Last Week in Milan

This week was Men's Fashion Week in Milan.  We started off the week with presentations at a few accessories companies. We attended Alberto Guardiani's collection presentation. His outlook on shoes is more similar to art than it is to fashion. The heels of his women's line are shaped like lipstick and butterflies. This amazed me because it is a truly original take on a classic shoe. This creativity is impressive to me as a fashion major. I believe all fashion should be more similar to artwork and create a sense of awe for the person viewing it.

Alberto Guardiani Men's Collection

Alberto Guardiani's famous lipstick heels

Me with the shoes!

We also attended Fratelli Rosetti's collection presentation. This brand was all about leather loafers. They were all made in Italy but they utilized a form of weaving to create the design for the shoe. This is a new and innovative design technique which greatly impressed me. I was also amazed to find out that Sunday was their first day launching their Twitter and Instagram accounts. Social media is such an integral part of our lives that I never realized not every company has accounts on all platforms.  It is interesting to see that their priorities are their product rather than the newest social media platform.

Fratelli Rossetti woven loafers are new for Fall 2013

Fratelli Rosseti Men's Collection

After a long day of appointments, we were treated to a Luini from a bakery in Milan.  It is probably the greatest thing I've ever tasted.  I reccommend it to anyone who visits Italy and its under 3 euro for one! It's basically fried dough with stuff inside.  Mine had tomato and mozzarella but they also have ones with ham and pepperoni.

Enjoying our lunch!

The following day, we attended 3 fashion shows as a group: Missoni, DAKS, and Ji wenbo. My favorite was DAKS.  I got to go backstage before the show where all of the male models were ready and waiting to go on! The show was held in a building with large arches and amazing architecture. The show began with 4 violinists playing in unison in the middle of the room. Then the show began and the stereo music kicked in. It was an amazing and creative way to begin the show. I enjoyed the combination of the music and the feeling of the clothing. The clothing was more preppy but the quality of the garments could be seen even from the back row. I enjoyed their attention to detail as well as the feeling of the fashion show. It was my favorite of the week because it did not feel like a typical runway show. 

Jen, Lauren, and I at the Missoni show!

DAKS show

Ji wenbo show

Later on in the week I was invited, with one other girl, to attend the launch of a line of shoes from Superga which The Blonde Salad, Chiara Ferragni, created. After seeing her at the Missoni show, I was incredibly excited to get to meet her again! The event was hosted on the top floor of a department store in the Duomo area of Milan. After this event we attended a boutique opening at Thierry Mugler.  It was awe inspiring.  The displays, product, and even the food was more than I could have anticipated.  My favorite part was the armor-like dress displayed in a birdcage in the one portion of the store.  The feathers were all hand stitched onto the dress.  It's not something you would see one a daily basis.  This is one of the things I love about Italy.  They have great attention to detail and it shows.

Alexa and I meeting Chiara Ferragni after Missoni

Jen and I at the Thierry Mugler boutique opening

Jen and I admiring the dress

Can you tell we're in love with this store?

On Thursday we visited White Sposa which is a bridal magazine based in Milan.  They are a small magazine which publishes 3 issues per year.  However, they are not a typical magazine because they focus on making it more like a book and less like a magazine.  They choose a theme for every issue and everything in the magazine centers around that theme.  This was probably my favorite visit of the entire trip.  I would LOVE to work in bridal especially for a bridal magazine or an event planning firm.  Through visiting the magazine, it solidified my desire to do this.  I also learned that  bridal is a difficult industry because you do not have consistent clients.  The clients come and go but the way in which White Sposa creates their magazine would make anyone want to buy it rather than just brides.

Swag from our visit to White Sposa: a magazine and a tshirt!

This week we were also challenged to look at the many window displays in Milan at night.  These displays are gorgeous to begin with but they take on a whole new look at night.  My favorite was the Burberry kisses window display.  The display had holographic kisses which moved as you walked past them.  If this wasn't eyecatching enough, the clothing on display in the windows was also breathtaking.  The combination of these two components is what made this my favorite window.

Burberry Kisses: Via Montenapoleone

By this time next week i'll be back in America relaxing! I can't believe how fast this month has gone!

