Has spring finally sprung? We have been waiting for weekends filled with fresh air and light layers to no avail. Spring has alluded NYC, that is, until now. With high hopes we have an outdoorsy weekend planned.

The suns out, temperatures rising, air smells fresher. Maybe it’s a sign that springs finally here? The new weather is bringing a bright and warming vibe to the NYC. It’s amazing what this weather can do to your spirit! It’s making us want to head to the places that remind us of spring and keep us in our new good mood.

What are you up to this weekend? We're looking forward to seeing the new Matisse show - In search of True Painting - at the Met.

This show is a bit different than a normal artist retrospective. The curator placed several variations of Matisse's paintings side by side, so that we - the viewers - can examine the detailed differences ourselves.

Matisse was obsessive about reworking his paintings - he often revised them again and again.

He tested different techniques like painting dark colors over bright ones to create a soft underglow, or playing with varying styles of brushstrokes to produce interesting textures.

About his meticulous nature, Matisse said he wanted to "push further and deeper into true painting."

We love that for Matisse, the process of creation was just as important as the finished canvas.

We're looking forward to letting our eyes linger over each piece and trying to spy all the intricate variations and tonal nuances in his work!

Images via The New York Times and Vogue.

We must admit, we adore the opulence and glamour of the couture shows in Paris - the extreme attention to detail, layers upon layers of tulle, masterful craftsmanship and inspiring new proportions - it's one of our favorite spectacles. Luckily for those of us remaining state-side during the presentations in Paris this week, Parsons (our founder Christiane's alma mater) is helping to keep our fashion-obsessed hearts satisfied with a beautiful new exhibition - Sophie Gimbel: Fashioning American Couture.

We can't wait to examine Sophie's elaborate tucks and pleats, impeccable embroidery and whimsical embellishments up close. This ultra attention to quality and construction is so important to remember in a time when so much focus is on instant-gratification of fashion.

In 1929, Sophie took over as the director of Saks' Salon Moderne, an exclusive haute couture boutique inside the department store that introduced brands like Balenciaga, Vionnet, and Schiaparelli to the states.

In the 1940s, Sophie began selling her own couture designs in the salon. She became known for her ultra-feminine clothing with giant skirts, lots of tulle and a romantic silhouette.

Sophie helped dress many notable women including Marlene Dietrich, Rose Kennedy, and Lady Bird Johnson. In addition she coordinated and organized one of the first showings of American fashion in the 1940s, which morphed into our modern-day Fashion Week.

An intimate fashion show in the Saks Salon.

“Gimbel was an outspoken champion of American fashion,” said Beth Dincuff Charleston, who also curates the Parsons Fashion Archives, which houses the school’s collection of Gimbel garments as well as nearly 10,000 other works that represent a range of styles, time periods and countries.

She helped to popularized many wardrobe staples like bolero jackets, culottes, beaded sweaters paired with ball gowns, and sari dresses.

Sophie helped to lead the American Couture movement during her tenure at the Salon Moderne from the 1930s until its closing in 1969.

A wedding dress created for Saks Fifth Avenue by Sophie that was featured in Vogue.

The exhibition features several garments from the Parsons Fashion Archive that were laboriously crafted by highly skilled artisans who worked in the Salon Moderne workroom

These dresses, gowns and suits showcase Sophie's love of employing delicate techniques like cutting, patternmaking, draping, construction and fitting as well as her use of luxury fabrics and rich color palettes.

We can't wait to check out this stunning show. What are you doing this weekend? We would LOVE to know!

(Images via The Unsewn, Lolly Koon, Parsons and Google.)

We wish we could jet set to London this weekend to see Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde's stunning cloud portraits (dubbed the Nimbus series) at the Ronchini Gallery.

Berndnaut creates these breathing images by injecting a delicate balance of smoke and moisture into a meticulously backlit room.

The final product is a set of surreal photographs - clouds floating indoors. The images feel so magical, don't you think?

