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!