By Nadine Kam

Check out Julia, Lady Peel’s bracelets (1827).
The giant cuff or bangle bracelet is one of Fall 2007’s trends.

Time to hit the museums, this time the Frick Collection because I’d never been there. It’s housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919). Like the Honolulu Academy of Arts, it’s laid out around a central garden court. So serene.

I think before I became a fashion fanatic I could always appreciate it in paintings. The collection is heavy on 17th century Dutch artists, 18th century British artists and pre-Revolution French artists and the works include many, many portraits. When looking at paintings I love studying the details of materials difficult to render and basic to any study of art, including the reflections of water, the delicacy of lace, the glint of metal and precious stones, and the light and shadow that form creases in fabric.

Vermeer’s “Mistress and Maid,” circa 1665-’70.

From there it’s a short leap to studying the fabric and fashion of centuries past. It’s amusing to see how the rich adorned themselves for these artist sittings. I love looking at the jewelry, the velvets and furs they deem to be their best. I don’t know if they ever had a saying that comes close to our notion of “dress to impress,” but that certainly was the aim as early as 500 years ago.

“Comtesse D’Haussonville” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867).

Highlights of the question include Rembrandt’s 1658 self-portrait; the Fragonard Room of 10 works from “The Progress of Love” series commissioned in 1771 by Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV; and the Boucher Room’s humorous rococo canvases of children in adult occupations. So hilarious. The contemporary equivalent would be of poker playing dogs or William Wegman’s humanly dressed weimaraners.

Drink your chocolate at Vosges Haut-Chocolat on Madison Avenue. It’s $5.

After the museum, walked over to 1100 Madison Ave. in search of refreshment. Passed by many cafes, then outside Vosges Haut-Chocolat saw a sign that said “Sip cold chocolate” and something about “refreshing.” Sold! Tried the Red Fire dark chocolate that includes Mexican ancho and chipotle chilies and Ceylon cinnamon that’s melted then mixed with milk. It was only mildly spicy, but very refreshing indeed and a great afternoon pick-me-up. The Aztecs and Mayans knew what they were doing when they drank this stuff.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2007 at 8:07 pm and is filed under art, Food, Shop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.