Milano: City of Love and Pasta

After experiencing the culture, the art, and the food of Milan this is my new map of Milan!

Mappa di Milano

The Last Supper

If I could sum this program up in one word, it would be overwhelming! It means a great deal to me to have been selected for this trip and I would like to thank everyone that helped me along the way. And I would especially like to thank Dr. Melanie St. Jean and Professor Rea Caloura, along with Maria Arona, who has made this program a lifetime experience and an enormous step in my life!

Yesterday we attended the Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci at the Santa Maria della Grazie. Da Vinci painted the Last Supper in the 15th for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este and it represents the scene of The Last Supper from the final days of Jesus as narrated in the Gospel of John 13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his Twelve Apostles would betray him. At first standing in front of the painting was unbelievable, I was at a loss for words, and still at a loss of words. It’s definitely a bucket list item.

After attending the Last Supper, later in the evening we had our “Last Supper” as a group! The night was full of fun and laughter. We celebrated our time here and enjoyed each other’s company. And to finish the night we headed out for a night on the town in Milano one last time, or at least until next time! I can definitely see Milano in my future……

Prêt-a-Porter- Italian Concepts on Ready to Wear

Ciao everyone! Well guys my days here in Italy are coming to a close and it’s really depressing....but I’ll be glad to get back home to AC, perfect internet, and work! But today we were invited to a seminar at the Istituto Secoli: Fashion School. The seminar was presented by Francesco Secoli, President of Istituto Secoli, on Italian prêt-a-porter or as some of you may know it as ready-to-wear. President Secoli broke down the industry down into fields: atelier, also known as the haute couture side of fashion and industry, which is considered the ready to wear side. He explained to use that until the 1960’s all clothing was atelier, and nothing else was available. And in the late 60’s the stylist of designers met with industry buyers to create couture that was more affordable and produced in multiplies, also known as ready-to-wear.

President Francesco Secoli

The seminar given by President Secoli was a recap of what was learned in Business of Fashion, and how everything in fashion is a cycle. President Secoli explained the steps in-between the stylist and the buyers, which is the fashion show, this acts as the middle man between the two. In the steps of the fashion so you have the idea and inspiration, design, patterns, samples, and then the show. After the show is complete the buyer’s then place their orders and the garment then moves down the fashion cycle. The cycle of fashion begins with atelier or high-end fashion and cycles down to the different levels of retail, and the cycle will continue if the garment becomes a trend in the industry.

President secoli closed the seminar by telling us a little about the institute which has been opened since 1934. The courses offered are Model and Pattern making, Design, and there is also a Master's degree in Pattern Making and Design, and the range from 2-3 year programs. The student body is 40% of international students from all over the world.

Check out more information about the school at www.secoli.com.

Cultural Assignment: Hidden Jewels

For our last cultural mission, we were sent to find four different stores. These stores were not on the main streets and instead were down the side streets in little holes. The first store Angela Caputi Giuggiu had hand made jewelry from Florence. The store also had handbags and hats all made of natural materials. The jewelry was big and chunky with bright colors.

The second store was Venini; here we found hand made glass furnishings that were all made in Veroni. Even with the stores long history and tradition, the pieces were all very unique and modern. The colors were bright and shined with the artistic and innovative designs.

The third store was the Lisa Corti textile store. The store had fabrics that were hand crafted in India and then designed and turned into clothing, bedding, bags, and accessories in Italy. In the back of the store there was a design studio and sewing machines. The store was very bright with all of the different patterns and the hand-painted floors were just as unique as the merchandise.

The last store was Bellora, a bed and bath store. The color theme was pastels and the key furniture pieces were painted white. All of the products are made from an Italian company, however the classic pieces are produced in Turkey. The main material being used throughout the store was wood and cotton.

As a group we discussed why we would be sent to these very different stores. We saw a couple major themes as we moved from each store. The colors were captivating and the quality was always top notch. The atmosphere of each store was fun and inviting while also having a homey feel. Although not all of the products were made in Italy, the stores still had the complete pride in their handcrafted pieces that Italian merchants have always had.

