Den of Thebes

Just a little pun perhaps. but still true enough. After all, these Egyptian wonders didn't leave their homeland of their own accord now did they?

It is important to realize upfront that there is simply no way to explore the entirety of the Louvre museum in one visit, nor three visits, nor even a whole week dedicated to the task I'd wager. A much better approach is to determine what you would like to see by choosing perhaps a single wing or department and then plan to see the rest in the same such manner upon subsequent visits. For example, the last time I traveled to Paris in 2012, I visited all of the paintings (Italian, French, etc.) in several visits. On this second visit to the city and its largest museum, I wanted to focus of the Egyptian art and the European decorative arts galleries. Even only trying to see these two areas, one day was obviously not enough, because now home and consulting a map of the building I realized somehow we missed a large portion of the decorative arts! It won't be my last visit to the museum, so I suppose that section will be first on my list next time. I get so turned around in places as vast as the Louvre, especially when loopy from jet lag. More espressos next time for sure. Still, it was amazing to see the Egyptian galleries, as I am a huge fan of ancient Egyptian aesthetics and history. 

From the huge granite statues down to the tiny fragments of jewelry, the scope of the Louve's collection of Egyptian antiquities is large. I would love to visit again and take more time and get the audio guide (we skipped it this time forgetting how little information was available in English). I find with museums sometimes one is in the mood to just admire and imagine, and other times one is in the mood to learn and invest. This visit we admired, and next time I wish to learn. The colors and textures, from painted sarcophagi to a small stone temple you could walk inside were of course beautiful and imbued with a magical quality, a strange magnetism that only centuries of time can impart.

I wore my black and brown color blocked twill suit, a silk scarf, and my favorite scarab brooch for the occasion. I like to think my love safari/adventurer styles can expand into the more polished scholar/Marion-in-DC/proud librarian zone. That's a real style right? The adventurer-at-home-to-secure-funding sorta look. One day I'll take some courses on anthropology and archaeology so I don't have to just play at looking the part ;)

I hope you enjoy these photos, it was certainly both fun and challenging to shoot in the busy galleries. As these were all shot indoors the lighting is super varied and most of my photos came out pretty grainy. The good thing about grainy photos is that when you turn them sepia they instantly look quite vintage, so at least that is a good outcome! I'll put up some of the noisy sepia ones up on Instagram soon <3

Jacket & Skirt: Made by me
Shoes: Royal Vintage Shoes
Fishnets: Amazon
Scarf: Gift
Jewelry & Clutch: Vintage