Lacroix

Marc by Marc

I always love it when style puts up pictures from backstage. It's nice to see what (sort of) goes on behind the runway. And seeing models reading and actually smiling is quite a treat. Alas, I've just cleaned up my computer, and so many lovely photos have moved on to my photobucket account, and so this is the meager offering I give you.

Alessandra Facchinetti gave a wonderfully assured and exciting debut on the couture runway with Valentino. This was no small feat for a woman who having been publicly humiliated by being fired after one year at Gucci (after replacing Tom Ford in 2004), was now leading the brand of Valentino, which like Gucci has such a stong identity, but she also has the added pressure of having Signor Garavani very much alive and kicking to pass judgement. The whole fashion industry would be ready to pounce if she made a single mistake. But Facchinetti really exceeded expectation and congratulations to her. It is not easy to make the transition from RTW to Haute Couture but I have a sneaky suspicion that Haute Couture will become her forte in a few years time.

The first wise move that Facchinetti made was to hold the show in the Place Vendôme showroom of Valentino, which not only made for an intimate setting and harked back to the heyday of Haute Couture, but also allowed the audience to view the clothes close-up to appreciate the intricacies and detailing of the pieces. I enjoyed Facchinetti's venture with ovoid sculpted silhouettes from stiffened silk, although some of the structured coats and capes looked quite restrictive and uncomfortable to wear. The whole look was still strongly Valentino, glamorous and feminine, but Facchinetti has brought to the House romance, delicateness and youth. This was my favourite collection by far.

Christian Lacroix does what he does best. Extravagance, vibrant colours, historical details and embellishments. His influences for this show ranged from matadors, spanish infanta to 18th century militia accessorised with punk mohicans. Somehow Lacroix's 'more is more' attitude never overpowers his clothes and it's always a pleasure to watch his lavish collections (which stood out this season from the other collections which mostly focused on very muted colour palettes).

Karl Lagerfeld has successfully re-worked the classic trademarks of Chanel for a new generation and incorporated rare materials and techniques for Haute Couture, but his collections in recent times have become quite tired. So it was a relief to see Lagerfeld explore a darker, gothic look, with very sharp geometrical lines. The inverted armlets which branched out at the shoulder, had a wonderfully medieval turn about them. Still the charcoal grey palette was too drab for my liking.

And to my final highlight of the season - Anne Valerie Hash. Hash is understatement personified and she does it exquisitely. Beautifully cut pieces in a classic palette of whites and blacks. Her clothes may not be wildly imaginative and showy but she understands the female form. She designs the most wearable collections (and it's probably no coincidence that apart from Facchinetti, she's the only female designer for Haute Couture).

As for the rest of the season, it was either shockingly weak or drearily predictable. Jean Paul Gaultier's collection was a mess, with no theme running through the clothes. He used hideous clashes of colours, re-hashed the equestrian look (which he's done to death at Hermes), neon rave and bizarre weave-basket like structures were worn on top of the clothes. The models looked as though they had stepped out of an obsolete 80's sci-fi film, not a look that most 50 year old Park Avenue ladies who lunch (the majority of Haute Couture clientele) would aspire to. Then there was Christian Dior, which harked back to Dior's New Look. It was a very subdued and restrained Galliano we saw. Of course, the pieces were finely crafted especially the full skirted coats with patent leather bow belts, but the pastel greens, blues and pinks used for his dresses were too saccharine. Givenchy was particularly dull, which was apparently inspired by Peruvian peasants. This theme was only shown in two or three pieces with oversized hats and bizarre brown and white stripped outfits that no Peruvian peasant would be seen dead in. As for Elie Saab it was business as usual, nothing new, very frothy, plenty of lace and swathes of taffeta. But it's been his winning formula for his clients, so why defer? As for Armani Prive, it was Armani's version of YSL doing Armani. Undeniably finely tailored but was indistinguishable from Armani's previous collections for like the past 100 years! Yawn. The man just does not do it for me I'm afraid.

For Spring 2009, I'm praying for Galliano to go back to his overblown theatrical concepts, that Gaultier will have created a cohesive collection, that beautiful, bright colours and interesting shapes will flood the runways. In troubled times (economic crisis anyone?), the world looks to escapism and fantasy. Hollywood provided epic masterpieces and exuberant musicals during the war periods to a people who so desparately needed to dream. And Haute Couture at it's best, with its surreal creativity and exquisite craftsmanship can provide that opportunity too.

source: style.com

Bei Lacroix Haute Couture

Bei Dior

Privat , allein und Irina.

