the left. Primarily known for his evening gowns, Dior was in the group of the moneyed classes who were throwing grand balls after WWII to forget the horrors and atrocities they witnessed -society wanted fun! Dior provided the dresses.
An ad from 1960 for shoes by Vivier for Dior. Drawn by Gruau of course.
Dior made the cover of Time magazine in 1957 -the year of his autobiography
The models of the house of Dior from 1957. I love the model with alabaster skin and red lips in the black dress! So chic. Her name was Lucky!
A sketch by Dior for the 1951 collections. Such expressive lines, evocative of Gruau.