As we enter the industry, these stores reminded us of the two main factors that impact the fashion industry. Quality and uniqueness are what helps products stand out against the standard designer labels. As we have learned in classes, this industry is very competitive. These stores all have specialized products and in order to be as successful they have to be different in the experience that they give their customer along with the product. This allows the stores to be distinct in their categories within the industry. From this we can take the same mentality and make ourselves stand out against our competition as we grow in our chosen fields.

If any of these stores were to come to the United States, they would be successful. They offer the customer quality and style that Americans are looking for. As some of these stores are small, they would present their customers exclusivity within the American market. We are glad we got to see these four hole in the wall stores and grow from the experience.





Art vs. Fashion: Whimscal Clocks

There was much fantasy in the Enrico Coveri fashion show with garments that took on a twist to paisley. Designer Francesco incorporated things such as flowers into an paisley pattern, but it was brilliant to incorporate clocks into the patterns. I must say the clock is a very inspirational piece for designers; many designers such as Versace and Prada have incorporated clocks in their pieces. And this clock in the entrance of the Palazzo Reale may have been the inspiration for Francesco. Even more so, like the clocks in the paisley pattern, this clock also takes on a whimsical factor.

Undeniable Perfection

Buonasera! I must say today was one of the most aspiring industry visits during this program! We visited the publication office of White Sposa magazine and given a tour by Editor-and-Chief Simone Polli and Fashion Editor Elena Todros. White Sposa is a wedding oriented magazine, published in Italy and Japan, and has 3 issues a year. The office distributes 100,000 copies of the magazines in Italy to newsstands and wedding exhibitions, 50,000 to Japan and also 8,000 copies to foreign markets including the USA. And this magazine is a MUST HAVE for every girl planning a wedding, every wedding planner, and every person that aspires to work in the bridal industry….I know I’m definitely getting a subscription!

What make this magazine so great you ask? The quality, it is like no other. From the textured cover on each issue, to the paper used, to the perfection in color of the pictures, White Sposa creates a real-life fantasy for their readers. And with each word used to describe the magazine I fell in love more and more. It was describe as being more like a book rather than a magazine, a book that proposes a new theme with each edition. The themes comes from all cultures and all over the world, Elena shared with us that she would go to libraries read and look through books to find new ideas, or sometimes she’ll just have a vision of what the theme should be for the issue. Apart from the quality of the pages in the magazine, the quality of the work the office puts into the publication sets them apart from ALL magazines…yes I said it….ALL. There is really no distinction in roles in the magazine, mention by Simone, they all share roles in getting the magazine published and the organization within is IMPECCIABLE! Perfection doesn’t get any better than White Sposa!

So today I finally found the Grande disk! There were two of these sculptures made, there is one in Charlotte, NC and the other here in Milano. I was so excited when I saw it, I've been looking for it for a while. 

Good Laughs Accompanied with Good Food

You know when you laugh so hard to the point where you can’t breathe, crying your eyes out, and your stomach cramps up….well that’s what I experienced today; I loved every second of it! For dinner we decided to eat an Italian Chinese buffet, and as we’re sitting down the waiter point out the sign that says “You are not allowed to waste food.” Following that, “5 to 20 euro WILL be added to your bill for any wasted food,” and that’s when the laughter began. And as we’re eating we recap some of the things that have happened on the trip, such as me seeing Ashley’s 1960’s iron for the first time, and out of nowhere everyone at table is crying in laughter. We really enjoyed the odd faces we were getting as we fell out our chairs, and came to a consensus that they probably never want us to come back again. But I should mention how good the food was, I was a little nervous about eating Chinese in Italy but I hate to say I like it a little better…really going to be disappointed when I return and have to go to The Wok.

During the day before dinner we went on a mission to find 4 Milanese stores, and I’m glad to say it was a successfully mission. Now we just have to figure out why and how each relate to the industry, which will definitely be a piece of cake! The four stores were Lisa Corti, Venini, Bellora, and Angela Caputi Giuggiu, on a later post check out how each relate and the significanceof them to our program.