Und ein ganz altes Bild einer Dior Haute Couture Show, Lily noch ganz jung.

Fotos: modepilot/parisoffice

Ela é a top nº 1 no ranking do site models.com, site referência de moda no mundo todo, por isso decidi fazer um post sobre essa modelo que é ainda pouco conhecida pelo grande público brasileiro.

Raquel Zimmermann é gaúcha, nasceu em Novo Hamburgo (cidade próxima de Porto Alegre), em 6 de maio de 83. Começou sua carreira aos 14 anos posando para a revista Capricho, da Editora Abril. Logo depois seguiu para o Japão, onde ficou até 2001, quando seguiu para morar em Nova York. A modelo faz parte do casting da agência Ten Model Management, no Brasil, sendo agenciada também em Nova York, Paris e Milão (respectivamente por DNA Models, Viva Models Management e Why Not Model Management).

Em seu portfólio constam trabalhos para importantes grifes, como Prada, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Valentino, Ungaro, Lacroix, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint-Laurent, Victoria’s Secret, Escada, entre outras. Atualmente estrela a campanha da grife brasileira Animale.

Christian Lacroix :

♥♥♥♥

I've always though that if ever there was a complete master of detailing that would be Christian Lacroix and the fact of the mater is: he's way ahead of time. Literally . I can't really even begin to describe the complexity of his creations, considering he never sticks to a sole inspiration : whether it's Russia with the sleeveless coats and lacy detailing on the front, the Spanish matador jackets or the Edwardian gowns, they all come together perfectly in his collection. I guess it takes a outrageous sense of style to match all those and actually make people stare in delight as you parade the World's history in front of their eyes.And the amount of work can only be explained by looking at the amount of details that adorn his garments, making them excessive, unlikely to match, yet surprisingly striking. All I have to say is that, despite the fact that, even if I would ever have the chance to wear one of his creations, I'd probably won't do it justice,because his exquisite clothes are suited to be paraded by equally exquisite people.

Some pictures:

• the bows and frills seem to be ever present this season ... ♥ing it !

Chanel

Christian Lacroix

Elie Saab

Givenchy

John Paul Gaultier

Valentino

Dior :

♥♥♥♥♥

Besides the Valentino show, which was by far the one I anticipated most, since the brilliant designer Valentino stepped down and Alessandra Facchinetti took over , the Dior show was another big surprise I was looking forward to . We all know that John Galliano kind of got stuck in the 60s a while ago and just refused to create something else than  clothes inspired by that era. Therefor no more amazing shapes and heart stopping colors . But this couture show ... HELLO, HE'S BACK!!!! The shapes of the gowns were out of this world, the colors were sometimes vibrant, sometimes pale, but always complementing the design of the dresses. The beading, the construction of the outfits were all spot on... and then ... there were the shoes .... ahhhhhhhh..... they just scream fierceness !!!! All in all, I think that, as most of the time, Dior couture shows by Galliano are a pleasure for the eyes to see and the mind to imagine stories for his surreal outfits.

Here are some looks fromt he collection:

I have discovered how to insert all the pics in the post, so I don't have to worry about screwing up the photo lineup . Yey!

"The bogan from Logan."

How model Catherine McNeil once described herself. This week she appeared on the catwalk for Chanel, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Her secret to success? "Shoulders back, stand up straight, move your hps a bitr and swing your arms, but not too much."

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel:

It looks like Lagerfeld was really heavily channeling erte influences more than Poiret for his take on twenties flapper fashions. The fringe on the suit dress may have gone too far, but the shapes and dramatic looks that he achieved with this collection more than make up for it.

Christian Lacroix:

I'm not a Lacroix girl, but this coat had me begging for more art deco and bright pink painted geometrics. I almost want to go to the goodwill and find a whit coat to attack with pink house paint.

Superb little details on the striped bag as well!

John Galliano for Dior:

Galliano went for his usual vampish goth look in the beginning of the show, then softened out with candy colored confections that reminisce Mia Farrow in The Great Gatsby. The last dress looks mermaid-esqe, with sheer ruffled fabric and twisted pearl (?) beads as a lavish necklace.

