NYC Ballet

     It is coming to the end of our trip here in New York City, with our farewell event being the Nutcracker, being able to see the New York City Ballet and how they construct the costumes was perfect timing! Mark, the director of the whole studio shared how intricately made all of the costumes are. They start off with the bottom first where they eventually add all the tulle to create the tutu. I found the dyeing process very interesting. Most all of the costumes made, they try and keep them as long as they can, or till the tutu starts to not have as much life in it. With the dyeing process the challenge is to keep the bodes the same color as the skirt, because they are made of two different fabrics. The reason that they can end up different colors is because of the stage lights and depending on the fabric they could fade differently, so the person who dye's the fabric has to make sure all the pieces are the same color. Mark had also stressed that now a days with HD and during a ballet all the pictures that are taken that show everything, he has to make sure the piece is flawless and more intricate than ever! Overall the entire process of creating these costumes requires so much detail, design, and talent. All the ballet's in NYC have such a great company to help them with all the costumes and it is a truly amazing art.

    I cannot believe that there is only one more week left here in New York. I have learned so much about the city and all of the opportunities that it offers. I have truly enjoyed each and every study tour that we have done. I can remember thinking for our first class that I couldn't even believe that we went to Madison Avenue and Barneys, since then I have seen so much more! Each and every study tour was so different and I loved that. Seeing the art galleries in chelsea, the tenement museum, were all things that I would have never seen on my own, and I am so glad that I got to! This class has really helped add to my wonderful experience in New York and I am so thankful we could do! I hope to come back to NYC and tell my friends and family to go the the places we went in study tour!

Bard Graduate Center

 I really enjoy experiencing museums in the city that I probably would not find on my own. As a hat wearer, I have never really thought about the history behind hats. The tour guide was very passionate about hats and shared some very interesting facts and history on the certain hats. In the first display we saw, my favorite hat was the "Kiss of Death" hat, it was so different and had a shape that I have never seen before. Even though I had favorite hats that I would wear, the traditional hats from different cultures were the most interesting to me. In the US we wear hats mostly for either warmth or fashion, but in other countries depending on which side of the hat sticks out more can mean you are married, or single. There was so much that I had learned from the tour about hats, what hat makers are called, how their showrooms are called Salons, and most interestingly how they are made. The video we watch on how the designers create these one of a kind hats was not what i was expecting it to be. Each hat is carefully molded on wood shapers and then steamed on them to keep the shape, each piece is also hand sewn. Watching the process which only took about a day to make the hat made me wonder about mass produced hats and how they are all probably machine made and I would love to see what that process looks like. Stephan Jones is an amazing hat designer, he has designed for so many different fashion houses, and has created history and one of a kind hats that are so unique. I truly appreciated the art and now I appreciate the process of it more being that they are all hand done and can take almost an entire day to finish just one!

The Fabric of Our Lives

      
     This by far may have been one of the most interesting study tour for me. We have yet to hear from a fashion forecaster and it was very informative and helped me decide more of what I would like to do. Being a merchandiser there are so many different job opportunities that we are unaware of, so it is nice to explore and learn about them all. I have learned about fashion forecasting in classes at kent, and am aware of what it is but it was nice to hear someone working in the field to actually explain it. 
     Cotton Inc. as a company is so well known from the catchy commercial that we all see on TV. What I at least did not know is that the company is a trend forecasting company, and is a non profit company as well. Being non-profit company they make their money from a percentage of the price of a bail of cotton that anyone buys. I am very much interested in going green fabric and ways of recycling and Cotton Inc. does a ton of this type of work. They require that all of their clients that they give trend presentations to have to have at least 60% of their product to be cotton. Another method of recycling they practice is donating old jeans being that they are 100% cotton most likely, and making it into home insulation for low income housing. 
     The actual act of traveling to other countries and taking pictures to make into inspiration is very intriguing. At some point in my life I would love to travel to as many places as I can, even though Abbey said that you are alone and in a country that you don't speak the language, but it is an experience. I am also very captivated by photography as well, and give them props they take all of their own photos. Not only does actual fashion bring inspiration for fashion forecasting, but politics, phycology, cultures, anything you see that is interesting to you. The presentation that we got to see was very inspiring, I have used a powerpoint type service called prezi that was almost similar to the set up of her  video but definitely didn't have the graphics that they had.
     I truly loved everything about this company and what they stand for. I would love to consider an internship with them maybe this summer or next. Abbey mentioned that the interns do very hands on projects as well as getting paid. I hope to tell their story to people that have no idea that Cotton Inc. is a trend forecasting company.