Art vs. Fashion #4: Handbags

Historic: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milan IT, 1877

Modern: Vertical Forest, Milan, IT 2013

Chanel, Fall/Winter 2013. Style.com

In this art. vs. fashion assignment we are comparing handbags to modern and historic architecture.  For my historic building, I chose the dome portion of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  The dome is a rounded portion in the middle of the Galleria.  This shape is mirrored in the globe shape of the Chanel bag.  The Chanel bag also includes panels of glass similar to that of the modern building featured above.  The modern building is the veritcal forest of Milan.  It consists of panels of glass in addition to the introduction of trees into Milan in a new and creative way.  The veritcal forest also includes harsh angles in the way the concrete balconies are structured.  These harsh angles can be seen in the connections between 2 or more panels on the Chanel bag.  The feeling of the bag is contemporary and modern with a classic sense to it.  This is reflected in the inspiration from the buildings.  The dome of the Galleria is a classic form of architecture but the vertical forest is a contemporary and modern take on a new way plant trees in an urban setting.

Resources:
"Accessories Index." Style.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 June 2013. 
"Galleria Vittorio Emanuele." Great Buildings. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2013. 
"Green Architecture Takes Big Leap With Milan’s “Vertical Forest”." Architizer Blog. N.p., 10 Jan. 2013.
     Web. 27 June 2013.
"The Vintage Standard." Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Vintage Standard, n.d. Web. 27 June 2013.

Firenze Card Museums

Pitti Palace - Tuesday

Uffizi - Tuesday

Palazzo Vecchio - Tuesday

Galleria Della Accademia - Wednesday

Art vs. Fashion #3: Florence

Each piece of jewelry is unique and has its own creative inspiration behind it.  In addition, history often repeats itself in fashion.  The brooch on the bottom is comparable to the street decoration on the top. . The street decoration is a fastener to hold a pipe to the side of the building. The fastener was found on via Tripoli in Florence, Italy. The fastener is a curled design which is symmetrical on either side. The brooch mimics this curled design with gems sprinkled throughout. In addition, the sharp part that pokes out from the pipe is comaparable to the pin portion of the brooch.  Therefore, it can be inferred that the brooch is inspired by the street decoration. The fastener is a historical artifact and defends the fact that history repeats itself through fashion.

Resources:
"Fall 2013." Style.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 June 2013.

A Week in Florence

Monday morning we left for Florence as a group.  I spent the entirety of the bus ride engrossed in a book I was reading on my iPad.  It was amazing to finally have time to read! I wish I could say it was something incredibly cultural and worldly but it wasn’t. Sorry! 

On the way to Florence, we stopped in Prato where we visited G2 Textiles and were given a tour of their factory.  Prato has been the center of the textiles industry since the 12^th century because of their specialization in wool.  The textiles company produces textiles every season for around 100 designers.  Only 20 of these designers actually incorporate the textiles into their collections though.  The textiles must be produced 3-4 months before the collection so that the designers will have the fabrics they want.  This means that the textiles industry is about 6 months ahead of the fashion industry trend-wise.  This interested me because I am incredibly interested in forecasting.  To think that the textiles industry has to forecast a whole season ahead is crazy. I don’t even know what I’m going to wear tomorrow let alone 6 months from now! 

Racks of textile samples at G2

While in Florence we attended Pitti.  Pitti is a week-long fashion fair where companies can set up booths and get exposure in the fashion world.  It’s important to me as a fashion merchandising major because it is important that I know the newest trends and network with industry professionals.  Bloggers, buyers, and other fashion-minded people attend the show.  Observing the street style in Florence during Pitti was amazing.  Everyone in Florence, and everywhere in Italy, has their own unique style which they project in their fashion.  While observing the fashion I realized that it isn’t the clothes you buy that matters but how you put them together and you’re attitude.  It takes a confident person to pull off bold fashions and the confidence is what makes the outfit stylish, not necessarily the clothing itself.  Accessories completed their looks and pulled everything together.  Even just to run errands or grab espresso, they always look their best.   I enjoyed seeing how Italians wear their clothing and was inspired to put more of an effort into how I dress myself.  I'm guilty of running out of the house in yoga pants just to go to the grocery store, but viewing Italian street style showed me that that is not the image I want to portray to society.  I want people to view me as fashion forward and unique not like I just came from the gym.

My Pitti look! More creative than usual thanks to Carly.

In addition to the fashion, the historical aspects of the city were by far my favorite.  To think that some of the greatest artists, scientists, and designers walked the same streets that I was walking down is amazing to me. I can't even put into words how overwhelming it is to know that most of the great designers, artists, and "celebrities" I admire from past and present have been in the same places as I had the opportunity to visit in the past week.  I enjoyed visiting the museums, especially the Gucci and Ferragamo museum because, let’s face it, I’m a fashion-lover above all else.  This history of Italian fashion was one of the things I was very interested in learning about on this trip and my expectations were more than met.

