A Day at the Denver Art Museum

A few weeks ago, I made the decision to become a member of the Denver Art Museum.  After seeing their lineup of exhibits for 2012, I knew that I wanted to be a part of all that the DAM had to offer this year.

The museum is located Downtown and like many of the cultural spots in Denver… there’s a great art piece in front of the building.  I’m not sure what this piece represents, but I like to think it looks like a blue man.

I planned an event for a group of fabulous ladies to join me at the Denver Art Museum for their latest exhibit –  Yves Saint Laurent:  A Retrospective.

I certainly like to shop, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert in haute couture in any way.  During the exhibit, I definitely swooned over the beautiful gowns and wished they had a fitting room where I could have tried on some of YSL’s masterpieces.

Before going into the exhibit

These two dresses were two of my favorite.  They were in a hallway with about four other dresses also created in pops of color.  The squares on the walls surrounding the dresses are swatches of fabric.  The dresses were so beautifully draped and such gorgeous colors.  I could have literally stared at them all day.  The yellowish-orange one would have been the one I wanted.  Just beautiful.

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Something I didn’t expect was hearing about the influence of fashion upon the women’s movement.  I loved hearing the stories of how scandalous it was for women to be wearing YSL’s tuxedo designs during a time when women didn’t wear slacks.  One of the most stunning rooms in the exhibit contained a wall of tuxedo inspired designs.  All black, all tuxedo like, and just amazing.

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The last set of dresses was some of the most beautiful evening gowns.  They were positioned on a beautiful red carpet and had me drooling.  There were so many that I loved.  And one that looked a lot like my Vegas bridesmaid dress, but longer.

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It was one of those exhibits where I was TRULY sad when it was over.  It made me want to see more exhibits and it made me want to SHOP!  Alas, we went to Mad Greens for lunch instead.  There’s a Mad Greens directly across from the DAM which was super convenient for our group who had worked up an appetite gawking at all those dresses.

Once we’d refueled though, we walked back over to the museum to see a second exhibit – Read My Pins:  The Madeline Albright Collection.

I adored this collection.  A fan of accessorizing, I always try to make sure I have the perfect accessory for whatever outfit I wear, but I’ve NEVER attempted to make a political statement by wearing a pin.  Well played, Ms. Albright.  Well played.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Madeline Albright, she served as Secretary of State under President Clinton.  She was the first female Secretary of State and as she described she “carried the weight of the world” on her shoulders, but she still found the strength to carry a massive pin on her shoulder as well.

Will you check out the SIZE of that pin??

Her pins were absolutely beautiful, ornate and they carried so much meeting.  It’s amazing to think that she had the cajones to wear a symbolic snake pin when visiting the Middle East… after referring to Saddam Hussein as a snake.  Really gutsy, Albright… I loved it.

She had everything from flowers to animals to flags to spiders in pin form.  Each section of pins had a detailed story, and I loved reading about each one of them.

My favorite pin is pictured below.  It’s a pin that she received from a man who lost his mother in Hurricane Katrina.  The man told Ms. Albright that his mother loved her and that she loved her pins. He as a result knew his mother would want her to have this pin, one of her favorites.  Literally gave me chills.

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I love doing cultural things.  The great thing about living in Denver is that there are so many opportunities to see great cultural events.  You just have to get out there and do it!!

That being said, if you’re a Denver reader, the YSL exhibit runs through July 8 and the Albright pins are on display through Sunday.  Get there.  You won’t regret it!

Question:  Do you enjoy art museums?  What was the last exhibit you saw?