Bastille Day and Beyond

Jeudi 14 juillet 2011
HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!
 On Bastille Day, our couture techniques class had class for five and a half hours.  We were taught how to work with feathers by feather expert and designer Jean Louis Pinabel.  Monsieur Pinabel taught us how to recognize the feathers of different birds, including the goose, pheasant, duck, emu, and many more.  He also showed us different techniques on how to curl and strip the feathers.  He lectured for about four hours, leaving us only an hour and a half to work on our projects.  We had the option to either make a clip, headband, or hair comb.  Naturally, the couture techniques students chose to make the hair clip, which was the most difficult of them all.  Monsieur Pinabel had a small surprise for us as well; if we wanted to use the BEAUTIFUL feathers of the pheasant, we had to pluck them off of the skin of a dead pheasant.  He had a bag of different pheasant skins, some of which still had the heads.  Since the feathers were so gorgeous and I was feeling adventurous that day, I braved the skins and plucked feathers from the bird to use in my hair piece.  Using a special glue, we attached all the feathers of our choosing to the clips, making sure that we did not leave any glue marks and did not leave any feather "shafts" showing.  We had to work quickly because we were short on time and I was afraid I wasn't going to finish.  Fortunately, I finished on time and was extremely happy with the results.

My feather hair clip

Feather clip in my hair

After class we had 2 hours to get ready for Bastille Day.  We all dressed up in formal attire and wore high heels out for the first time in Paris.  We took a bus to the dock and boarded onto a small, but beautiful boat.  We were served four courses: an appetizer plate, the main course, a cheese and salad plate, and desert plate. 

Delicious fish

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Appetizer Plate (yes that's caviar) 

Dessert Plate

After dinner, the director of admissions and the shibori professor started the dance floor.  At 11pm, the boat docked on the side of the Seine River and the fireworks began next to the Eiffel Tower.  They lasted for about 45 minutes and, during the finale, the Eiffel Tower began sparkling.  It was an amazing and unforgettable sight.

Brittany, Laura and I during the fireworks

Boat Cruise in front of the Eiffel Tower

Vendredi 15 Juillet 2011
On Friday, we worked on our Madame Gres dress in the morning.  Working on the dress was a little difficult early in the morning because we were out so late on the cruise the night before.  We made some progress and are getting closer to the end each day.
In the afternoon, we took a trip to the couture house of Yves Saint Laurent.  They had a temporary exhibit of his work that was open to the public.  We were given the opportunity to see behind the scenes, including Yves Saint Laurent's design studio/office and his room of archives.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos, but please just take my word that it was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.

Samedi 16 juillet 2011
On Saturday, we had class for 8 hours.  PAA arranged for Mme Brigitte Lenoir, who worked for Yves Saint Laurent for 23 years, to come in to teach us some of the couture techniques she used while working for the company.  We learned how to make the YSL tailored sleeve and also how to make the flap to cover a pocket to be put on a couture tailored coat.  She showed us the inside of the jacket (under the lining) and explained each part of the stitching and construction process.  It was a great opportunity to have Mme Lenoir teach us for a day.

Dimanche 17 juillet 2011

Today, we went on our excursion to Monet's garden and Giverny.  Giverny is about an hour and a half outside Paris in a quiet, rural area.  Since Claude Monet is my favorite painter, this was a dream come true for me.  When we arrived, we walked through the gardens and saw the lily pads, the bridge, and the boat that are in Monet's famous garden paintings.  We also had the opportunity to tour Monet's house in Giverny.  The house is very large for the time period.  There were paintings inside, but the Monet paintings are replicas since the originals are in museums around the world.  Monet was inspired by Japanese artwork, so much of his house was filled with Japanese influence.  After walking around Monet's property and spending entirely too much time and money in the gift shop, the entire couture techniques group went out to lunch at a small cafe set in a beautiful old house.  Although it was around 62 degrees and overcast all day, and down-poured when we were walking to the bus, I had an amazing time.  I am so grateful that I get to experience everything I have been doing since I got here.  It really does feel like a dream.

