Things to See: V&A's Hollywood Costume Exhibit

One of my prized Christmas possessions this year is the book for the Victoria & Albert Hollywood Costume exhibition in London. While I was abroad last semester, I had the pleasure of seeing the content behind the Vanity Fair write-ups and Dorothy-covered posters, and I will tell you that it is more than worth the £15 entrance fee.

The exhibition's poster. Note the dates!

Curated by Deborah Nadoolman Landis (who provided Indiana Jones with his Raiders of the Lost Ark uniform), Sir Christopher Frayling, and Keith Lodwick, the Hollywood Costume Exhibit does something similar to the Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It takes you on a journey through the movies, lets you get closer to your favorite characters for a moment, and then brings to life what goes on behind the scenes.

The exhibition is divided into three rooms. The first, after a mood-creating video montage, takes you on the journey from script to character realization. Here such gems as Charlie Chaplin's Tramp costume, Scarlett O'Hara's green dress, and a dozen or so period costumes are just a fraction of the display. Crafty graphics and the juxtaposition of sketches and real costumes bring the concept to life.

Next you get to cleverly sit down at a table with a few famous director/costume designer duos and hear about everything from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds to Johnny Depp. That's not all the room has to offer though. It also brings you everything from Avatar and Meryl Streep.

Finally, in a triumph of gatherings, you enter the grand finale. To rattle off all of the costume masterpieces on display would be near impossible, but this movie-buff began to get a little teary-eyed as she passed Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle costume, the black Breakfast at Tiffany's dress, Nicole Kidman's feathered pink Moulin Rouge concoction (soaring high above the rest on a swing), the green Atonement dress, Daniel Craig's Casino Royale tux, the likes of Superman and Batman, and Dorothy's pinafore.

With a cast of character's like that, how could you ever want to leave?

Holidays in the City

While clearly one of my New Year's Resolutions is going to be "blog more," I couldn't help but to get a hopeful head start on that.

Christmastime (and the week after) is my favorite season in NYC. The lights, the magic, and the chill in the air letting me show off my winter wardrobe all warm my heart. Just before December 25th rolled around, I went into the city with one of my best friends from college to experience the perfection of the season.

So, what do two twenty-somethings do for a few days of holiday cheer in the city? Well, of course, it all started at Serendipity.

The view from our seat.

Way back in 2001, Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack starred in a movie by the same name and brought heightened fame to the Upper East Side dessert haunt. Before that, in 1996, Serendipity's ice cream made an appearance in One Fine Day. But well before either big screen appearance, the restaurant was founded by Stephen Bruce in 1954.

Located at 225 East 60th Street (between 2nd and 3rd, also right by Bloomies and Dylan's Candy Bar), Serendipity III is a place of eclectically cramped quarters, Tiffany lampshades, and uber-famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. It's also home to the most expensive dessert in the world: the Golden Opulence Sunday ($1000 and 48-hour notice necessary...I asked a waiter last summer if they ever get ordered and he said "about once a month.").

It also has one of the prettiest restaurants in town.

While it's definitely on the more touristy end of things, and while there's also another location in Vegas, Serendipity III still holds its own.

For lunch, Lara was so intrigued by what the man seated at the next table was eating that she asked...and ordered the same! According to her, the Virginia Slim Open sandwich is incredibly filling and incredibly good.

The Virginia Slim: Turkey and Jarlsberg? Yum!

I personally went for the Eastside Western omelette, which was so stuffed to the brim with onions, peppers, ham, cheese, and tomatoes that there was no way I could eat all of its contents.

Getting western on the Eastside. 

And of course, we both partook in the divine Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. They have it in a few flavors nowadays, but we went for the classic.

So while we didn't pleasantly happen upon it by chance or sagacity, we did enjoy every bite and sip.