Last month, we took a day trip to Richmond. I wanted to see the Christian Soriano fashion exhibit. For those of you who follow those things, Soriano was on the tv show, Project Runway, over 10 years ago. Since then, his rise to fashion fame has been meteoric!
The exhibit was entitled Undeniable, The Designs of Christian Soriano and Ashley Longshore. Ashley’s pop art, lent itself beautifully to Christian’s fashion designs.
The magnificent mansion hosting the exhibit is now The Branch Museum of Design, along the amazing Monument Ave. There was not an ugly house to be found on either side of the treed center island of the avenue. When you first enter Monument Ave, you are greeted by the iconic statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe. Each home is more breathtaking than the last.
My grandson was with me, since we were combining this trip with a visit to his favorite Richmond Museum. He loves history and old buildings, and this one did not disappoint!
The exhibit contained gorgeous outfits designed by Soriano for the likes of Oprah, Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Halle Berry, Whoopi, Billy Porter- to name a few. A 10 year old boy, was not really interested, because he didn’t know who most of the celebrities were. Although, he was truly impressed by Halle Berry’s beautiful dress.
Mainly though, he loved the old building, the architecture, and the history.
Designed by architect John Russell Pope in 1916, the building is a massive and imposing Tudor-Revival design. With 11 levels (not all open to the public), it is 27,000 square feet. The building was completed in 1919 for financier John Kerr Branch, whose portrait presides in one of the great rooms. According to the museum’s website, this building is the only Monument Ave building “listed on the National Register of Historic Places and awarded landmark status by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Richmond.”
The building has quite a storied history, leading up to its present incarnation 10 years ago as The Branch Museum of Design. To read more of its history, visit www.thebranchmuseum.org, or better still – plan a visit!
We finished off the field trip at the Science Museum of Virginia- The Power of Poison Exhibit. This was the “real” reason for coming, according to Callen! We have been here multiple times. It’s a great museum for kids and adults alike. There are so many hands-on exhibits, live shows, and of course, a great gift shop and the glass elevators. The large pendulum in the foyer is also an amazing attraction. www.smv.org
