Metropolitan Museum of Art

I trekked off to the Met today to meet Kir. Dressed, as seems to be the norm lately, in clothes that were not warm enough. I always feel incredibly cheap for only giving a dollar or two for admission, but today we went and got gouged by the Met cafeteria so that pretty much removed any feelings of guilt. I mean honestly. How much should you pay for an apple and a bag of chips? Then again, this is a place that charges $100 for some of their lectures/classes. I know because I read the information today. I thought, hey, some of that stuff might be interesting. And then I realized that I would only be able to afford said stuff in an alternate world where people in entry-level positions make loads of money.

We went to the Asian art section and for all the times I've been to the Met I don't think I'd ever been in that part of the museum. It was really quite interesting (and empty) and at some point I'll have to go back and look more extensively. And from there it was to the Tiffany exhibit which was really lovely. My mother is going to be in town while it's up and I think I'll have to take her to it. There was this beautifull vase which had a waterlily design at the top and green stems going to the bottom. I'm not sure you would actually put flowers in it and use it as a functional piece but it was lovely.

The piece on the right is Winter, from his Four Seasons window. You can't tell from the picture, but the glass is really quite thick in certain places. Layered, maybe? I couldn't tell and don't know anything about his techniques. It was fascinating because I had realized his windows had some texture to them, but I hadn't realized how much. The information next to the display noted that the window was displayed at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. I always love a Buffalo connection.

We also went to the Costume Institute to see the collection of a deceased socialite who owned enough to clothe a small nation. There was beautiful clothing there and it was nice to be there with Kir because she can explain everything to me. I consider it an accomplishment if I can sew a button back onto my coat so, unsurprisingly, I don't know anything about things like darts and pleats. Hell, I don't even know how to pronounce anything.

At the same time, the idea of one person having so much clothing makes me a bit uncomfortable. Does anyone really need 600 pieces by Yves Saint Laurent? And yes, that was a rhetorical question. I was telling my roommate about it this evening. She had just finished readinga book (Infections and Inequalities) about people who were going home to die because they couldn't pay the four dollars it would take to be admitted to the hospital. I'm not so much making a judgement here so much as saying that there's a pretty stark contrast between the two and it made me somewhat uncomfortable. I'm sure the book was valuable but I'm certainly glad I didn't have to read it. Just knowing about it is making me feel like maybe I shouldn't go buy a new pair of jeans tomorrow like I intended. Of course I will, but I might feel guilty about it.

On a lighter, clothing related note, I saw something else that made me wonder today. While waiting for the bathroom before leaving I saw a girl walk out in a shimmery tight top that I swear she was going to fall right out of. There was a lot there and I was halfway convinced I was witnessing a wardrobe malfunction in the making. Now I'm all for people dressing in whatever way they're comfortable. They can wear as much or as little as they want and I just don't care. But I don't understand why one would choose to go to an art museum--a somewhat stuffy one at that--dressed as though one were going to a club. It doesn't bother me but it does confuse me.