Georgio Armani Privé:

Armani Privé channeled both Poiret and Grace Kelly to create a show stopping series of gowns so intricate and time consuming to make that thinking about the price tag alone feels like it costs money.

Givenchy:

When channeling the 1920's, Givenchy knows how to be liberal with tassels...maybe a bit too much so in the first outfit, but I love his designs nonetheless. I am unsure who now does Givenchy's designs (will look it up soon), but the third and fourth outfits take the cake.

Comments about couture 2008? I'd love to hear what readers think!!

Le grand couturier investit du 17 mai au 31 octobre le musée des beaux-arts d'Arles. Il habille les vingt-cinq salles d'exposition du musée, revisitant les collections, auxquelles il intègre une sélection de ses oeuvres ainsi que celles d'artistes qu'il a choisis.

Christian Lacroix prend possession pour six mois des quelque 2 000 mètres carrés du Grand Prieuré selon un dispositif qu'il décline dans chaque pièce, recoin, cour.

Même les façades du monument historique côté Rhône et rue du Grand Prieuré vont sentir la main du couturier. Une appropriation du monument historique, à l'invitation de Michèle Moutashar, conservateur du musée, comme elle l'avait déjà fait, en partie, avec le plasticien Georges Rousse lorsqu'il avait métamorphosé en 2006 certaines pièces du musée.

Christian Lacroix construit son univers à partir des collections existantes, sur le mode de « l'incursion-excursion ». Une dissertation sur les thèmes du corps, du pli et de la chevelure. Les modèles, les esquisses de haute couture s'immisceront dans ce décor : «On montrera certaines robes, comme des gisants, écho aux chevaliers de Malte ou à Montmajour ».

Avec l'exposition « Christian Lacroix/ Réattu», le créateur de mode, parti sous d'autres cieux, revient sur les lieux de son enfance. Il interprète librement le lieu où il vécut ses premiers émois artistiques dans les années 60 quand il vivait à Arles avec sa famille. À son entreprise il associe des artistes amis. Christian Lacroix a voulu que sa mise en scène fasse se croiser la diversité des arts plastiques représentés dans le musée et les oeuvres d'artistes d'aujourd'hui qu'il a invités à exposer avec lui : Jean-Michel Othoniel, Daniel Firman… Marc Jacquin, responsable du département sonore du Réattu est impliqué dans l'exposition.

Dans l'ancienne salle des archives, la clé de voûte de l'édifice, Lacroix a disposé ce qu'il appelle son « trésor » : des accessoires, bijoux et ex-votos qui appartiennent à son environnement de travail.

Une autre idée poursuivie par Christian Lacroix est de recréer l'atmosphère d'atelier tel que l'avait voulu le peintre Réattu quand il acquit le bâtiment.

A voir jusqu'au 31 octobre 2008

Plus d'infos sur le site du musée (en construction)
ou le site de la ville d'Arles

Old Hollywood holds images of glamor and black and white elegance, but the present is in color and so are the styles. Traditional cuts and shapes are still admired, as they were and now in bright bold colors.

Everyone should have something pretty that is special to them. Maybe its a piece of jewelry passed down, a vintage hat or fur- even a fancy spoon or teacup can be a memorable and special pretty item. So long as you use it- if not for once in a while.

What's old is new and what's new is in memory of the old.

We all know the images of classic glamor girls in the past- fancy delicate hats with well cut dresses, gloves, broaches, and well thought out pieces alike. They don't all have to be your classic colors (black, white, nude). Christian Lacroix always shows otherwise.

Being Playful almost certainly has to involve pretty little things, makes you feel like a pretty little thing yourself. Don't leave special items in the closet collecting dust- keep them alive and involved in your life. After all, it is what makes them special to be remembered and admired.

Create your own collection of pretty little things to be admired now and later when they become icons. There's nothing like the one of a kind impossible to find item in your hands and in your wardrobe.

