Schiaparelli and Prada exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

     The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is showing a temporary exhibit called Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, which shows the fashion styles of Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. Both are of Italian origin but both come from different eras. The exhibit is very interesting because you learn about their styles of fashion. Schiaparelli’s style focused on the body, or “waist up” because in her era, women were expected to sit in cafes and only their top half of their body would be seen. Prada’s style was to focus on the bottom half, or “waist down”, because women were working hard and walking around, and used her style to give an expression of modernity. Schiaparelli’s line of clothing focused on elaborate tops and jackets with plain skirts and plain shoes. Prada’s line of clothing focused on beautiful skirts or dresses embroidered with sequins, mostly on the hem, and the exhibit showed a whole case of her shoes. The exhibit showed the clothing based on several themes. They were “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naif Chic,” and “Classical Body,” “Exotic Body,” and” Surreal Body.”

     In my opinion, I love most of their clothing because in their styles, I can feel that both designers designed their clothes to help women feel and have power. However, I really disliked Prada’s shoes. They were very bulky and had unique “hippy” colors that I feel would just destroy the beauty of the clothes. I also disliked some of Schiaparelli’s hats because I felt that there were too decorations on them. I understand how in their respective era, they were trying to express their “modern feminism” but in our current society, their fashion styles, in my opinion, are more masculine than feminine.

      This exhibit is open until August 19, 2012 so if you live in New York City, you better take a look at this exhibit! As a student, it’s free to go, as long as you show them your student ID, you can probably use your high school ID, and by the way the prices to enter are “suggested”. It doesn’t matter your gender, or your age, you will enjoy this exhibit and appreciate it for its unique beauty.