Calvin Klein Jeans

     Interning at Calvin Klein Jeans has been such a great experience for me, I have learned so much, and during this tour I actually learned a lot more that I didn't even realize. When you start an internship no one really sits you down to tell you everything about the company and although I have figured a lot out myself Kristin made a ton of amazing points and facts that I never thought of. As a merch intern I make a lot of proto line sheets for both the Men and Women. Within the proto sheets they are separated into delivery and although I have never realized they say which door on them it makes sense now. I enjoyed hearing the description about the different doors and the importance of each, it helps pull everything together and when people are talking about the different doors at work now I understand it! I have gone to the showroom many times to bring samples down or bring them up to the 15th. They change it a lot and I really liked the colors for women's, they change it so often and it always looks really amazing with the clothes and all the samples and ideas pulled together. Also being in merchandising I don't hear a lot from the designers, Monica really does so much from making a concept to actually designing the garment. Not being a designer I crave that feeling of satisfaction that she must get from seeing her concepts become actual garments.
   Once again even though I intern at CKJ it was really amazing to hear about design and what everyone that I see at my internship actually does. I never really know exactly what everyones title and job is so that was nice to see and hear all about that. It is a great company and I learned a lot and great advice from both Kristin and Monica.

CFDA

     Although the CFDA tour was a bit quick, we were given a ton of interesting information.  The company itself really represents the future of fashion, the way designers get discovered and start up their businesses. I think it really promotes and keeps designers on their feet to create what they do the best, it bring originality, uniqueness, creativity and talent to them. I have heard of the CFDA mentioned in a couple of my classes but not I fully understand what they do. The company almost reminds me of the fashion show that I volunteered at during fashion week in September. It was called the Gen Art fashion show, which basically the organization is also non-profit and they provide the designers with a runway and models free of charge, and take only a select number of designers each season to promote the up and coming talent. In the fashion industry I believe it is so important to help push, promote, and support the young designers, they are our future. 
     The tour guide shared a story I found especially interesting and truly inspiring.  Diane Von Furstenburg, a well known designer, but also a part of the CFDA, let them into her apartment to give advice to the young designers. She said that they sat on her zebra rug and just chatted, but DVF openly discussed her now multi million dollar empire going out of business twice. Although young designers most likely don't want to hear that even the big designers have gone out of business, I think it is a really good point to give advice on. It gives them that push and hope that, yes it is going to be hard and you may think your business is done with, but even the big names have gone through it as well,  and you can make it big. Not even as a designer is it great advice, life in general is hard and you may make mistakes and fall weather it be in your job or personal life or even education, but you can stand back up from it and do great things and be successful. 
     I would personally love to work with young up and coming designers. I think it must be amazing to see and support someone from the beginning of their career, and to see them blossom and become so big must be such a proud moment. The tour guide also gave some really good advice about internships. It makes sense that even if you don't want to work at a magazine but you want to be in PR that you learn both sides of it. I think doing more than one internship should be required at Kent State. In the fashion industry there isn't only just clothing and designing, there are so many aspects that I really think are very important in learning, and it would make you such a well rounded graduate if you had multiple internships with very different companies in different fields. 
     The CFDA provides the designers with studio's that they pay the rent on. It was really interesting to see how each designer decorated and made each studio their own. The first one we saw was pretty small, but the jewelry was so delicately displayed on the wood planks with nails holding them there. Then the last one we went into was by far my favorite, the lighting was a lot more dim and it was a lot bigger in space, but had so many personal touches to it, artwork, inspiration boards and so much personality to it. I think adding your own personal touch to your studio or showroom is so important not only because you work in the environment, but you want the buyers to be able to distinguish your product and feel from the next, and you want them to remember you.
     Overall I really enjoyed the short yet so informative trip to the CFDA. It's such a wonderful company and I truly enjoy what they are all about. I hope to be coming back to New York and I would love to intern with them!

