Charles James ‘Beyond Fashion’ and Brunch at EJ’s Luncheonette from ‘Sex and the City’

It was a Monday morning when I went to meet up with G. and his girlfriend for brunch at Jack?s Wife Frieda, SoHo. Actually, quite a few years had passed since G. and I stumbled upon each other in London, and I couldn?t wait to meet his girlfriend and find out what was currently taking place in his life; to find out why he?d moved to New York City.

And you know that feeling… the one you get when you meet new people, being completely unaware of all that could potentially take place as a result of the new acquaintance. Initially, you try not to get overly hyped up. You greet them. You smile at them, having NO idea whether you?d be able to find common grounds at all. Whether you?d eventually click and be willing to spend more time together in future.

When they entered the restaurant I couldn?t help but smile! They seemed perfectly suited for each other! Both illuminating sophistication and holding hands they came near me and greeted me. At this point I never thought M. and I would end up meeting up a few days later, spending half day around NYC. It never crossed my mind that we?d end up sharing the same interests and passions.

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And there we were walking around the Metropolitan Museum, first, getting lost then finding our way to Charles James? ?Beyond Fashion?, the exhibition of one of the most influential couturiers, who unfortunately lingers in shadow due to his overly eccentric and unconventional approach to fashion. Rather than a dressmaker he considered himself as an artist and his pieces as art. And though I knew that ?fact? before I stepped into the dimmed room where his gowns and other creations were exhibited, I was stunned to unveil how accurate this description actually was.

‘Poetry? that?s what Dior called his creations. Without having read much about the designer I was blown away by the lavishness of his designs, by their flawlessness. While moving from one gown to another M. and I were trying to find similarities between his designs and those of other European designers. It was like a mind game in which we wanted to figure out which designers were actually influenced by his work. And certainly Dior and Paul Poriot turned out as our most accurate guesses.

And then we suddenly ceased talking. We?d approached a green silk ball gown and noticed a petit digital animation positioned below the masterpiece. ?Is this an X-ray?? I asked with puzzlement. And, yes, it was. In front of our bewildered eyes the beautiful fabric was being cut and prepared to be transformed into a dazzling gown. Yes, we could get a sneak peek at what was taking place in artist?s mind prior to the production process and then see the production process itself. ?Brilliant?, I thought to myself.

‘Elegance is not a social distinction but a sensual distinction. The mind combines with the body to exploit its senses, its functions, its appearance.’

And while reading C’s breathtaking words written on the glass screen that were separating the gowns, we were also trying to decide which dress appealed to us the most. And there is was ? his clover leaf dress. Impeccable, evoking striking feelings of timeless elegance, of dramatic sophistication.

I no longer wondered why it took him years to finish a single gown if he’d finish it all. He was striving to attain perfection, and though almost impossible to achieve it seems that he has managed to do precisely that – to invent the formula for ‘perfection’.

Before we left the Met, we went to the rooftop of the museum to enjoy the beautiful scenery that perfectly combined the vibrancy of the Central Park’s nature and the greyness of the city’s landscape.

After our cultural Friday morning M. and I headed to ‘EJ?s Luncheonette‘ for brunch? Only when we entered the diner we both looked at each other and remarked ?Wait? is that??? ?Yes!!!!?
We somehow ended up in one of the diners where Carrie Bradshaw and her friends from ‘Sex and the City’ were often hanging out during lunch. Well, this certainly was the perfect ending to the amazing fashion/art exhibition we had previously witnessed! Yes, we’ve fed our hunger for fashion and now it was time to fed the belly!

And though it turned out that both M. and I were ‘healthy living advocates’ we decided that we should get a taste of the local cuisine as a reward for our perfect Friday morning and the fact that we had the chance to meet each other! My choice was an omelette and a tasty bellini and hers a french toast with an almond crust. I still remember how the omelette melted in my mouth! D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! No wonder why Carrie and her friends were meeting up for brunch precisely there!!!