The Distracted Wanderer

When Lynda Rose Hartigan, Deputy Director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, delivered a few words during a recent preview of the museum's newest exhibition it was like she had been in my head poking around. "Truly still among the largest moving structures ever built, ocean liners allow people to dream and aspire to a cosmopolitan lifestyle they might not otherwise experience on land."  Whoa. The woman had been reading my mind! For years I've fantasized about the ultimate dream vacation that would start with me being welcomed aboard an enormous ocean liner (note that I said 'ocean liner' and not 'cruise ship') preparatory to experiencing a leisurely sail across the Atlantic watching the waves go by from a well-placed deck chair, enjoying leisurely Afternoon Teas in a classy and comfortable lounge, and dressing up for dinners served in an elegant dining room filled with lots of other nattily dressed strangers. I would spend ti...

Note :  This exhibit ended  March 6, 2016 About a month ago (it takes me way too long to get things written these days!) I had the pleasure of attending a press preview for a new exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum entitled Native Fashion Now which opened to the public on November 21st and runs through March 6, 2016.  Spanning the last 65 years and featuring over 100 works by Native fashion designers and artists, the exhibit runs the gamut from street clothes to exquisite haute coutre in the form of clothing, accessories, and footwear designed and created by pioneering style-makers to contemporary up-and-coming mavericks who are making their own marks in today's world of fashion. Even though I have been to several press previews at the PEM and they've all been awesome, I knew that this particular preview was really going to be awesome when it was opened by 6-time World Champion Hoop Dancer Nakota LaRance who put on a short performance for those of us in attendanc...