Ralph Lauren

 Ralph Lauren has a classy elegance about their whole look, and even their stores. Visiting the Flagship store might have been one of my favorite classes so far! I had no idea that they made purses, and fine jewelry. Being in the retail business at Michael Kors I really took all of the customer service amazing and as great advice and tips to make the customer feel at home and appreciated, because loyal customers are the ones that keep these amazing stores and businesses running. The service in particular that I enjoyed was the car services, Stephanie said sometimes they will take clients to certain places or pick them up. There were also butler services, a full equip kitchen where they prepare food, and give clients water with lemon, or even sparkling water. With their extensive customer service it lures the customer into trusting their opinions and feeling comfortable enough to try whatever they suggest, which is a big step in retail. At Michael Kors, we mostly sell handbags, so I was all over the Ricky made-to-order handbag. As I mentioned before I had no idea that Ralph Lauren made handbags, they were so classy and I was loving the teal croc leather. 
     The interior of the store was amazing. It really felt like a home, even though most of us do not live in four story mansions! Every product was so preciously displayed. In the fine jewelry section which we learned is new to Ralph Lauren, the pieces were in their own glass box with black fabric behind it to make them pop. With the jewelry, being a horse owner and lover, I was amazed with the stirrup necklace! I learned that their watches range from $2300 to over $10000, and their median price for a watch was $25000!! I could not imagine selling that high price of an item!!
     The second floor we learned more about the apparel. It was comforting to know that their pieces are made in NYC. One dress in particular the beaded evening gown was so immaculate, the beading is all hand done with each bead and done in India. Each of the garments are hand cut and sewn, this really gives the uniqueness to each item. Usually most companies work with China and India because it is cheap and keep costs down, but at Ralph Lauren it was stressed that it is done there strictly because it is the best work and that the cost does not matter.  I admire that, because they want their customer and clientele to be in the most fabulous clothes that they deserve and to have unique one of a kind pieces! Another factor that I loved about their fabrics was that they work closely with PETA and all of their furs and leathers are from animals that are eaten. Working with leathers I find that admirable and really brings respect towards the company that they know where they get their leathers and furs from. 
     The architecture and the interior design in the store is so rich and looking out the balcony on the second floor, it almost felt like being in the streets of Paris! The store that we went to took 6 years to finally be done and is only about a year old. At first I thought to myself that's a long time to be working on this place, but it is filled with such detail and great thought that I definitely think that it was worth it, and that the sales of the store proves it!
     The fourth floor was also so amazing. The dark room that they change 2 times a year had such an amazing feel of elegance and old 20's glam. Interior design is so inspiring to me and it's amazing what people can do with it.
     I was very surprised and admired to hear that Ralph Lauren himself is involved in 100% of what you see in the store. Nowadays you hear of designers and that they have a lot of people that do a lot for them. Even though he has tons of help with his brand, it is nice to know he cares to see what is in the store and appreciates what his sales team does! This tour made me really appreciate being in retail and sales, and also that Ralph Lauren may be a brand that I would potentially work for at some point in my life!
     The whitney museum was one of the few museums that I have been in new york but I plan on going to more within the next few months left here! I loved my art history classes at Kent and it was really inspiring to see all American Art!

