The first 4 days

             After a 7-hour flight I finally arrived in Italy! As soon as I got off the plane I was so excited to see everyone and start our trip. We immediately started our web show for Fashion Times by telling Fulvio our very first impression of Milan on the bus to the hotel. By the time we got to the hotel everyone was exhausted and wanted to take a nap (me especially).

            To keep ourselves awake a bunch of us went next door to get some lunch. It was very good, and I was starving! (I had a kosher meal for dinner and breakfast on the plane, not good at all) After lunch Fulvio bought us our first cappuccino! It was so good.  Of course he took many pictures and videos of us experiencing our first cappuccino.

             On our second day we finally were able to meet Maria and Eleonora from Pink and Chic. We met them in their showroom and offices. Maria explained how she is able to run such a successful business. We were then able to ask her questions based on her job. We learned that she wants to expand her brand to the United States in Miami! We were given an opportunity to create a plan to globally expand their brand. The person with the best idea for her is able to come back to Milan for either 3 or 6 months and work for her. I am definitely going to try to think of something great for her because that is such a great opportunity!

            Tuesday we went to the Sforza Castle Museums and went into many different museums. After walking around in the rain, we decided that going into the museums would be fun. The first one we walked into was the Mobili e Sculture Lignee, which has furniture and woodwork. While walking through it was so amazing seeing all of the hand carved woodwork. One cabinet really stood out to me, the detailing was impeccable. I think that based on the time periods, the furniture that were used did have an influence on fashion. When there was more detailing on the furniture, there was a lot of detailing and craftsmanship in the clothing worn. 

            Then later we met with Angela Marcato. She produces all of the fashion shows in Milan. When we first walked in we saw a Madonna style event with many “Mdolls” in glass cases with pictures of Madonna. We were able to look around and take pictures of everything.

            When Angela came in she was so excited to talk with us. We immediately started asking questions and she had many important things to say to us. She was asked where she gets her inspiration from for her fashion shows and she said she is inspired everywhere. She told us a story about when she went to lunch she had oysters and the color and shapes inspired her immediately. She also told us that she has a staff of 3 women. I was so shocked that such an important job only has a few people working for her.

            Also while we were talking Angela, Francesco (a sales manager) joined our meeting. He told us that you have to consider you customer like your friend. Every three months you need to try to understand the market.

            After our meeting, we went to the store Corso Como by the office. The store was so amazing. Everything in the store was exquisite I was so mesmerized. After looking around for a few minutes I wanted to buy everything! The items were all beautifully made. I saw such a cute blue tote bag that I would love to have!   

            Our industry visit for Wednesday was a visit to Luisa Cevese’s store in Milan. Her store is so cute and detailed based on what her brand is built upon. Inside the store she uses tree branches to display her bags on the wall. Also for a shopping bag she uses newspapers that she has manipulated to look like a bag. She creates handbags with recycled fabrics. She also created a plastic coating to place on top and behind the fabric. The handbags are simple styles, with different patterned looks. 

            After since it was such a beautiful day it was perfect for us to go to the top of the Santa Maria Necente. First we went inside, but apparently my dress was too short, which I didn’t think it was! Sarah let me use her neon scarf as a long skirt, which was very fashionable with my flowered black and white dress and white cardigan (not really). After I got past the guards, I was able to walk around and look at all the incredible detail that is in the church. While walking around I saw two bishops corpses that were being preserved. You couldn’t tell that they were real because they had masks on their faces, I could only see their hands. After we were done looking around, the nerves started to kick in. I thought that it would be so scary going to the top of the church, but it wasn’t at all. It was so amazing seeing all of Milan.

            Later that night we went to a wonderful fashion show presented by the senior class of Istituto Secoli. It was so amazing to see what students can do with hard work and dedication. The collections were so innovative and detailed. All of the students work together to create a cohesive collection and the best pieces are chosen for the show. There was one mistake, one model was wearing a very long gown with tulle underneath the only problem was that she couldn’t walk in it. She kept stepping on the tulle and the dress, which slowed down the show and started to rip the dress at the bottom. The worst part was, this model was wearing the finale piece for the collection. She stopped half way through the runway and posed, then lifted the dress and did her best runway walk of the stage. After the show was over, they did awards, where students are offered amazing internships and scholarships to continue their studies.

            Today we had an early start to the day, we had to be ready by 8am for an amazing industry visit at Missoni. When we finally reached the Missoni offices, I was ready to get off the bus and walk around. We were greeted by Vittorio Missoni (so cool to have met him), and we began our tour. He took us through the entire place, which is so beautiful. I learned the beginning steps of designing a piece. While walking through the production lines and seeing how everyone works together was really inspiring. Whenever Vittorio walked by, everyone looked genuinely happy to see him. I was even able to ask him a question!

            The first 4 days have been amazing! I am so excited to see what will happen next. If this is how the rest of the trip will be like I will be more than happy with it! 

Ciao!