Erica & Wes go to New Orleans, pt.1

In late April (yes, yes, I know this is old but I haven't been on my laptop much lately), Wes and I traveled to New Orleans for the second part of our wedding anniversary vacation. (We went to a Judas Priest concert for the first part of our celebration but I haven't gotten around to writing about that, either. I really need to stop procrastinating, don't I?). While a majority of people gather in New Orleans for Jazz Fest and partying, I went for the Alexander McQueen fashion exhibit at the art museum. Oh, and to see The Darkness perform a small intimate show at the Civic Center (more on that next week).

Look at all that powdered sugar. Soooooo yummy! 

We also chose to visit New Orleans for the food. We were only there for three days but we managed to eat our way through several restaurants. My favorites were the beignets from Cafe Du Monde (Wes' favorite was also the beignets) and the oysters from Acme Oyster House. I could go on forever about food but I won't. Please ask to see my vacation pictures if you're interested... we all know how much everyone loves showing off their vacation pictures. LOL

Welcome to New Orleans, Mr. Kirtley! We're honored to host your special occasion and have no doubt it will be a treasured memory. Our dedicated team wishes you a very happy anniversary and marvelous adventure as your explore our vibrant city. Cheers to a lifetime of love and happiness. Warm regards, The Holiday Downtown Superdome Family.

When making our reservations, Wes mentioned that it would be our third wedding anniversary the first night we arrived in town. The hotel slid a handwritten card with two complimentary drink tickets under our room door.  That night when we were at the bar, we met a couple who were also in town for vacation. They got to talking and the woman decided that they needed to be wed before the end of their trip. Her boyfriend agreed and an impromptu wedding took place. The bartender officiated and Wes & I were their witnesses. Our signatures are on a very official bar napkin/wedding license. LOL

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons I chose New Orleans as our destination was the A Queen Within fashion exhibit. I've been interested in contemporary and avant-garde fashion for some time now (thanks Project Runway and your crazy design challenges) and the exhibit was everything I wanted it to be and more. While many fashion houses were represented, I was most drawn to the Alexander McQueen pieces. I'm not a student of fashion so I can't really elaborate on the pieces and their significance but they were pretty dang interesting and so so pretty! 

According to the exhibit, its main objective is to "investigate symbols of womanhood and expand the theme of fashion as art." There are seven archetypal personality types that the designers used as muses - Sage, Magician, Enchantress, Explorer, Mother Earth, Heroine and Thespian. Each archetype had its own section in the exhibit.

Designs for Enchantress - femme fatal, sexy, lustful, passionate, and mesmerizing. 

I don't identify at all with the Enchantress archetype but it was my favorite of the sections. Its display consisted of several dresses, shoes and accessories placed inside of a large corrugated plastic room. The walls of the room had round windows for museum patrons to stick their heads in to view the fashion pieces. Both the floor and ceiling inside of the room was filled with imitation flowers. It was very delicate and imaginative and beautiful. The rest of the New Orleans Museum of Art was entertaining-- it had a nice variety of art and a lot of oil paintings, which I like-- but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much without the fashion exhibit. 

So the highlight of Day 1 was the bar wedding, the highlight of Day 2 was the fashion exhibit and the highlight of Day 3 was this totally rad concert we went to. The concert was so great that it deserves its own blog post. Talk to you guys next Monday!!