I went and saw Vivienne Westwood's exhibit and all I got was an overheating car.

So. This past Saturday I grabbed the family, filled them up with naan and curry and we went to the big bad city to catch the Vivienne Westwood exhibit at San Francisco's DeYoung Museum. It is a limited time offering, and I was dying to go. The family looked a little bedraggled, but we went anyway (I don't think they understood that you should look fashionable to see a fashion exhibit. Sometimes I wonder how we became family in the first place). I was hoping to be able to show my daughter the beauty of fashion, and to get her to lay off the light washed jeans for a while. Not sure if that worked, but I know she had a good time.

The bad news is that I wasn't able to take pictures inside the exhibit. I wanted to take pictures to post on here, preferably ones with me in them because I want to redeem myself from the deformed face/Long John's hat pic a few posts back. But they wouldn't let me, so you'll just have to rely on my own personal takeaways from the exhibit. Overall, it was a lot of fun, very informative, and the clothes were breathtaking. I actually got more from it than an overheating car, but that was definitely part of my day. More about that later.

Here are my takeaways from the exhibit. Although Westwood's designs are unattainable by most of us, the ideas that guide these designs are viable and can enhance anyone's wardrobe.

1. Fashion should be fun.
Many of Westwood's early collections contained cheeky items meant to draw attention to not only the wearer, but also societal ironies at large. While I wouldn't recommend donning your own nude breeches with a fig leaf sewn over the crotch to work (this was an item included in the exhibit, and also something Westwood herself wore to run errands and such), I would recommend having fun with your look. One thing that I own that always makes me feel a bit cheeky and ironic is a pair of red and pink high heels. These heels are designed to look like men's wingtips, but the colors and heel make them decidedly feminine. I like pairing them with a suit or with cropped trousers and a sweater vest for a look that bends gender in a cheeky kind of way. Another thing to try is to play with a certain look that you're curious about by mixing them with some of your everyday pieces. For example, I love retro slutty looking clothes--tight pencil skirts, fishnet hose, corsets, all of those kind of things. While I wouldn't go full on slut for work, a denim pencil skirt and knee high boots approaches this look without going overboard.

2. Mix trends with tradition for a look that is always of the moment.
This is one thing Westwood is known for, but I had no idea how historical her pieces were until I went to the exhibit. Even the afforementioned nude breeches were drawn from an 18th century trend in men's wear (seriously...). If you want to do one of the metallics that are so hot right now, do it on a classic ballet flat or a chic clutch with a standard black dress.

3. You. Must. Wear. Heels.
Shut up about your feet hurting. Seriously. Sack up ladies. Westwood loves heels (and we're talking MEGA HEELS) because it puts a woman "on a pedestal." Doesn't that make you want to strap on a pair? If it doesn't, I don't care, put them on anyway. Nothing makes you look slimmer, more put together, and happier than a dyno-mite pair of heels. And if they fit you right, you shouldn't feel any pain.

4. You don't have to have a standard "personal style" for eva and eva.
Although one could argue that Westwood's overarching theme is a combination of tradition and trend, the way she interpreted this theme has evolved a lot since she began designing. Just because you like mod now doesn't mean that you will be wearing a black and white mini dress when you're 60. Go with what you like, and if it evolves over time, then that's fine. Even if you consider yourself to be a classic style, allow yourself to experiment outside of your comfort zone.

5. Never underestimate the beauty of a well-tailored, perfect suit.
I think this was the thing that surprised me the most--I always thought of Westwood as a kind of punk goddess, so I never imagined that so many of her designs would be suits. However, the exhibit showcased a bunch of her suits, all together. They were gorgeous, and each unique in their own way. If I could have taken it all home, I would have gladly forsaken the gorgeous ballgowns just for one suit. Those things were a work of art all by themselves.

So on the way home from seeing this, our car overheated. That was not fun. Thus, now, whenever I think of Vivienne Westwood, I'm going to think of my husband, dancing in the steam at the front of the car, and playing mechanic. So it's probably a good thing that I can't afford Vivienne Westwood. At least that's what I'm going to remind myself of whenever I think of those suits.