LIFESTYLE / TRAVEL

Iris Van Herpen in Grand Rapids

Nov 22, 2016 | By New Darlings

New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016

Not too long ago we packed up our sweaters and jackets and spent a four day weekend in Grand Rapids. We hadn’t been there since last fall for ArtPrize, so we were excited to visit again this time of year and see what was making the city buzz.  We found it at the Grand Rapids’ Art Museum (GRAM) with Iris van Herpen’s Transforming Fashion exhibit, which was our first stop while we were in town.

New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016

If you follow along with us on snapchat, you might have seen a bit of our museum tour, featuring Iris van Herpen’s work. It was the first fashion exhibit for the museum, which was really exciting because the pieces have such an incredible range with architectural elements.  The collections range from 2008 to 2015, made up metal gauze, faux leather, foil, cotton, and various 3-D printed materials. The museum highlighted 18 pieces from van Herpen’s most recent lines, along with some of her shoe designs, and 27 pieces from a solo exhibition she did in the Netherlands. Each piece was truly remarkable to see in person. The amount of detail that went into each look blew us away. The way she pulls inspiration from her surrounding environment and plays with soft vs hard elements really drew us in. New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016-04Urban Outfitters sweater | Yellow 108 hatNew Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016

Can you believe the piece above was made from the ribs of children’s umbrellas and industrial boat yarns?! The museum has a hands-on “touch material” section where visitors are able explore to some of the more untraditional materials she used in her work. We really loved this addition of the exhibit because we felt like kids in a candy shop while walking through each collection.  Every piece is so visually appealing, intricate, and pleasantly unusual that you can’t help but want to get up close and touch each dress, to further experience her craft. During our visit we learned that the exhibit would be making it’s way to Phoenix pretty soon. We can’t wait!

New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016 New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016Urban Outfitters shirt | Bridge and Burn jacket | ONA bagNew Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016J.Crew trenchcoat | Madewell bag | Everlane scarf | Shwood sunglassesNew Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016Urban Outfitters jacket and shirt | ASOS jeans | Nisolo boots | Timex watchNew Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016 New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016 New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016Zara coat (similar) | Free People overalls | Forever 21 turtleneck | Sézane bag (similar)
New Darlings-Grand Rapids 2016

We of course made some time to stop into some favorite coffee shops: Madcap and Rowster Coffee. We spent a few good hours at Rowster one afternoon, catching up some work and people watching out the window.  It was the perfect cozy afternoon, with leaves swirling around outside the coffeeshop, warm drinks, and a few sweet treats. We were befriended by a sweet old man who shared with us how he only uses Facebook to spred positivity, and does so by sharing pictures of burgers and Russian roses on his feed. He happily showed us a few. 😉

We were so glad we were able to grab a bite with Tieka from Selective Potential, and her husband Eric one night at Donkey Taqueria.  It was so nice meeting in person after following each other on social media for quite some time and what better way to get to know each other than over guacamole and quesadillas?! 😉 They were both so sweet and we’re always down for hanging with another married couple! We can’t wait to show them around Phoenix one of these days!

Dinner at Sovengard our last night in town was simply incredible! If you ever find yourself in Grand Rapids definitely check it out. It is such a beautiful place with as equally well-crafted food. We spent the whole dinner “oohing and ahhing” over the decor and flatware, in between declaring our love for their tempura fried squash and apple butter. So good! We caught a movie after dinner and then headed back to the hotel for a quiet evening. It was nice taking it easy for a few days, just the two of us. Now we’re back home and ready for the holidays! Well, sort of. 😉

…`till next time!

Shop the post:

6 comments on “Iris Van Herpen in Grand Rapids”

  1. I absolutely love these photos of Grand Rapids! You captured the city beautifully. And I’m really glad you checked out Sovengard… isn’t that place amazing? It was SO great to meet you. Eric and I really enjoyed our night together… and yes, a trip to Arizona is a MUST for 2017. 🙂

  2. Hi New Darlings, I was curious about which hotel you guys stayed at, because I’m hoping to plan a trip there within the next few months and know you guys got amazing taste in where you eat, to where you book previous nights stays. I’m definitely going to try all the cafes and restaurants you mentioned in this blog among others my friends have went to. I’m hoping 2 nights will be enough. I live closer to Ann Arbor, but I visit Lansing as much as possible, if you haven’t seen Michigan’s capital city yet, I highly recommend it. I’m staying at the Graduate hotel in East Lansing next weekend in fact!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

powered by chloédigital