Outside of the Salvatore Ferragamo museum

My Firenze card which got me into all of the museums for free!

The Boboli Garden's at Palazzo Pitti

I'm also in love with the stories behind certain sculptures and artwork in both Milan and Florenze. The traditions surrounding these artifacts in my favorite part of historical places.  In Milan there is a mosaic of a bull in the floor of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.  It is said that if you spin on the bull it will bring you luck so naturally I had to see for myself! There was another artifact like this in Florence.  There was a statue of a boar which if you rub its nose while you drop a coin from its mouth your wish will come true.  I didn't really understand the concept but I enjoyed it none the less!

The bull and the boar

The sheep is the symbol ofthe wool guild in Florence which is incredibly important to our industry as fashion majors.  We were on a scavenger hunt to find it while we were there! It was the perfect excuse to explore the city!

Charlotte girls with the sheep

Only 1 more week until I'm back in America! Making the most out of this amazing opportunity while I can!

Sunset in Florence

Art Vs. Fashion #2: Renaissance

Athene and the Centaur, Botticelli, 1482

Collette Dinnagan, Fall/Winter 2013, Stylesight

The painting, Athene and the Centaur by Botticelli, shows women's power in a feminine way.  The innocence and softness in Athena's facial expression can be compared to the softness in the design of the Collette Dinnagan dress.  The trim is soft and rounded and there are no harsh edges to the dress.  The sheerness of Athena's dress demonstrates the beauty of her femininity but the weapon in her hand still demonstrates her power as a warrior.  The sheerness is mimicked in the dress designed by Collette Dinnagan but is still modestly designed with a high neckline and short sleeves.  This shows modesty but still portrays the beauty of the feminine form.

Resources:
Botticelli. "Athene and the Centuary." Italian Renaissance Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 June 2013.

Fashion Library and Craft Love

So far we’ve been in Italy for a little over a week and it the time is already FLYING past! I can’t believe we only have a little over 2 weeks left in Italy!

Monday morning I woke up crazy early in order to look extra put together for our visit with Veneto Banca.  After trying on a multitude of outfits I finally settled on a pencil skirt/blazer combo that looked professional enough.  3 cups of cappuccino later, we arrived in the presentation room and viewed a PowerPoint presentation and had a Q&A session to help us with our final project which is centered around the bank.  It was incredibly informative and helpful.

Our second visit of the week was spent in the Bibliotecca Della Moda this week (Fashion Library) and it is basically heaven on Earth for a fashion major!  It mixes my two loves, fashion and books, together into one building.  They have every issue of Vogue from every country.  It’s amazing! Picture this: wall to wall, floor to ceiling, shelves upon shelves, of fashion magazines and books. The bridal magazines were my favorite since I would love to work in bridal one day.  They had English issues as well as Italian dating back over 20 years.  The free Red Bull provided by the library definitely helped as well. In my opinion, we need one of these in America.  Could you imagine how much easier research would be with everything in one place? Someone should get on that. Plus, the amount of fashion books here is astonishing.  Even= in bookstores there’s TONS in comparison to the bookstores in America.  It’s wonderful.

I have a love for crafts and making my own versions of certain items.  It’s cheaper and you can make it more unique and personalized.  I’ve never created my own jewelry though.  When we visited Happy Bead, an independently own bead shop, I realized just how much detail and work goes into making jewelry.  The owner of Happy Bead, Angelica Montingelli, opened her own store after traveling to buy her own beads.  She had rows upon rows of beads and tools lining the walls of the store but my favorite part was the handmade jewelry in the middle display case.  It completely made up for the heat in the tiny shop.  Plus, I finally found my mom a birthday present! (and of course something for myself!)

Source

The most memorable moment of the week, however, was the Secoli fashion show.  It was the first fashion show we’ve attended since being here and the clothes were so inventive and unique.  There were tulle skirts, dresses made of cork, and bright colored, tailored suiting pieces.  The creativity involved in the outfits was amazing to me. The fact that most of the designers were our age or younger was crazy!

Between the bead shop and the fashion show, I got a lot of inspiration for my future career in opening my own boutique.  I realized that uncommon materials can still make amazing pieces and that it isn’t as hard and unbearable as it seems to open your own business.  From the street style I’ve witnessed I’ve started to create a more unique style for myself rather than the typical things I wear all the time.

Now off to explore Italy on my day off! ( which basically means I’m about to do a ton of shopping!)

Sponsored by Veneto Banca and Pink & Chic Communications.