Me in Monet's garden

Hitting the Half-Way Mark

I ended the last post summarizing Thursday, July 7 which is now a week ago.  I cannot believe how fast time is flying!  We have been in Paris for 2 weeks now, which means we only have 2 weeks left.  I feel like there is so much left to do in such a short period of time.  However, looking back on the past 2 weeks, I am amazed at what I have seen and accomplished so far.  I'm going to continue where I left off, so here goes!

Vendredi 8 Juillet 2011 (Friday, July 8, 2011)
Friday was a very long day for the PAA students.  We had lectures beginning at 9am that went until 5:30pm with only an hour break for lunch.  The lectures were interesting since they were introductions on the different classes we will be taking in our final weeks at the University.  We had an introduction to the other types of shibori and nunofelting we will be doing in our surface design class.  We also had an introduction to making hats and working with feathers.  I found out that we are taking a hat-making class with Jean-Pierre Tritz, who is the milliner for Jean Paul Gaultier.  After the lectures, we decided to take a trip to le Louvre.  Since we took our time getting ready and were exhausted, we got there later than expected and only had about an hour and a half to walk around the museum.  We saw the mummy exhibition and the renaissance artwork.  Since we are students, it is free admission to le Louvre, so we are planning to go back another day to visit the many other wings.  After le Louvre, we walked to a carnival that was in town with our new friends we made in Paris.  We walked around, played a couple games and ate ice cream.  It was actually a really great experience because you could see the Eiffel Tower from the carnival.  If the Ferris wheel wasn't so expensive, I'm sure the view would have been great!  The carnival was a great ending to a very mentally exhausting day.

Samedi 9 Juillet 2011 (Saturday, July 9, 2011)
At 9:30 Saturday morning, we departed for the Palace of Versailles.  When we got there at 11:00, the "musical fountains" had begun.  At this AMAZING palace, there are gardens for acres on top of acres of land with many different fountains hiding in a maze of hedges and flowers.  During the musical fountains part of the day, all the fountains are turned on and running while classical music is played throughout the palace grounds.  We were able to eat lunch at a tiny cafe on the palace property.  It was a beautiful setting, however since the temperature was in the low 60s, we chose to eat inside.  In the middle of the day, we took a tour of the huge palace itself and were able to see many, many rooms.  I was surprised how colorful each room was as well as the attention to detail on furniture, paintings, design, etc.  There was also another thing that caught my eye: marble.  The entire palace was covered in marble panels, whether it be on the walls, the floors, or random statues  throughout the royal home.  I guess inspiration really does come when you are not looking for it because I was completely inspired by the color palate, texture, look, and patterns of the marble.  I took probably too many pictures of this inspiration to hopefully use as a basis of my collection in the near future.

In front of the main fountain at Versailles

Under the trellis in the garden maze

Reflection photo in the hall of mirrors

After the tour, we walked to the Grand Trinon on the complete other side of the grounds from the castle.  In this small getaway for Kings Louis XIV, XV, & XVI, there was a fashion exhibit held that displayed what modern designers would expect for Marie Antoinette to wear in modern times.  The exhibit included designers such as Alexander McQueen.  It was extremely interesting to see a modern twist on historical fashion, especially dating back to the 18th century.























Dimanche 10 Juillet 2011 (Sunday, July 10, 2011)
We had a free day on Sunday and took full advantage of it; we went shopping!!  We found a mall right outside of Paris that had stores that carry trendy products at reasonable prices.  The sales in July also help the whole shopping process a lot because you are able to find bargains.  I bought an adorable pair of shoes at a store named andre.  I  also bought a pair of pants and a blouse to go with them because it is a lot cooler here than I expected while I was packing.  After the mall, we went out for our first real French dinner.  The rumors are true:  it is very small portions and very expensive.  The menu selections were odd and I didn't really want to try anything too crazy, like tartar.  We did, however, split a fantastic bottle of wine between the three of us.  Since the food was not enough to get rid of our hunger, we walked down near the Luxembourg Gardens and had some of the most amazing ice cream I have ever eaten.  We will definitely be having another taste of that before we leave!

