week 6-7

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited! I've finished ALL my sketches for each look and I've finally started buying the clothes! It's like my imagination is coming true! My sketches are coming to life in fabric and color! It's all so much fun right now.

So, the locations I've picked are: Centre G. Pompidou, Fondation Cartier, Shakespeare and Company, the museum Archives national, Moulin Rouge, and (maybe) Carreau de Temple. They were the location that really stuck out to me in their own ways. I didn't really pick based on a theme or anything, these buildings were just fascinating in completely different ways and really had a presence for me (which is hard to do in the chaos of Paris).

So, my sketches! I've sketched mostly based on the feeling I've gotten from the buildings I picked. Originally I was going to base my designs off of the physical architecture and structures but that immediately became overly complicated and I just don't have enough time to digest all that information and translate it into fashion. Once I finished making the sketches, I had to keep in mind that the idea I'd drawn could and most likely would change. Even in Paris, some pieces I wanted wouldn't exist, or be available in the second hand stores I go to. I'm still learning to keep myself calm and open to variations, and not die of excitement like I do.

Now that I've started buying the clothing with the help of my advisor (oh thank you so much!), she's been pushing me to make a schedule. And because I'm shooting on location, I have to think about transportation, food, weather, available bathrooms for my model to change in, which locations to shoot at in one day, how I want to take the photos! So much! But it's part of the process. As a result, I'm walking around Paris a lot right now, figuring out how I want the photo shoot to flow. Luckily, only two of my locations are on opposite sides of the city. The rest are clustered in one area, and that makes my life so much easier.

The most frustrating parts of my project are: the money, and making decisions. This is the first time I've been able to handle money on my own. And it's irritating! Constantly having to keep myself on the budget I've made and not buy things for myself. And deciding what to buy based on the designs I've drawn: already, the clothing I've bought are different in print and shape than I'd originally created, so trying to buy, for example a jacket for my Shakespeare and Company becomes more complicated because I'm not sure it will fit with the overall look.

Overall, I'm having the time of my life. A few days ago, I met with my advisor and model, and we spent the day trying on the clothes I'd already bought, adding different hats and belts to some, etc. That day was the first time I'd taken what was in my head and put it on a person. It was so satisfying, I definitely don't want to stop once this project is over.

Well, three more weeks, and I'm coming home! See everyone soon!