# Mercredi, je suis allée eu vernissage de l’expo Goya graveur au Petit Palais : c’était génial, une de mes amies m’y avait invitée… Tout d’abord, le Petit Palais, je n’y étais jamais entrée (oui c’est la honte surtout que j’habite pas très loin, mais bon en un an à Paris on n’a pas le temps de tout faire et tout voir !) j’étais bluffée par le calme, la lumière et la magnificence du lieu. L’expo ? Hyper intéressante (mise à part l'armée de vieilles biques qui vous passent devant quand vous êtes en train de lire une explication, et vous poussent alors que vous êtes en train de regarder une oeuvre). Je ne suis pas une spécialiste des beaux arts et j’ignorais que Goya avait été graveur. Il y avait là plus de 280 œuvres (gravures, litho, estampes dont certaines inédites…). Je n’ai pas franchement aimé la partie sur la tauromachie, mais ça c’est pour d’autres raisons que l’art (je suis contre le massacre gratuit des animaux).

# L’expo sur Marie-Antoinette au Grand Palais, je l’attends avec impatience… Je vous raconterai !

# Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs… Il faut absolument que je m’y rende : tout me plait. D’abord il y a l’expo sur Lacroix (qui se termine le 20 avril, va pas falloir traîner). Ensuite, il y a celle sur la Pub (et ouiii). Et enfin, celle sur les bijoux de Dieter Roth qui, à mon avis, vaut le coup d’œil… Bref, je vais m’y faire une petite virée d’ici peu !

# Enfin, il y a le Salon du Livre… Mais ça, j’y vais sûr dimanche car j’ai déjà mon invit’ !

Voilà, fin de cette parenthèse… c’est tout ce qui me vient à l’esprit pour le moment. Et vous, vous avez envie de voir quoi en ce moment ??

De moda no sé si sé, pero, si sé que estoy aprendiendo. Desde niño siempre me ha gustado pero no pasó a ser algo imprescindible en mí hasta hace poco; NO SOY UN FASHIONISTA, NO pretendo serlo, NO soy, ni quiero ser de esos que se exhiben en la web con sus prendas (se me hace hasta medio triste), no visto nada de firmas internacionales (aún) porque aquí es muy raro encontrarlo y, porque el precio de una prenda me alcanzaría para cosas no más importantes pero sí, mas útiles.

Ultimamente he tratado de estar al tanto de las pasarelas; me encantan, las encuentro espectaculares, mágicas y sobre todo inspiradoras, sea para un fotografía, gráfico o x. La puesta en escena, la presentación de las prendas, las modelos: ninfas enormes, soberbias, míticas y por supuesto, el saludo del diseñador; todo precioso, todo maravilloso. Lo malo, es que no he tenido mucho tiempo, pero trato de estar al tanto.

De lo que he logrado ver, para el otoño invierno 08/09, los diseñadores parecen haberse puesto de acuerdo para proponer una mujer amazona dominatrix, algo andrógena, gótica-punk. A eso apuntan muchos diseñadores y aquí, presento mis favoritos.

Austeridad andrógena de Ghesquière en los desfiles de Balenciaga. Fantástico.

Las ninfas de Lanvin, arropadas en siluetas simples pero ataviadas de poder. Maravillosa opulencia.

 La protesta de Viktor & Rolf contra la rapidez con la que se esta moviendo la moda misma en una mujer que SUEÑA y que sabe decir NO.

La constante perfección de Elie Saab en sus diseños opulentos y románticos.

 Las chicas futuristas atrevidas y rudas de YSL. De esta colección me ha encantado la simpleza de las prendas, los cortes son espectaculares!

La genialidad de Lacroix.

 Y por último, la fabulosa locura andrógena de Gareth Pugh que, tal vez de entre todos, es el más evidente. Pueden creer que es Agyness Deyn la que aparece en la penúltima foto. O.o

Bueno, aquí los tienen, mis desfiles favoritos; se pueden dar cuenta que van por una línea parecida en cuando a colores y entre algunos, entre formas.

Y a ustedes, cual le ha gustado más?

  New Chanel:

  Chanel Spring/Summer

               Chanel Resort

Old LaCroix :

The Paris Couture Shows....Coming to a boutique near you....

In fashion, that gaudy grail that runneth over with old thin people shivering with intimations of mortality, the V&A's Golden Age maxhibition has been swiftly followed by Valentino's uber-Valentino-sundae-with-a-Valentino-cherry-on-top last-ever fashion week show and now LaCroix's 20-year review at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris. The big Tate success of the winter has been that tatty, batty, bohemian queen Bourgeois, and even Dennis Hopper is preparing a big film and art retrospective at the Cinematheque Francais for October.