Lundi 11 Juillet 2011 (Monday, July 11, 2011)
The morning lecture was optional, and four hours long, so Laura, Brittany, and I decided to go to breakfast instead and have a relaxing morning.  Don't worry- we didn't miss anything!  After my omelette and cappuccino, we left on the bus for Interfiliere Paris, which was a textile and merchandise show for buyers of fabrics as well as buyers for store lines.  The theme for this show was swimwear and the beach 2012.  The event was held in a convention center and had many, many vendors.  At 3:00 there was a swimwear fashion show.  The show lasted a half-hour and we left directly afterwards.  To be completely honest, I was not very impressed with this show.  I feel that it was over-choreographed, which was distracting.  The pieces shown in the show, however, were beautiful.  On our way back to the apartment, we stopped and did some more shopping where I hit the jackpot on a really unique dress.  After a quick stop at the grocery store, we went home and had a relaxing evening.

Mardi 12 Juillet 2011 (Tuesday, July 12, 2011)
We began our Tuesday morning with Sharon at our shibori class.  We did a different kind of shibori where you have the option to scrunch, clamp, or wrap the fabric to create different patterns.  I decided to scrunch my fabric and die it in beige, mauve, brown, and sage green.  When I originally finished with my scarf, I was not very happy with it.  I had mixed all the colors to the correct value, but the shade, however, was way too dark.  Sharon helped me fix it with a few discharge baths and I am now extremely pleased with the way it turned out.  Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of it right now, but I will post them as soon as they become available to me.  We ended the day with our couture techniques class, in which we are continuing to work on our Mme. Gres dresses.  As far as I can tell, and understand in French, we are right on track and should be finished for the photo shoot at the end of the program.  When we went back to the apartment, we cooked a nice dinner and had another relaxing night.  This seems to be the theme on nights before school days.

The two shibori scarves I made

Finally!!!!!
Mercredi 13 Juillet 2011 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)
Today!!
Today we had our hat-making class with Jean-Pierre Tritz!  We began the day with learning to make felt hats.  There is a process which stiffens the fabric, then another process to stretch the fabric, then a third to mold it into the shape you want it to end up.  After lunch, we learned how to make sisal hats (straw hats).  Now these hats aren't like cowboy hats;  they are more like fashion head-pieces.  Monsieur Tritz taught us how to cut and pleat the straw to begin the process, but then we had free range for whatever we wanted to do for the design of our hats.  This was an odd concept for me, only because the entire program thus far has had step-by-step boundaries for everything we make or learn.  Having complete control over the design of this hat was very relieving and almost therapeutic.  There is something about being able to truly express yourself that is comforting for me, especially in design.  After we worked on the sisal hats, Jean-Pierre took us to a hat shop that he either works at, owns, or just shops at all the time.  He knew exactly where everything was and even cut our fabric and helped us at the cash register.  His position at this store was never made completely clear.  At the hat store, we were able to buy fabrics and trims to embellish our hats in our next class with him.
After coming to the apartment after the store and making dinner once again (past with meatballs and a side salad... yummmmmmmmm), we went to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, which is 2 days before it is released in the United States.  The theater was extremely crowded and the only viewing left was 3D, but the movie was outstanding!  I would definitely like to see it again and I recommend that everyone at home see it as soon as possible if you have been following the series.

After the past week, you can probably tell that I am exhausted.  The good news is that I get to sleep in tomorrow on the first weekday in 2 weeks!  We have class tomorrow from 1pm to 6:30pm and then we leave for the Bastille Day river cruise a few hours after class.  So to everybody, HAPPY BASTILLE DAY, or as the French recognize it, Happy 14th of July!!  I will update soon, especially now that I'm all caught up!

