WINDOW TO MY WORLD : fashion AFTER FASHION @MADMUSEUM

 SSAW Magazine installation, part of the fashion after Fashion @MADmuseum

Living in one big City and visiting another, one can't help but compare the finds and faults of each. In a recent trip to San Francisco, one particular standout is the concerted "inclusiveness" embraced by the City and its inhabitants. While both NYC and SF have significant landmarks and restaurants--along with differences in terrain and transport--San Francisco leads in the area of progressive thought with designated gender-neutral bathrooms and exit signs at eye-level for wheelchair riders. This week, instead of store windows (and since I'm so behind), I present a window into fashion after Fashion at the MAD Museum. Six artists encourage viewers to diversify the definition of fashion. Keep reading for a look inside...

JUDITH LEIBER: CRAFTING A NEW YORK STORY @ MAD MUSEUM

Fish minaudière w/rhinestones (1978)

Clutching a green toolbox, 26-year-old Judith Leiber landed in New York City in 1946. The box--credentials of a master craftswoman (and an ironic foreshadowing of minaudières to come)--signified both saving grace and an unusual ability to craft handbags from dream to designer showroom. As a Jew living at the height of Nazism, opportunity materialized in the form of family connections and a job at prestigious purse company Pessl. Trading chemistry and a future in the cosmetics industry for bag-making, 3,500+ exotic and Swarovski crystal-encrusted handbags were brought to life. Until August 6th, the Museum of Arts and Design celebrates the legacy of Judith Leiber through Judith Leiber: Crafting a New York Story--the second in a three-part series on craft. Keep reading for a look inside...