mademoiselle privé - lesage workshop

In addition to visiting Mademoiselle Privé exhibition, I signed up for Lesage, embroiderer workshop. It was fun and unforgettable experience. In the workshop studio many samples of embroidery are displayed which provided an opportunity to observe these up close.   

The silhouettes of Coco Chanel at the store's window

Displays of books on Chanel and samples of lesage 

Before the workshop commenced, each participant was treated with a hot drink; coffee or tea. The workshop started with a welcoming note and some informaton of Lesage division in Chanel. The trainers are employees from Lesage divison and I felt it was privileged to be taught by them. We were taught on how to sew beads and sequins following the samples given. Each of us was given the chance to choose one piece that we would like to work on. I chose medium size star. By the end of the exhibition, they are hoping all the stars are completed.

Workshop piece for learning 

Samples to follow 

Upon completion of the workshop, each participant received a certificate of attendance as a momento and not forgetting photo opportunity of the piece that we worked on or even with the trainers (if you want to, furthermore they are friendly)!

Certificate of attendance 

Both the exhibition and the workshop are worth the visit especially if you are a fan of Chanel or a fashion lover. Now, I am keeping my eyes open for any fashion exhibition in Hong Kong. Don't want to miss them!

Hope you are having a nice weekend, till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: christian dior: 70 years of haute couture

Just couple of weeks before I left for London (first then a brief trip to Paris), I came across news of Christian Dior exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs; commemorating 70th anniversary of the creation of the House of Dior. I was super excited and could not wait to buy a ticket online (highly recommend to buy ticket online to avoid very, very long queue however the site is in French). 

The exhibition takes you on a magical journey into the world of House of Dior from Christian Dior, himself to his fellow successors; Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Get a little up close and personal with hundreds of lovely dresses. An exhibition not to be missed!

Dresses inspired by Sterling - Christian Dior by Raf Simons

Inspirations taken from around the world 

Egyptian inspired dress - Christian Dior by John Galliano 

Inspirations taken from the gardens

Miss Dior dress 

The New Look dress 

Dresses by Yves Saint Laurent

Dresses by Marc Bohan

Dresses by Gianfranco Ferré

Interesting pieces from John Galliano 

Dresses by Raf Simons

Dresses by Maria Grazia Chiuri

Stars in Dior - showcasing Dior dresses worn by celebrities 

The Dior Ball 

The exhibition is currently running until the 7th January 2018 at the Museum of Decorative Arts, details as follows:

Musée des Arts décoratifs
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
France

Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays (Temporary Exhibitions only). Closed on Mondays.

Hope this post has given you a little sneak peek of the Dior exhibition. 

Till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: paris haute couture: the only gown in the world @ tokyo, japan

Paris Haute Couture: The Only Gown in the World; doesn't the title of the exhibition sound intriguing? I had short getaway to Tokyo last weekend and to visit this exhibition was on my to-do-in-Tokyo list. The exhibition will end tomorrow, 22 May 2016.

The exhibition showcases the history of haute couture from its beginning in the 19th century to the present. Interestingly, it was Charles-Frederic Worth, an English-born, who created the basis of haute couture in Paris in the late 19th century.  Haute couture means "high sewing" or "high dressmaking". Great pieces from great couturiers such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent to name a few are displayed in this exhibition.

Here's a snippet of the exhibition as most of the sections photo taking is not allowed.

Jean Pages, illustration 1935

Jean Patou, 1939

  

Premet, 1928 (left), Jeanne Lanvin, 1928 (right)

 

Chanel, 1937

  

Chanel, 1930

 

Lucile Paray, 1933

 

Robert Piguet, 1939

 

Jean-Paul Gaultier, 2006

Throughout my visit, I was drooling over the pretty and unique dresses and oh-ing and ah-ing almost non-stop. Who can resist such beautiful dresses? Furthermore, the amazing beading, embroidery and other embellishments are indeed making each dress display here the only gown in the world. Oh how I wish I could own one of the dresses....

wanderlust: house of dior, seoul

House of Dior, the most eye-catching architecture in the district of Gangnam, Seoul, is a work of art; combining haute couture with architecture. Christian de Portzamparc was inspired by the movement of the fabrics and the weaving effects and created a facade which would explore these elements. He further explained, "this white softness is like the couturier's toile when he's at work. It has a sense of movement that plays with light. This sculptural suppleness was my starting point".[note 1] The building was also inspired by the movement of the Cyclone and Cocotte dresses, designed by Christian Dior in 1948. It has an art gallery on the fourth floor and Cafe Dior by Pierre Herme on the top floor.

From 23rd February 2016 onwards, an exhibition entitled Lady Dior as Seen by is held. In this exhibition, you will see some of the talented international artists take on the iconic Lady Dior bag. Here's a sneak peek of the exhibition...  

After checking out the exhibition, don't forget to check out Cafe Dior on the top floor either just to have sneak peek or take a coffee break.

I wish I could buy one of these!

Normally, I hardly have coffee breaks at designer cafes but for this time I stopped for a much needed break after all the walking around the city. Instead of tea or coffee, I ordered a cup of hot raspberry and dark chocolate drink and macaroons. From my observation, most of the customers are young, dressed stylishly and not forgetting some tourists like myself.

Take Bundang line metro and alight at Apgujeongrodeo Station, exit 3 (if I remember correctly). Walk along the K-star Road; whereby there are many Gangnamdols of Korean artists on the opposite of the street that you are walking. The walk takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Here's the address;

House of Dior

464, Apgujeong-ro

Gangnam-gu, Seoul 

I never thought a visit to a designer boutique would turn out such a pleasant experience. Hmm... perhaps from now on, I may consider checking out designer cafes? Will see... 

On a separate note, this is my last wanderlust post on Seoul. I hope these posts would help or inspire your trip to Seoul. 

Till my next post, stay chic and have a great weekend!

Reference:

Note 1: http://www.dior.com/diormag/en_us/suggest/architecture

wanderlust: simone handbag museum @ seoul, korea

The Simone Handbag Museum, which is located in Gangnam area, houses one of the finest collections of handbags in the world. The architecture of the museum is indeed an interesting design; in the shape of a bag. Who would have thought of this? Clever idea, isn't it?

 Entrance of the building

 

Entrance of the museum on the third floor

 Its collections include bags dated back to the 1500s and the latest 'it' bags of the 21 century. The museum is divided into two themes; third floor - modern gallery and fourth floor - historical gallery. Photos are not allowed to be taken in the museum but a booklet with information of each bags is given when purchasing an admission ticket. The collections are available on the museum's website as well; click here. 

I was drooling over some of the lovely vintage bags. The collections are well curated and definitely worth a vist for any fashion or bag lovers.
 
Museum details:

Address: 17, Dosan-daero 13-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday: 11 am to 7 pm
Admission ticket: 5,000 KRW
Website: http://simonehandbagmuseum.co.kr/     
How to get here: Sinsa station, exit 8 or Apgujeong station exit 5

Till my next post, stay chic and have a great weekend!