Fabric2Finish

  Although I did not get to take any pictures at Fabric to Finish I felt I was given so much helpful and useful information. Jaime is such an inspirational individual and it is really nice to hear that she still has such drive and passion about her job. I am in a product development class where we just had a test so this visit was perfect timing. She talked about licensing, royalties, and a lot of other terms that I could really relate to. It's so impressive what Jaime does, interning at Calvin Klein and having a product development team, It's crazy to me that she does the job that normally dozens of people do together. I also found it inspiring that Jaime started off at George Washington college and majored in Literature and had no fashion experience but has been with such prestigious companies as she had really proves that it's not just your education, most people might not care where you went to school, it's about your personality and how hard you work. If you put your mind to anything you can achieve whatever you want. She also made a very good point about standing out,  it made me think what does make me stand of from the next person that walks in the door. Its important to understand yourself and what your strengths are and to overcome your weaknesses. Working at Tommy Hilfiger seemed to be a very important connection that Jaime made with the company. I enjoyed that she became so close to her bosses and they ended up promoting her and giving her responsibilities she never thought she would obtain. I also think being fired from J-Crew or any job in general is helpful to learn how to deal with rejection because not everything is ever going to be a cake walk. The lack of internet and technology has never come across my mind but being so dependent on it I find it hard imagining how I would keep in contact with overseas offices, or even find jobs! Another story Jaime told was about the man she had her first interview with and saw in the elevator at Mood and how she had not seen him in 10 years and here she was as successful as she could ever be and had transformed into such a great successful businesswoman. I hope to have an experience like that, where I see the first person I interviewed with or interned with and see how successful I am at the point in my life, I hope to see Jaime again, she really had such useful advice and inspiring stories and life lessons that cannot be forgotten.

Stoll

I was unaware of Stoll as a company but by the end of the tour I was so interested in the company and what they stand for. I truly learned so much during the entire tour. For example I learned the difference between full fashion, and cut and sew. As a company that produces samples for designers they had some really exquisite techniques that add such quality to a garment. Some of the techniques that they used were the knit in pockets and knit in buttonholes which can be described as instead of cutting a garment to make a buttonhole or pocket, it is knitted into the shape of the hole or garment so there is no wasting of fabric or cutting of the garment. I found it especially interesting when the tour guide started explaining each garment that was on the mannequin and how long each took. In particular I enjoyed the fringe sweater that was near the front window. The techniques that were used seemed so intricate and made me want to try and make such a piece myself, or at least watch it be made. The fringe sweater took 138 minutes to produce, and the company itself charges their customers $125 an hour and $1 a minute. I am very interested in companies that make their clothing in the US and even though stoll could not produce at such a high capacity, I think it is something worth looking into. Garment's aren't made in the US because it is too expensive, but it could be done. Another technique that I enjoyed was the tube knit and wear, even though it is the most expensive it saves the most time and fabric which is huge in the fashion industry. The tour guide was so insightful and taught some really great concepts that as a Merchandiser I am unaware of. I am now so interested in knitting and weaving and creating my own fabrics, we have classes at kent and even have our own looms, I would love to utilize that and learn as much as I can. Toward the end of our tour, we were shown the Stoll Archives, the knits were so amazing and all of the prints were so inspiring. I know the design students got a lot of great inspiration for their projects from all the crazy knits. Especially the ones that she showed us that were versatile and could change into a bag, mens sweater and a women's sweater. It was frustrating to me that they are so talented and yet they don't launch their own line, I saw so many great pieces that I could see on the streets or runway and I hope that one day the fashion industry starts using techniques that may be more expensive but more resourceful, and maybe even designers having all of their product made in the US. I thoroughly enjoyed this tour, and hope to keep learning more and discovering more places like Stoll in NYC.

Ellery Homestyles

     Today I really enjoyed the tour that we were able to see at Ellery Homestyles. Last November I remember Molly coming to Kent and talking about her job. Then I wasn't really aware of the company or the Home Fashion career options. Being in Merchandising or Fashion in general people forget about the home decor and to be honest I thought that you could only be in those fields if you were in interior design, so I'm interested in that area of fashion now and could see myself at the company. The tour of the showroom was very informative. In particular I liked the Eclipse Collection that was sound proof and blocks out 99% of light. I thought that the kids line of curtains of glow in the dark was very innovative and I can see that being very popular for young kids. The Parasol collection I found great interest in, because they have to test the light against the fabric to see how much sun it can withstand before it fades. I believe Angela said that normally its about 40 hours of direct sunlight and the Parasol collection could withstand 1000 hours! The partner up with Arm & Hammer with the curtains I thought was a really smart business decision. The concept of curtains that smell fresh and can deodorize the smells of kitchens is something I had never heard of but makes complete sense.
        This is the first blog that I didn't have pictures for but I really got a lot of good information and learned a lot about a potential company I could work for. Molly and Angela really gave us some good tips on what to do for internships, interviews, resumes, and cover letters. I now think that I have added another direction of Fashion that I would love to work in.