What are your weekend plans? We would LOVE to know!

Images via This is Colossal.

This weekend we suggest heading uptown to see the beautiful Fortuny exhibit at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute.

The show is devoted to the Venetian textile maven Mariano Fortuny.

Fortuny was born in Grenada, Spain in 1871, but travelled widly with his family—North Africa, Paris, Rome—collecting artifacts, decorative obects and a wealth of inspiration along the way.

This wordly taste and wide-ranging interest is immediately present throughout the show. His textiles are composed of Persian motifs, while his groundbreaking fashions reflect his passion for all things Asian.

Among his most famous designs was the stunningly simple, yet groundbreaking Delphos dress (named for the Greek oracle Delphi). The dress is composed of intricately knife-pleated silk and produced in a pantheon of color-ways.

His sheaths were among the first to showcase the female form in a loose, body-skimming silhouette—free from cumbersome corsets.

His iconic designs were adopted by modern artists of the time like dancer Isadora Duncan and her daughters. The model Tina Chow became a fervent supporter in later years.

This exhibition also highlights Fortuny's multi-layered career. He was a celebrated photographer, painter, printmaker and textile designer.

In fact his famous his textured wallpaper is still in production today.

Fortuny's groundbreaking designs are thoughtful and timeless. We love art that has the ability to transcend history and become apart of the cultural dialogue on society.

Fortuny y Madrazo: An Artistic Legacy runs through March 30, 2013.

What are your weekend plans? We would love to know!

We're excited to venture over to the Museum of the City of New York to see the new exhibit, The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett. This little known design duo produced some of the most modern and wild fabrics and textiles throughout their career which spanned from the late 1940s till the mid-90s.

(Image via New York Times.)

You're probably familiar with their iconic chrysanthemums print, which resembles whimsically explosive fireworks. Many of their prints were also made into decorative pillows.

Some of the decorator masters of the 50s and 60s like Billy Baldwin and Albert Hadley adored upholstering furniture and designing custom drapes with the Tillett's artful and bright fabrics.

(Image via New York Times.)

This is Jackie Kennedy's bedroom when she was first lady. Her room featured a Tillet print on the curtains.

(Images via Femme et Fleur.)

Jackie also loved to wear the Tillett's garments. Several of their most painterly clothes are on view at the exhibit.

We adore Leslie and D.D. Tillett... So what are your plans this weekend? We would love to know!

We're gearing up for a full weekend of events at our Wooster Street home! On Saturday from 11am to 4pm at 72 Wooster Street (that's right across from our flagship!) we're hosting an amazing Urban Tag Sale with our favorite editors and stylemakers. Next up on Sunday from noon to 3pm we're co-hosting a Bake Sale with Joanna of A Cup of Jo to help support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. And to top it all off we're having our annual Warehouse Sale on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm at 72 Wooster. It's going to be like a Wooster Street block party!

Please stop by and say hi, browse vintage wares, snack on treats for #SandyAid and scout awesome discounts on our favorite products. See you this weekend!

Daring, vivacious and chic... We adore Diana Vreeland and can't wait to check out the new documentary The Eye Has to Travel, which explores her stylish life and fascinating career.

A true icon, this mistress of fashion didn't begin her career until she was in her late 30s. She began her foray into the magazine world by writing a humorous column for Harper's Bazaar; she then moved on to take the helm at Vogue. Where it didn't take long for her to transform the magazine's editorials into aspirational look books of edgy glamour. She even re-invented herself post-Vogue by revolunitazing the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This film is sure to be filled with provokative and dazzling anectodtes about Vreeland's life à la mode. We can't wait! What are you doing this weekend? We would love to know!

Every summer die-hard fashionistias and art history lovers make the uptown sojourn to view the Met's Costume Institute exhibition—and here at DwellStudio we were first in line on opening day! This year's show—Impossible Conversations—brings together two iconic Italian designers: Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli. Though seemingly different, these women used their design prowess to exploit the norms of fashion.