Pikolinos Does Maasai

During a shopping jaunt with my intern the other day, we came across these great shoes in Nordstrom by the brand Pikolinos. The shoes are made in Spain but then sent to Kenya where they are handbeaded by people of the Maasai tribe. The result is gorgeous, boho chic shoes that are insanely comfortable. I had never heard of the line before and thought it was new but the salesperson informed me they've had them for a while just never with the beading. Lo and behold, when I researched it a little, I discovered that Olivia Palermo is the brand ambassador for the Maasai Project and that this is the fourth collection. The Project enables women of the Maasai community to earn a salary that gives them greater access to food, medicine, and education while enabling them to hold on to a traditional way of life. Cool project, cool shoes.

Sometimes It Takes a BIG Message to Get the Point Across- Barbara Kruger at The Hirshorn

Barbara Kruger, Belief + Doubt Exhibit, The Hirshorn Museum

If I haven't mentioned it, I have the loveliest, smartest, sweetest intern working with me from T.C. Williams. Patience is a senior and graduates soon, after which she'll head to VCU for a major in fashion. I've been lucky to have her here even if for such a short time.

Besides the obvious work that I do regularly (closet consultations, photo shoots, personal shopping, and blogging) I wanted to make sure that I expressed to Patience other types of things I do in an effort to find inspiration and to make myself more knowledgeable. So today we headed into DC to check out a new exhibit at the National Archives called The Documerica Photography Project- Searching for the Seventies. It was fascinating and I can't wait to tell you more about it later. But we also popped into the Hirshorn (my fave) and came across an exhibit I hadn't been expecting and didn't know was there.(That's why you should always make a stop in the restroom because you never know what you'll find on the lower level of the museum.)

Barbara Kruger, a 60-something artist based in New York, transformed the area into a room full of messages, some funny, some powerful, some provocative but all a thought-inducing. She's well known for "I Shop Therefore I Am"- which you might think is my favorite, but isn't. I do, however, have a few. Topping the list- "Belief + Doubt = Sanity." I'm also a big fan of "Whose Power? Whose Values?" and, finally, as you make your way down the escalator, "Don't Look Down on Anyone."

Really, though, there's something for everyone. It might make you a little uncomfortable with all those giant letters in black, white, and red surrounding you and getting in your face. But a little uncomfortable is what keeps life interesting, right?