Tenement Museum

     At first I was unaware of the Tenement Museum and was not quite sure what we would be doing for our study tour class. As a kid, every vacation I have taken my mom always planned a historical landmark or museum to see. I know she would have loved to see the museum, and without the study tour class I probably would have never visited it. I am very interested in the civil war history and was amazed that the building was built then, and they made garments for the soldiers. It is crazy to think that the building is still standing and that people from the 1800's walked the same street I walked on. 

     From the outside of the building I was not expecting it to look how it did on the inside. I figured everything was restored and although they tried to recreate some of the rooms, there was one in particular that still had the layers of wallpaper on it, and tile on the floor that was the original. I was really bummed that we could not take pictures but I did find some online and I bought a book on Orchard Street Tenement at the bookstore. Our tour guide was so passionate and really knew everything he talked about. He had some really cool facts that I found fascinating. One of the facts being that 70% of clothing was made there in the 1800's. The tour guide also showed us the iron that the families used in their apartments. The iron was made of cast iron which is where the name for the iron came from and it worked by lifting the top and keeping hot coal in the inside to keep the iron hot. The most interesting part about the iron to me was that to steam something, whoever was running the iron would spit water onto the garment and then run the iron over it. Thinking about working where you live is really intriguing. There was no separation for the family we saw between home and work. Although some people work from home today, it is different because the families needed to make as many dresses as day as possible and wanted to beat their neighbors to it so they would get the contract. 

     Overall this might be one of my favorite visits so far because it was so informative and was historical. It really made me think of what the garment industry has come to from making only 16 dresses a day in your apartment to industrial buildings making over 400,000 pieces a day. The creations of sweatshops was made there and has changed the industry since. The Ellis Island name changes was very interesting to me as well, how the didn't get their names changed there, they did it on their own. I would love to go to more historical sites to see all the history that lies in New York City.

Coterie Trade Show

      At first I was unaware of Coterie. I felt like it was a really important trip to make for study tour and taught me a lot. Being a Merchandiser I am specifically interested in Buying, so being able to attend a trade show and actually watch buyers make purchases for their stores was very educational and a learning experience. The first area we walked through was 'Tomorrow." Being able to witness what up and coming designers had and were selling to buyers was such an awesome opportunity. Last semester the class Presentations I took, the final project was to create a model of a trade show booth and then have an actual mock trade show where I made business cards, order sheets, and had to sell our product to other classmates. Now actually witnessing real buyers and designers and the process of selling really tied everything from my class together. Some of the designers were nicer than others, it was kind of intimidating and I really didn't want to bother any of them, but there were a few that were really interested in talking to the students and talking about their line which was very interesting to hear. One company in particular  'Muclair,' the seller who was one of the partners in the company was really friendly and informative. The company is based out of Canada and they produce all their product there as well.  I really like the idea of making your clothes where you sell them, because here in the US it is almost impossible to find clothing that is made in the US. The line of clothing he had was very intricate. Although I did not take pictures he gave us a copy of the look book. There was one piece in particular that was really my style and something I had never seen before but I would abosolutely buy it was a floor length skirt, a little high waisted and it was navy with two strips of cheetah, it might sound sort of tacky but it was really beautiful and so different, he did a lot of patchwork, as well as sheer shirts that I saw at many other booths.
  There were two other pieces at other booths that I saw and became really inspired with because I had never seen something like it before. I cannot remember what companies they were but the one had really beautiful long dresses with extravagant jewelry that was almost like a shirt. The necklace had a neckpiece and it also went around your arms, it became almost an outfit itself, but was so refreshing to see such new designs.

 The last design that intrigued me was these colored jeans but they were rolled up and the part that was rolled up was either a shade darker than the shade of the pants or was dyed a completely different color. Im a big jean wearer and this made me think about the different ways dyeing the jeans could make them look, they were still classic and I pictured wearing the yellow ones with a white linen blazer on the beach.