Tomorrow we visit White Sposa Magazine!!

J'adore Chanel

Ciao everyone, today was a long and exhausting day, but it was fantastic! After breakfast we set out on an adventure to the Fiera di Senigallia (Senigallia Fair), this is a Milano traditional flea market with crafts, clothing, secondhand goods, and other random goods. And boy was it filled with random stuff, if you wanted to you can go to this market and buy a faucet for your kitchen sink, a seat for your toilet, a shower head, and almost every other fixture for your bathroom and kitchen. At this fair you can also either buy a bike or buy parts to build a bike…….WOW! I must say it was quite interesting, and definitely not what I’m use to in America.

After leaving the market we set sail to D Magazine, an outlet store, well that’s what we thought. It was an outlet but everything was still in 3 digits….I would say it’s a last season store with semi discounted prices. We continued our journey to the Duomo to do a little shopping, and we finally visited the Chanel store!! IT WAS AMAZING!! Not only was it amazing but the staff was super nice, even though we looked completely out of place. This was quite surprising because in the States we wouldn’t get the time of day in Chanel if we didn’t look the part. We also visited Hermes….ohhh how I love Hermes, and the store is wonderful. But I was a little disappointed there were no Birkins, guess I’ll just have to order mine.

Finally we attended Milano Gay Pride Event, super different from the events in the US, and super crowded. The parade was not like what I’m use to back home, instead of a parade of different floats and such, it was a parade of people, a ton of people. But like in the States there was a lot of pride in the air, and it was a great experience!

Balliamo!!

Salve! Let me just say, I LOVE MILAN!! Last night was a really great night all starting with the website launching party of Vladimiro Gioia. But before I begin let's congratulate Vladimiro on the launching of his website www.vladimirogioia.com, secondly let's congratulate Annie Rusteika on receiving the internship with Vladimiro and Pink & Chic Communications! Our night started off at Lotvs, where the room was filled with laughter and joy. During the night we all gave our thanks to Maria Arona for all she has done for us during this program, and also what she continues to do. We also gave thanks to Fulvio and Elise of Fashion Times, whom made this program a great experience.

After Lotvs, walked about Corso Como, interacted with the locals and grabbed a couple of drinks. Then we headed to Club Old Fashion, and can I just say, how awesome the place was. It's an outdoor bar, very laid back and trendy, with an great crowd of people. The music was great, drinks were awesome, and the poeple were there to have a good time! So we danced the night away in celebration of the great progran we've are involved in.

Coming to the last week guys....I don't want to come home now. Next week is filled with amazing things, super excited!

Ciao

Pitti Culture Assignment

While at Pitti market, our culture group saw many different trends. Some of the trends we saw of the people walking around were suits, vests, lightweight sweaters, rolled pants, and bright colored sneakers. For trends from the vendors we saw, Hawaiian theme shirts, eco-friendly materials, straw hats, scarves, derby and top hats, wood watches, art work printed t-shirts, converse shaped shoes, and loafers.

As a group, we have a couple different self-inflicted prejudices while seeing what the vendors at Pitti market had to offer the buyers. We see scarves on men in the winter seasons for warmth, but not on men during the spring and summer months as a simple trend. As a group, we thought it would be hard to buy scarves for men in our stores even though it is becoming a major trend here in Italy.

Another prejudice we had was towards the trend of the different types of hats that the vendors were showing. The hats they had were top, derby and fedoras. As we are from America, we are used to the sports logos and baseball hats. The more formal hats are not seen that often and a prejudice has been formed against them.

The last prejudice we had was towards the Hawaiian shirts and floral prints. As young adults, we see a Hawaiian shirt and think of an old man who is retired. If we were buyers in a younger, hipper store the Hawaiian shirts would be hard to buy for the company with our preconceived notion.

We believe we have these prejudices because of our demographic. We are not used to seeing the European trends and the backgrounds we have create these. In industry we will have to look past this and really understand the market we are trying to reach in our stores and our customer wants and needs in order to cater to them. If we are able to get past these prejudices, we will be successful in the industry.