Alexander McQueen Study Trip - May 2011 [part IV]

Grand Central Market Mother's Day cakes

So here is the fourth part of my trip in New York.

The week I was there, it was Mother's Day.
With my friend, we decided to go to Harlem to celebrate
that day in a gospel church.
We were well welcome by the community.
I was a bit moved by the songs performed by these old and
nice black ladies, all dressed up, elegant, wearing hats and gloves.


Grand Central Market Mother's Day Cake

Then we walked down the neighborhood to have a brunch at Sylvia's
(328 Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem).
The food was really nice; I had bacon and waffles, and a real (!) ice tea.


Brunch at Sylvia's

In the afternoon, we took the subway downtown and stopped by
west village, greenwich and east village to end up on the Highline.
I really recommend an afternoon walk on the Highline, which is one of
my favourite spot in New York.
A few decades ago, the place was actually a train skyline, meant to bring
goods in downtown New York. Now it's been transformed in a green park.
It has sunbathing wood chairs to read a book or sleep, springs in which you
can dip your feet and plants everywhere.


Highline

Alexander McQueen Study Trip - May 2011 [Part III]

Ah Coney Island...

Probably one of my favourite place in New York.
Nearby the sea, the sand beach, the promenade, the colors...

Just love it.

Alexander McQueen Study Trip - May 2011 [Part II]

The day following the exhibition, I took my friend to Brooklyn so he could
discover Coney Island, the famous 80s (1880s actually!) fair by the beach.

We took the subway and stopped nearby the trade center area in Manhattan,
so we could have a walk on Brooklyn Bridge.

It was quite busy (on a saturday :s) but I'd recommend it to you all,
it was great!
Then we hung out in the little streets of western Brooklyn,
before returning to the station to Coney Island.

Bow it up!

Remember that?



How to find some Isabel Marant-like Poppy shoes for just £6.

Thanks Primark.

Alexander McQueen Study Trip - May 2011 [Part I]

When I arrived in New York it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
I shared a taxi with a French girl from JFK to Manhattan.
(It costs $45 and takes around 30-40 min to reach the isle and let you discover the city.
Bus is $15/person but takes around an hour, it also has only two stops:
Grand Central and Penn Station. You can also take the air train, which cost $5 in JFK,
then ~ $2,50 to reach Penn Station (which is a few blocks down Times Square).

The taxi dropped us at her adress, and as I was waiting for my friend coming from
Montreal by train (crazy!!), I had some time above me and decided to go to the hostel on my own with my suitcase. That was a crazy idea, because the hostel was in southern spanish Harlem and the taxi dropped us around western Central Park, around Ross Geller's museum
(Museum of Natural History is actually a proper name).
So I crossed Central Park, then walked up the Museum Mile on 5th avenue,
and three hours later, with a lot of stops taking photos and, pain in my hands and my back I finally reached Central Park Studios Hostel.
Keep this adress in mind, because the dormitories are not expensive
(a 4 beds room is around 20 euros/night!!) and is two blocks away from the Lexington av. subway. Not the right adress to go as a couple and I don't know if they've got double bed rooms,
but okay to go with some friends for like, nothing! Plus: there is a cheap supermarket around
so you can cook, which is difficult to find downtown. The staff might seem rude, but they are actually really nice and helpful.

Alexander McQueen Study Trip - May 2011 [Introduction]

As I was writing my MA thesis about Alexander McQueen,
I went in New York in May to see the Savage Beauty exhibition in the Met.
There were 100 dresses, outfits and accessories displayed in a very beautiful setting,
built and organised by Alexander McQueen's very own team.
Thanks to the work of curators Andrew Bolton and Harold Koda
-and their team, Shannon Bell Price ;) -, I was able to
learn some more things about the english artist.
Seeing the fabrics and outfits from past collections,
(jellyfish shoes from SS 2010 Plato's Atlantis, or designs from
FW 2008 The Girl Who Lived in the Tree)
was a very unique experience that I recommend to you all.

You won't see any pictures from the exhibition here, I'm sorry,
because I was not allowed to shoot some. If you're in New York at the moment,
take a moment to visit the exhibition, it really worths it!
If my thesis had been published already I'd advise you to buy it (haha!) so you could
get more information about Alexander McQueen and his world.
Though, I got a really good grade, just as last year with my thesis about graffiti art.
I'll enter a phd program soon, so I can become a doctor in anglosaxon studies,
specialized in fashion history.

I stayed in New York for a week, avoiding touristic sites that I visited last year.
Some Coney Island, Greenwhich and Brooklyn are coming soon.

Lovely wedding

I've been trying many things about photography these past few months,
including wedding photography.
Here is a preview from Jeremie and Caroline's wedding,
which took place on April 30th, 2011.
Jeremie is my former organ teacher and a Disney fan.
He is a talented organ and guitar player. As a music writer, he designed
all the music for his wedding celebration, inspired by Disney music
(Jurassic Park, Lilo & Stitch and so on...)
It was really great!


I'm not really fond of traditional wedding photography and in France,
it can easily be really old-fashioned, and most of the time, ugly.
I worked the pictures so they look sweeter.



Caroline and Jeremie, I wish you the best.
May you be happy together forever and after,
and have plenty of musician babies!

Sarah Burton x Catherine Middleton

Rédigeant mon mémoire de master sur l'œuvre d'Alexander McQueen,
je me devais d'écrire un article sur la fameuse "wedding dress" de Kate.

La jeune mariée arbore donc un modèle conçu par Sarah Burton, actuelle
directrice artistique de la maison Alexander McQueen.



Une robe classique à manches longues et col V en dentelle immaculée,
qui n'est pas sans rappeler celle que portait Grace Kelly le jour de son union sur le rocher.
En fait, presque tout évoque la princesse monégasque, jusqu'au voile, la tiare et le bouquet,
son attitude, et même son social background
(Kate est issue de la classe moyenne, tout comme l'était l'actrice américaine).





La traine est raisonnable, voire simple, pour une fille qui, même en ayant conquit la
monarchie, a su elle-même le rester.

Long live Princess Catherine!

Robe: Sarah Burton pour Alexander McQueen
Voile: Royal School of needlework
Diadème: "Halo" de Cartier, datant de 1936
Boucles d'oreilles: Robinson Perhan Jewellers

She is more than just desire.

Photo: MarleenaHills.
Model: best friend :)
(she doesn't want me to reveal her identity).

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