  

 My overall experience at the trade show was so informative and really brought what I learned in school to real life and gave me a better sense of how the trade shows work. Not only that but each booth has to make itself different from the other and that was entertaining to me to see what each booth wanted to do that the next didn't. In particular the company Desigual really seemed to have the most attraction and attention towards them. They are obviously a successful company, being that they had a lot larger booth than any other, they also had a little kitchen area where people were preparing exotic fruits, drinks, and they handed out bags to everyone. A lot of work, time, and energy goes into a trade show and it was really evident. I know I am still interested in being a buyer, but I do know that it would take me days maybe even a week to get around the whole trade show because I know I wouldn't want to miss anything and there really isn't enough time in a day to see everything.

First Art Gallery Visit in NYC

       I truly enjoyed class on Thursday, I am very much into art and I was unaware of all the galleries that surround me in this city! The first gallery I went to was the DC MOORE Gallery, and it was really big and spacey. I am not used to the big space, my cousin in Chicago and her husband have their own gallery in their apartment and it's pretty limited on space compared to the galleries I saw. It just makes me think of all the pieces they could show if they had more space. In the first gallery was probably one of my favorite exhibits, the 9/11 Through Young Eyes. This exhibit in particular I felt close to being that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was only six days ago, and it makes me more proud to be in new york. The exhibit was very sad with the fact that such young kids made each picture and probably were just babies when the attack happened. Each picture had a caption and told a story, it was 31 pictures long. The captions were really touching and made me think of things I never though of about 9/11. For example the missing signs for people everywhere in the city after the attacks, and the American flags everywhere.        

                                          

    The last picture in the exhibit was number 31 which was "And people still miss the Twin Towers," Its so powerful and knowing that young children made these is truly inspiring.
    
     At the PPOW Gallery I saw the most interesting exhibit I have ever seen. The main artist that was displayed was Martha Wilson. I really loved the message that she was sending. She had a video playing in the gallery of herself and she was showcasing her flaws. She was really all about the aging process, and said " I have become my own worst fear," which I believed to be an older woman. This gallery definitely makes me not want to age ever! But it is really sad to me that I felt she didn't see any beauty in herself. It also makes me think about being a woman after you are unable to reproduce anymore and how  it almost seems women either let themselves go or try to feel younger, almost like after you can't have children there is no purpose?

      Another gallery I really enjoyed had some Andy Warhol paintings and sculptures. The sculptures were abstract of violins. I have played the violin for almost 12 years so it was really nice to see sculptures of them because it seems that a lot of the art work I saw before were not 100% sure of what they were and were more for interpretation.

     After seeing all of the galleries we headed to the Meatpacking District to check out some of the shops! We went into DVF, Scoop, Jeffery, and my favorite All Saints. I had heard of DVF before obviously but all the other stores were new to me. All of the stores were in a very high price range but All Saints was probably most my style and the store setup was something  I had never seen before. The whole front of the store had all old singer sewing machines as the wall, and the store felt very industrial as well as the decor was very innovative. I sew as a hobby so seeing all the old fashion sewing machines was something I thought really brought character to the store and it was so clever! 

     Visiting all the galleries, and stores in the Meatpacking District was very enjoyable and exposed me to what New York really has to offer. I would probably have never found the galleries if we did not go there and now I am interested in visiting more!

New York Fashion Week

Unfortunately I had a class on Thursday till 9:00, I got out early but missed a lot of the events for Fashion's Night Out. My roommate and I and a couple friends decided to go to SOHO. By the time we got there the police had the entire street blocked off where DASH was and you couldn't even go walk by it. That was kind of a bummer but I intend on coming back for plenty more FNO's. We were wishing we went to Madison Avenue instead, being that Drake was DJing at Versace and Nicki Minaj was also on Madison Ave!!! There is always next year! 

      Even though FNO was a bust Friday made up for it. I am a volunteer for Tour De Fashion which is during fashion week and essentially there are 30 bikes that top designers have designed for the public you can take an hour ride on the bikes for free! Its a pretty cool organization held by the Fashion Center. Betsey Johnson's bike was probably the most recognizable, not only because she had pictures everywhere on the bike but it was eclectic and eccentric just like her, almost everyone knew it was hers just by looking at it. My favorite bike was the Nanette Lepore bike. Among hers there were many other designers such as Rebecca Taylor, Juicy Couture, Amrita Singh, and many more.