From Paris,
         With Love,
                  Amanda

le 10 juillet 2011

     Wow!  I can't believe I've already been in Paris for a week!  Time is flying by, but I guess that's what happens when you are busy and having the time of your life!  In my last post, I was getting ready to work the Dany Atrache fashion show at the Ritz.  The Ritz was by far one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever been.  The hallways were filled with display cases of Dior, Goultier, Chanel, Cartier, and many more high-end designers.  Everywhere you turned there were HUGE fresh floral arrangements that smelled wonderful.  The fashion show was held in a courtyard at the Ritz.  While the designer may not be very personable, he is extremely talented!  His gowns were all absolutely amazing.  It was a haute couture show with 37 pieces.  All the garments had an extreme amount of detailing, from beading to sequins, from crystals to lace, and beyond.  Each model had only one dresser and 3 garments to wear on the runway.  Since I was a dresser, I was able to go behind the scenes to see the models get their hair and make-up done, do a run-through, and see the garments up close before they hit the runway.  The anticipation of dressing 3 looks for the show by myself was more than intimidating.  The garments were all so beautiful and delicate that I was nervous to even touch them, even more to dress them (especially when the models are in stilettos that can easily rip tulle and lace).  All said and done, the show was a success!  Dressing was an amazing experience filled with a lot of adrenaline and excitement.  To celebrate the successful show, some of the PAA girls went out to dinner at a small French restaurant, then returned home to relax for the rest of the night.  

Me with my model from Romania, Diana,
at Dany Atrache

On the morning of Thursday, July 7, we went to an art/fashion exhibit by a modern artist, Hussein Chalayan.  While the actual construction of the pieces were quite outstanding in some cases and his creativity was undoubtedly present, the actual exhibit and the concept of the pieces was a little to "out there" for me.  In my opinion, Chalayan is more of an artist than a fashion designer.  He uses fashion as a medium to express other, deeper thoughts and ideas about life and reality.  Unfortunately, I do not have any photos since we were not allowed to take pictures in the exhibit.  I guess you just have to trust me on this one....

After the Chalayan exhibit, we had a class with a new professor that is actually from Missouri.  She taught us the dyeing technique called shibori.  Shibori can be called "tie-dye", but it is a lot more professional than what you think of normally, such as the hippie t-shirts with rainbow colors.  To learn the technique, we made scarves in the colors we wanted on a piece of silk.  Sharon is an AMAZING professor.  She is extremely passionate about what she does and is really fun to work with.  When making the shibori, we dyed the silk in a base color first, then wrapped and pleated it around a wine bottle.  After that, we discharged the outside color that is not in the pleats, painted it with more colors, and left it to dry.  I will finally get to see what my completed scarf looks like on Tuesday!

After the pretty color was discharged
 (not on the outside anymore)

After "cooking" the scarves in the microwave

Completed scarves left to dry for the weekend
(mine is in the middle)

Well, it is 2 AM in Paris right now, so I will post about the rest of my weekend adventures tomorrow.  I still cannot believe this is reality right now.  I am having an amazing time and cannot wait to see what else I learn!  Bonne Nuit!

Update Coming Soon!!

Bonjour everyone!  I just wanted to quickly say that I haven't forgotten to update; the past few days have just been extremely busy for all of the Paris American Academy students!  This means that when I do update, there will be a LOT of new information on my experiences in Paris, so far.

I will post tomorrow since we have a free day.  A domain!!

Amanda

le 6 juillet 2011

It does not seem like it has been 3 days since I have posted, but I guess it has.  We have been pretty busy the past couple days.  After couture techniques class on Tuesday, we worked the Alexis Mabille fashion show.  We helped put the name tags on the chairs for the guests and then help seat the guests as they arrived.  This event was by invitation only.  As all fashion shows do, it started about 30 minutes late.  There seemed to be some very famous guests in attendance.  Photographers, who were also invited, were taking many pictures of a select few people.  Although the seating arrangement and coordination of the logistics of the show seemed very unorganized, the show itself was executed perfectly.  Mabille's looks were flawless and very inspiring.  After the show, we got to meet and take a picture with Alexis Mabille himself.  We also got to meet and take a picture with Miss Jay Alexander, who was in attendance.

