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.
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| In front of the main fountain at Versailles |
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| Under the trellis in the garden maze |
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| 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.
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| 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
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