  

After working the Tour de Fashion a friend had called for extra help with the Fresh Faces Fashion Show held by Gen Art. I have helped out at fashion shows at school but being in New York it is a totally different feel. Its absolutely amazing. GenArt is a nonprofit organization for up and coming new designers. They give them models for free from the top model agencies and the show is free for their designers. As a volunteer I was an usher and helped many to their seats, but watching the show was really exciting. The designers are so talented and it's very inspiring. One of the designers in particular never thought she would launch a line and get picked up by GenArt and just wanted to make easy designs for the average person and it was more of a hobby, but now she has turned it into an entire fashion collection. Erica Christianson from Swim Fan was the host of the show. There were a couple celebrities at the show as well as important people from top magazines and press companies. It was definitely an eye opening experience and a magnificent thing to be a part of.

     Overall even just in one day the things that I have experienced during Fashion Week have really been amazing opportunities and great learning experiences. With the volunteer work, fashion shows, and my new internship with Calvin Klein I am very excited to see what else comes my way in this busy city!

Madison Avenue

     Venturing to Madison avenue for this first time in class on Thursday was pretty amazing. For my two american designers i went into Michael Kors, and DKNY. Back in Ohio i work at a Michael Kors store so i almost knew what to expect. Being in NYC was totally different though! The store was so chic and had a lot more product. It was two stories and was so amazing! Working at an Outlet we don't get the same merchandise that Lifestyle stores get, so being able to see the jewelry instead of in a catalog was really awesome! I love the atmosphere of Michael Kors, its sophisticated and Jet Set. Everything is displayed so classy and really helps sell the product.

    DKNY was three stories! It was the biggest one i had ever been in. The store setup was amazing and the customer service was ecstatic. While searching through the latest trends from the runway i came across a Fashion's Night Out shirt that they were selling, and couldn't  resist! Since i have been here, all i hear about is the FNO and how amazing of an opportunity it is that we can go and see everything, so i was pretty excited about a shirt to remember it by! Approaching the second floor of the store immediately we were offered a water and they took the shirts we wanted to purchase so we didn't have to carry anything. Working in retail and for a luxury brand, i was really appreciative about the fact that they offered us water and even though we did buy something, they treated us like any other customer in their store. In the european designer stores or at least just high end in general, you get greeted but i know i felt like i didn't matter as much. Which could make sense since i cannot afford much in the high end stores, but it was nice to feel like you were getting VIP treatment in a store regardless of what it was.

     

      For the two European designers i chose YSL and Dior. I love Yves Saint Laurent as a designer i cannot afford, i think that the designs are amazing! 

 The store itself was breathtaking. The way that the merchandise was set up was so organized and made you not want to touch anything! I love the way everything is in such a particular place, it makes the feel of the store and brand very simple, organized, and sophisticated. I also used to work at a small costume jewelry store so i have an obsession for all jewelry. I loved their display! They have funky pieces that you really don't see anywhere else which i love.

        With all the other stores it was pretty easy to snap a few pictures.....Dior i was not so successful, i could only get a picture from the outside. It was unfortunate because their displays were so amazing and completely new and something i had never seen. Walking into the store there was a seating area right in the middle which was cute, it was metal chairs in a circle but the middle was full of all colored hydrangeas. Dior had some really intricate designs and very over the top items. Specifically there were a pair of shoes that were almost tribal looking with tons of feathers and twine on them, definitely something you see on the runway more than the streets. The jewelry display was by far my favorite. The displays were all about the "House of Dior," and seemed like the pieces were their own "person" in a house. The jewelry display was so intricate and the jewelry was in the background of a white house. I really wish i could have gotten a picture because it's really hard to describe! But nonetheless everything in the store had such personality and so elegant it was really beautiful! 

   Over all i must say my first time on Madison avenue and in such high end designer stores was really cool. Being in retail it makes you think of a lot more things that just the product but the customer service and the display of everything and the customers. I hope to purchase a really cool piece one day and now know where everything is. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of such prestigious designs. It's something you definitely cannot find in Kent Ohio.