Day One:
Arriving in Milan on July 1st, 2008 was the start of a dream come true. It's one of the three fashion capitals of the world and it felt unreal. Was I really in Europe?
We settled in and explored about town, near our hotel. We ran into a couple of showrooms and fabric shops. Having just missed fashion week, we were a bit disappointed, but soon enough we would learn to appreciate all that surrounded us. We visited the Duomo(bottom) and also saw the Cathedral in Milan(top). One highlight to this area of Milan is that it holds the store The Rinascente. It's a multilevel department style store with restaurants on the last floor. Not only does it provide an amazing view of the Cathedral. This is also the place where Armani himself began his career.
Day Two:
Our second day in Milan consisted of taking a tour and learning about the history of Milan and more on the Cathedral. We also took a day trip to Como, which was about an hour away. Now interesting fact about Como, George Clooney owns a home here. Though alas we did not run into him...
Instead we spent the day exploring and in the afternoon we visited a textile factory(bottom picture). This particular company creates the prints for companies such as Burberry and Coach. It was a thrilling experience due to the fact that they had just finished the fabrics for the Spring 2009 collections. They deal mainly in womens' scarves as well as mens' ties. We also saw that they were working on the fabrics for Fall of 2009, and the new collections for this fall had just come out. It's amazing how in advance these companies, and all of the fashion industry works.
Day Three:
One of the most life changing experiences occurred on this day. I can't believe I was lucky enough to be one of the 15 students from my trip who was going to spend the day at the Armani company in Milan. Amy, their head of international press, showed us around the company, but not before drinking on some cappuccinos. We were lucky enough to meet the buyer for Emporio Armani Mens for Europe and the United States. Her talk on what she does in the company and how fun buying can actually be, calmed my fear that buying may not be something I want to do. After meeting her, I think I wouldn't mind doing this if I had to. Because in reality, the buyer creates the story for the store because they choose the merchandise that is presented. I thought that this was an interesting point of view on buying and I am glad I was able to meet someone as fun spirited as her.
Then Amy showed us around the International Press office, where we were able to see some of the garments from the recent fashion show for this Fall of 2008. A lot of major magazines had already claimed which pieces they wanted to include in their next issue. Then she spoke to us about what she does in the company, all the while seated in the place where the fashion show had just been held 3 days ago. The catwalk and the backdrop was still up and it was amazing because it all felt so surreal. We then got to tour the backstage, where the models get dressed and ready to shine.
Actually, we were lucky enough to be able to meet one of Armani's models who was there to shoot for the new lookbook. She was really nice and soooo pretty(and she wasn't even dolled up!). My teacher Mr. Mac really had fun taking a picture with her. What can I say, he was a lucky man.
COUTURE!! We were lucky enough to be able to visit the workroom where the couture gowns are made. We saw pictures on the walls from the recent MET red carpet event, where Tom Cruise was one of the celebrities who wore his name. But what was exciting about this was that we were seeing a dress made for Sofia Loren!! I wish one of those dresses would have been custom made for me...BEAUTIFUL!!!
After our tour of the Armani offices we headed over to one of the most intriguing parts of the Armani company. In Milan, he actually owns a whole building that is filled with everything Armani: bookstore, nightclub, clothing stores, and the Armani Cafe(where we were treated to lunch). It was a full 3 course meal, with a free gift included, the womens' Armani Code perfume for each one of the 15 girls. It was great! We were also able to chat more with Amy and find out what it was really like to live in Milan as well as what it takes to do her job in working with Armani himself.
All in all, a life changing experience.
Day Four:
Waking early to take the train to Paris. Lucky enough to see Alps on the way, but mostly sleeping. It was Ciao Milano and Bonjour Paris!!
That following weekend we visited Versailles. I was able to climb to the top of the tower and view all of Paris as well as visiting Notre Dame. Souvenirs were bought and pictures taken. It was a relaxing weekend in the city of love.
Yves Saint Laurent archive. This was an experience. The man himself had just passed away so it was an honor but also an unreal experience to be able to view an archive of all of his garments, since the beginning of his career. We toured how they maintained the garments as well as how they acquired them in order to continue the historic collection. The people in this office worked with the man himself so it was definitely a different experience.
Meeting the head creative designers for Swarovski headquarters in Paris was also an eye opening experience. They chatted with us about coming up with themes for new seasons. One of the most important things learned is that crystals are not just used for jewelry nowadays. They deal with designers(garments, furniture, perfume bottles, etc). Their influence is spread very far and it was delightful to be so near things that are worth more than I can possibly think of.
Overall, Paris is such a beautiful city. It is so historical and it looks the same that it probably did many many years ago. It is clear to see why it is a fashion capital. A Parisian woman just knows how to dress, from the day she is born. It was something great to see how beautiful the city was, the clothing, the people.
Day Three:
