David Bowie: Fashion Icon

~ You Know Who ~

~ Where? ~

~ Here!! ~

Yep, the only stop in the U.S. is in my backyard, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.  It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood too.

But the process was not unlike the airport.  Dated and timed tickets had to be purchased in advanced.  And must be picked up 1 hour prior to the time stamped.  You were not allowed to enter earlier, nor later, than your scheduled time.  When we arrived as instructed, there was no line anywhere and not too much of a crowd inside either.

I wore the accompanying headphones for the first time ever at a museum.  (I hate being told what to see).  But in this case I knew they'd just be piping in Bowie tunes, so yeah, let's do it.  Well...it didn't take long for me to "whisper" over the headphones to my true love that I was just not interested.  It was obvious he wasn't either.  We wandered around the perimeter of each darkened room, hearing blurps of Bowie tunes abruptly start and then fade off.  Then there were the usual curatorial pronouncements summarizing arbitrary concepts/phases/milestones of the artist's career in mile high typeset on each wall of each room.  These I always ignore.  (I don't like being told what/ how to think either).  yuck.

Seeing his costumes was sorta cool.  But without Bowie's moves and voguing, they really lose their glamor and look rather sad or silly.   They had his house keys there, I think that's what they were.  woo-hoo.  4 paintings of his, that was cool, but ony 4.  And a little book under Plexiglas that was opened to a page with his measurements written down for tailoring.  26 1/2 inch waist, oh my!

Perhaps the best part of the exhibition was at the end when you were emptied out into a big room which held the majority of his outfits and was surrounded on 3 walls, floor to ceiling, with speakers behind screens playing segments of him on stage.  It was like big you tube videos all playing at once, fading in and out, in the dark.   And one, no two, benches to sit on.  We stayed there until it repeated and made our way out.  To the cafe, of course.

If you've made it this far, do go on to see my Bowie ensemble in which I garnered 3 distinct compliments from people at the MCA.

Looking Arty at the Art Cafe

Yes, here I'm wearing Melanie's "Turnip Head" of Bag and a Beret.  I think it works smashingly with my ensemble, don't you?  You're more than welcome to borrow it whenever you'd like.  Just dash over to Melanie's place and grab it.   Honorable Mention also goes to my friend VX and her "Sewing Cat Machine" painting which I couldn't help but show off as soon as I got my hands on it.  Thanks V.  Anyone interested in that work of art, just let me know and I'll lead you to VX.

I swear, I've never looked so good and am seriously considering a Turnip Head transplant.  Later.

But first, les shoes

and stockings

at the cafe.

You may remember the stockings I made from the Rose Hip pattern.  The pale pink suede shoes are from ebay, but of course.   Oh and the compliments!  One woman at the cafe stopped me and said, "Those shoes are the best thing I've seen here!" ...at the MCA?, that was certainly the truth. "Thanks for noticing."  As I walked into the museum a young woman with children coloring at a table said, "Oh, I love your stockings!" "I made them."  dumbfounded.  And finally, walking into the pseudo line, a very young woman said "I love all your layers!" smiling, and smiling.  That certainly made my day.

All the rest of my Bowie ensemble photos were taken at my sewing studio and are of the usual fuzzy quality.

Vest & tunic are adapted from

Tina Givens patterns

so is the underslip from Vogue

stockings from Rosehip pattern

close-up of fingerless gloves made from scrap fabric

close-up of clasp made by S and Mom's old necklace

If you're not worn out yet, you can see each of the pieces close-up and non-fuzzy on my Clothes for Fall page, plus any patterns they may have come from.   Then,  I'm going over to Sheila's Birthday Bash, and her ShoeShine.  Do join us before she goes on sabbatical.  Later I'll be joining Rhonda's Me Made Monday on Monday.  Be sure to check out all the sewistas then.

And here it is Visible Monday already.  I'm off to join all the lovelies at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style.  Hopefully, you won't mind me wearing the same thing twice - more or less.