Creation by Alexis Mabille

PAA Girls with Miss Jay Alexander

Yesterday (Tuesday), we started our day by going with a professor to a few fabric and sewing supply stores.  Since the fabric market was very close to socre-coeur, we took the journey up the 250 steps again the the beautiful church and view.  Every July, Paris has a huge sale that lasts the entire month with every store having between 30% and 70% off their items.  The fabric stores also participate in this event.  In only the short period of time we were given to shop for / look at fabrics, I found a few pieces that caught my eye.  At the end of the day, I bought 4 fabrics (cut into 3 meters each) for 20 euros all together.  It was the deal of the century!  I just have to watch how much fabric I am going to bring home because I learned from just the walk back to my apartment just how heavy fabric really is.

Today, we had class in the morning.  Thankfully, we have time to take a nap now and then we are working a fashion show tonight at 7 dressing the models during the show.  I'm kind of nervous about dressing... it's a lot of responsibility!  I'm sure everything will be fine though.

That's all for now!  Thank you for thinking of me and following me on my trip!

le 3 juillet 2011

Bonjour!  Yesterday I had my first sewing class.  We began constructing a replica of a dress designed by Mme. Gres.  Everything is done by hand and the pleating must be very precise.  We are working with a synthetic jersey material, which is very delicate.  After class, the girls and I went exploring a little and wound up eating dinner at a sushi restaurant.  Yes, my first meal out in France was Japanese!  It was very good.  One thing I noticed that is very different between Paris and Illinois is that it does not get dark in the summer here until about 10:30 or 11 PM.  You really lose track of time when it is still very sunny when you probably should be sleeping.  On the way back to the apartments, we got lost for a solid 2 hours.  Luckily, everyone we asked for directions were very helpful and we got home safely.

                                                                                         View from a window at school

                                                                                           Work In Progress

This morning, we had a bus tour from 8:30 to 1.  We visited the Eiffel Tower, where I enjoyed a crepe and cappuccino.  Since we only had 15 minutes there, we will be going back very soon.  The tour also showed us many other historical monuments and places to go see, such as le Bastille and le Louvre.  We also took a tour around the Golden Triangle, starting on Champs Elyse, which is the most prestigious street for shopping in Paris.  We were given instructions that in order to go shopping and visit these stores, we are to dress "chic" and go in to the stores with no more than 3 people together.  We have the rest of the evening to ourselves, so we may go back to the Eiffel Tower or visit some markets if they are still open.  Tomorrow, we begin French class at 8am.  We then have couture class to continue working on our Mme Gres dresses, immediately followed by working a fashion show we were invited to.  So far, Paris has exceeded my expectations.  We are extremely busy with school, but we also do have a lot of free time.  It's really not too disappointing to be in class in the middle of Paris, working on the 4th floor with the windows wide open looking out at a gorgeous church built by the mother of Louis XIV.  The atmosphere creates a lot of motivation and inspiration.  Until next time!    

Bonjour!

I could barely sleep last night, kept up with excitement and nerves about going to Paris today.  I was actually packed and ready to go on time.  Brian, Momma and I picked up Ashlee and headed to the airport (without Thelma...).  A quick check-in and a tearful "see you soon" and I was on my way.  My first flight was to Philadelphia and it went smoothly, but arrived a little late to the airport.  After a long sprint to the international gate, we JUST made our connecting flight to Paris.  Our Paris flight arrived about 30 minutes earlier than expected at 7:15 AM Paris time (12:30 AM home time).  It is now 12:15 PM and I am EXHAUSTED from not sleeping on the plane for reasons too small to even mention.  What really matters is that I'm safe and in my cute little Parisian apartment with Laura, relaxing with the windows wide open and the cool 60 degree air blowing in.  The other 3 Dominican girls are right down the hall, so we can all be close together.  I will post more pictures later tonight, but here is my view right now.  Enjoy!

P.S.  I miss everyone already!! 

The AMAZING view from our apartment