The Main Line was lucky to have The Barnes, and it is rather unfortunate that it does not still. But Philadelphia is even luckier to have it; and many would argue that it should not have it. I’ll put my views aside for now and say that how it is not is how it is going to be, at least as far ahead as any of us can see. And Philadelphia, as a city, is better off for it. Some would argue that the art loving world is also better off for it.
But one fact is un-debatable, that the collection at The Barnes Foundation is one of the finest art collections in the world.
Two of the benefits of the new Barnes is that it is located in Philadelphia (in the shadow of its historical rival The Philadelphia Museum of Art, nonetheless) which makes it much more accessible to a larger number of people and that it has a rather large foyer and outdoor space. Both of which are ideal to host cocktail parties and other events. But anyway, the primary purpose of this blog is not to romanticize about what is/isn’t and should/should be in the art world. Its primary purpose is to do that for the world of men’s style.
Last Friday Mole Street put on a great event at The Barnes, ‘Young Professionals Event: Picasso’s Rose Period.’ Although I could not find anything that dictated a dress code I assumed it was some form of ‘cocktail attire,’ which seemed to be what most of the other party goers assumed as well (for the record, to me, cocktail attire means some form of jacket should be worn). As with any themed or period specific event I attend I debate whether to dress to the theme or not. I eventually decided on the former and took an alternative take on the classic navy blazer with gray pants uniform.
During the day it is still too warm to wear flannel here in Philadelphia, however, at night the temperature is just right, getting down to the low 50s. So I thought it prudent to break out the double breasted navy windowpane flannel (part of a suit) for the first time this season. I paired it with gray trousers from a flannel suit I recently received from Dragon Inside (review coming soon, but as a preview DI has gotten better since my original review). The pink wool knit tie is set atop a blue herringbone shirt. Between the flannel and wool tie, this ensemble is firmly rooted in the fall and winter seasons. It also takes a healthy mix of more formal (double breasted jacket) and less formal (loafers, knit tie and herringbone) items to keep the ensemble interesting and adequately suitable for that sometime confusing ‘cocktail attire.’
Like the look but it is a bit top heavy. Need to balance the DB jacket with cuffed pants
I’m uncertain what bothers me more about this posting, the pretentiousness or the poor grammar.