week 2

Hi everyone!

So like last week, I'm still walking around Paris trying to absorb the culture. No matter how many hours I spend strolling through the crowds, I still can't get over how many people there are! And I love to watch the constant stream of persons walk by while sitting at a café with a hot chocolate. I hear so many different languages and see so many different races everywhere I go; it's just so amazing and so different from Tucson. And because there is such a blend of different cultures, the fashion I see everyday on each person is never the same. Now I can spot a group of tourist anywhere with their berets and sweaters from the tourist shops.

My advisor is currently working on a new project this week, which means I haven't been able to spend much time with her. She just finished a project focused on the era of Marie Antoinette. She was the assistant to a known (well not known to me) French stylist who was working with an American stylist for the Harper's Bazaar magazine. My advisor was in charge of collecting a variety of shoes, jewelry, hats, gloves, shoe buckles, hand mirrors, fans etc resembling that time period for her boss to pick from: that is to say, she had a lot of things to gather for the photo shoot. That brought her to the Flee Market of Paris, the biggest flee market in Europe.

This market is HUGE!
Just aisle after aisle, store after store of anything you can think of: beads, jars, statues, eyes, art, eighteenth century fans, toys, furniture, paintings, chandeliers, clothes (tons of clothes!), clocks. The list goes on! I went to the flee market to help my advisor return all the items she borrowed from a vintage store. On our way, I passed a number of stands all with something different; I even passed this life sized pure white crocodile which I thought about buying, but then decided against it.
When we arrived to the shop, I got a chance to look around and it completely blew my mind. I wanted to live there! Everything was original products from known fashion figures like Coco Chanel. The dresses, shoes, shirts, pants etc there were so elegant or disturbing to the eye; the combination of colored fabrics clashed with each other but somehow worked. And behind each woolen purse and green tuxedo was a rich history of a time I'd only ever glanced over in history class.  It was just another example showing me there really isn't any one ideal French look of the Paris people.

I am sketching outfits here and there with clothing that catch my eye but I'm still waiting for my inspiration. Other than that, I'm truly enjoying my time here.        

week 1

Greetings from Paris!

For those who don't know, my senior research project is about the workings of the fashion world in France: the research that creates the ideas for new clothing, searching and assembling the final product and the final photo shoot that ends up in your magazines! I will be working as a stylist along side a professional stylist, Kerry Dorney, who will be guiding me throughout the process. In the end, I hope to do my own photo shoot with the outfits I will be designing throughout this project. Super exciting!

So this last week consisted of me getting over the jet lag and meeting up with family for the most part. I met with my advisor here and she's really nice and easy to talk to. She is also very precise when she talks about fashion: for her, it's an art where the color, size, texture, etc. all help to create this certain atmosphere and attract specific people. It's fascinating the listen to her talk about it. Now, when I'm walking down the pave streets throughout the city, I try looking for those little details that strike my interest: the way a skirt folds around the body or the creases along the sleeve of a jacket. There is such a profusion of small shops that line the winding streets that each have their own style. There is so much focus on the cut and color in each shop: it just blows my mind. It's completely different from the malls in Tucson, I can't even describe it. You'll just have to come and see yourself.

The first step in my project is inspiration: finding those clothing that for me really attracts my attention and make me want to buy. So I'm spending a lot of time walking, looking through windows and learning about the food and famous spots of France.

 I've been to a museum that was showing an exhibition of a photographer named Brassai. This exhibition was made up of only of black and white photographs of everything: people, the human body, streets, famous Paris landmarks, gangsters etc. during the early 20th century. I was especially fascinated by his shoots of Paris at the streets at night. There was so much mystery and elegance in this set. It was the first time I really got to focus on the texture of the stone of the buildings and the see the hidden bars filled with drunk people. And Picasso's hand which was cool. I loved it.

Overall, It's been a crowded but delicious first week and I can't wait to see what's on the next corner.
Ciao!