Of course, the retrospective is a perennial favourite, satisfying our compulsion to make lives into narratives and creativity into A Canon. We have always yearned to turn the unremarkable past, with it's fennel-tinged taste of unmaterialised promise, into an ambrosial-flavoured utopia. This often leads to misanthropic mythologising of golden olden times; however, these recent shows, by reviewing the work of people still alive, seem born of an urge to prove the opposite: there's life in the old world yet.

Which there is. Just look at the cut of this jib.

Spring 2008 Couture

Christian Lacroix - Runway

More FotoCoverage Here

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210 West Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, 19103

http://www.lacroixrestaurant.com/

There are few things better than brunch, and I'm not talking about just dining "things": I mean, in general, brunch is one of my favorite things in life. It features food, lots of it, friends and family, lolling about: what more could one ask for? I have experienced many fine brunches in my lifetime, starting as a child when church was actually more a pre-brunch activity than an actual destination: like I had to do penance to the brunch gods (yes, going to hell, blah blah fishcakes). Among my favorites as a child were Arnie's and the Seahorse (sadly defunct). In grad school, economics dictated a rest, but of late, I've had some fabulous ones, including the infamous Sterling Brunch in Vegas (about which there will probably be a "fond remembrance" post), and some bad ones (I'm talking to you, Coleman; seriously, don't go there--it's a total rip-off).

However, there is really nothing to compare to the Sunday Brunch at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse. It has become almost my life's mission to turn people on to this place, and everyone I have recommended it to--all of whom first blanched at the sticker price of over $50--have thanked me to the point of embarrassment.

For our third visit, we went with Roland, Philip, and Mike to celebrate the holidays and pig out.

So, Lacroix is a great restaurant in its own right, but they don't turn their brunch into a cash cow by skimping on quality and just providing quantity. They do both, and do it well.

So, just to set the stage, the room overlooks Rittenhouse Square, and is decorated plushly but modernly in green hues and dark wood. For brunch, the restaurant is given over to presentation. When you enter, you come upon a long table featuring cold dishes, at the end of which sits the raw bar. Once you can tear yourself away from that round, you are escorted into the kitchen, where the hot dishes are located, as well as the chocolate fountain and liquid nitrogen station (oh, don't worry, we'll get there). If you have room, the dessert table (ahem, "Garden Table") awaits:

OK, enough with the setup. By the way, what follows is not for the faint of heart.

Plate #1

(Clockwise from bottom left: salmon crudo, fennel condiment; foie gras ganache; Parmesan "puff," anchovy, roasted garlic; caramel green apple soda (off plate); unsure; California roll; BBQ eel roll; caviar; spiced baked apple panzanetta)

OK, obviously the star for me here was the puff. The foie gras ganache was, if possible, not foie gras-y enough for us, though I thought it was delightful nonetheless. Here's the thing about this place: often I will be bowled away just by the very idea of the stuff they came up with. The ganache was like that. The panzanella was very good as well.

Plate #2 (sorry for blurriness; it's the excitement of it all)

(Clockwise from bottom right: warm chickpea soup, homemade pitas; pulled beef hot pockets; smoked sturgeon salad, potato, horseradish vinaigrette; caviar; "chips and dip" (basically a homemade guacamole))

Yeah, so, going in, who would have thunk that a simple warm chickpea soup would be in the running for best of show? Wow. This little soup (oh, and are you noticing the fabulousness of the portions? Perfection) had us all losing our eyes in the backs of their sockets. It was perfectly smooth, tasting of the most wonderful chickpeas with hints of the expected spices: it was just amazing. We were licking the teacups.

Plate #3 (note, we are not even out of the cold dishes)

(Clockwise from bottom left: chilled spaghetti squash salad, truffle, sunchoke (my second time with this ingredient: the first was a soup at Majolica (see links on right) that was amazing. I may need to try my hand at sunchokes. Yeah, right.), cranberry; warm chickpea soup (everyone is shocked: the first thing anyone said when someone else returned from the cold table was, "are there still chickpea soups?"); crispy potatoes, escargot fricassee; coddled quail eggs with homemade mustard, smoked trout roe.)

Well, obviously there is the soup. However, the potato and escargot number was really quite nice. The potato was nice and light and balanced the earthiness of the escargot well. The spaghetti squash salad was not that memorable, but I loved the consistency of it, and the very idea.

Plate #4 (actually Philip's because I forgot to photograph my final cold plate because I was beginning to enter a food coma.)

The key thing to mention here is on the bottom: the polenta fries. They had been constantly missing whenever I went up (an oddity, as they are usually quite good about keeping things in stock on the tables), but I finally snagged one and knew why: crispy yet soft, the fry was topped with homemade "ketchup" (God knows why they used scare quotes), which reminded you of potato fries, but balanced nicely with the polenta's flavor. It was great.

Plate #5 (Hot Stuff!)

(Clockwise from top left: Niman Ranch smoked bacon; unsure: might be a crab cake; rabbit leg paella; unsure: might be sweet potato; Guinness braised beef short rib; center: poached organic eggs, lobster and leeks)

First, the bacon. One of my first websites reviewed brunches, and I had a separate rating for bacon. I love bacon. I own bacon salt. This is some damn fine bacon. The paella was fine; the poached eggs were awfully good (and isn't that thing they're in just the dickens? Lacroix has the best containers. Given the restaurant's ridiculous use of them, we decided that we are going to open a ramekin-only restaurant. Don't we need this?); the ribs were ridiculous: almost literally melt in your mouth. God they were good.

Plate #whatever

(Clockwise from bottom: bacon (natch); handmade sausage dumplings, truffled white beans; roasted duck breast with cherry compote; axis venison loin au poivre, huckleberry gin jus (well, sure: I make that every Sunday); savory Tuscan bread pudding with fontina and asiago cheese; brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts; pumpkin seed pancakes with pumpkin butter)

Yeah, this might have been the best plate. The meats were ridiculous: so tender, so creative, so complex. The bread pudding? Seriously? My God. It put sweet bread puddings to shame, kicking them while they were down, asking them who their daddy was. I don't know if I have had brussels sprouts more than a couple of times in my life, and if they are half as good as these, I've been missing out big time. The pancakes were just pumpkin-y enough, and would you look at the color of that pumpkin butter?

Plate #mmmfffmfmfmmf (me trying to keep going with a mouth and stomach stuffed; sorry again for the focus)

(clockwise from bottom: gratin of potato, lemon, and roasted hazelnuts; food of the gods; belgian waffle with fresh mixed berries)

The gratin had an amazing flavor combination: the lemon was just barely there, but added a wonderful acidity to the pedestrian potato, and the crunch of the hazelnuts were awfully welcome. It was an inspired dish.

Plate #I really should stop...oh, but there's dessert!

(clockwise from top right: rice crispy treat dipped in the 5-foot tall chocolate fountain; vanilla ice cream with raspberry coulis; milk chocolate malt foam with banana gelee)

Yeah, so the liquid nitrogen station. Here's what happens. The pastry chef at the station loads a dollop of the foam, tops it with the banana gelee, and then encloses the gelee with another dollop of foam. She then opens the vat of liquid nitrogen and plunges the orb into it. What comes out is this quick-frozen though not hard concoction. Is it worth all of the trouble? Probably not (it was good, but not life-altering), but the theater!

Plate #Must stop eating can't focus

(orange poppyseed cake with sour cream frosting; coffee pot de creme)

Both were excellent. Frankly, I can't remember. The food coma was in full effect.

We started at 11, right when they open; we left at 2:45. I had umpteen glasses of water, cups of coffee, trips to the bathroom; I also got the wine duet with a lovely glass of bubbly (Marquis de la Tour) and a glass of a 2004 Chateau Saint-Suplice Bordeaux.

I can't tell you what it all cost; whatever it was was worth it ($100? maybe more?). Oh, I haven't mentioned service. Our waiter was sort of odd (like he was nervous, though he'd obviously worked there a while), but the service overall was impeccable: attentive, but not cloying; knowledgeable and respectful--they didn't once glare at us for our gluttony.

So, yeah. You have to go if you are the area. At some point, we will probably try the other Philadelphia brunch standby, the Fountain, but it's hard to say no to another trip to Lacroix.

Of course, everything is stunning, but what really impressed me was the curating.  It seems as though the museum basically gave Lacroix carte blanche to play with their collection, and it was surprising to me how intelligent and considered his choices and remarks were.  Not all artists can talk about art as well as make it.

There was no photography allowed, but do take the time to check out this slide show of pieces from the exhibit -- it should give you some idea of the pieces on display.