Final Map, Final Day

Before this trip we were assigned to create a map of what we thought Milan would be like based on what we already knew. My map had to be of pictures I found on the Internet and my knowledge of the culture was small. By immersing myself in the culture I was able to learn about a lot of new places.

This new map was created with my own pictures to show all of the places I visited and the culture that I saw. Some of my favorite places I visited were Piazza del Duomo, the offices of Italia Vogue, and Lake Como. All of the Italians have a great passion, confidence, love for dogs, great craftsmanship, and traditions.

I am so happy to have had this experience and the memories will last me a lifetime. There were some ugly parts of the culture such as the hagglers but for the most part Italy is a beautiful place! I would love to come back and all that there is still left to see!

The Last Supper

One of the most incredible masterpieces done by Leonardo da Vinci was the painting of The Last Supper. The painting is on the wall of the dining hall at the monastery, Santa Maria delle Grazie here in Milan. Only a certain amount of people are allowed in the room at a time after passing through different automated chambers to help preserve the painting.

The Last Supper is absolutely spectacular, as it was an experiment with dry paint, called a tempera forte technique, so that da Vinci could correct, change, or get any special chromatic effects as he worked. It was started in 1494 and wasn’t finished until 1498. Across the room was another mural done by artist Giovanni Donato da Montorfano in 1495. This mural is of Jesus’ Crucifixion and is called just that.

Both paintings are breath taking to look at and the room was filled with silence as we only had a limited amount of time to take it all in. Some restoration has been done and was finished in 1999. Although there are many theories that go along with this painting, it was still simply a masterpiece, which I am very lucky and fortunate to have seen in person.

As The Last Supper is known for its symbols and the end, tonight is our last dinner as a group. I am very fortunate to have met the people on this trip and hope to continue the friendships I have made. All great things come to an end eventually and soon this trips time is up.

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper from jamesmaybe.com

Santa Maria della Grazie

Conquered Goals

Before coming to Italy, I told myself that I would take in the culture in every way possible. I would try new foods, listen to new music, and enjoy the new culture around me. Once I was here I had goals of getting red pants, as that has been a major trend I was noticing. With all of the shopping I have done, that has been a success after finally getting the right size!

Red pant trend during Fashion Week

Another thing I noticed in all of the Italians was the confidence they have in everything they do. They dress how they feel and keep their heads high. The women are able to walk in high heels on cobblestone streets and watching this daily, it became another goal of mine to conquer. The night of the Vladimiro Gioia event, I walked between places in the only pair of high heels I brought. (This is not including wedges) I did not trip, stumble, or need to hold onto anyone, but I did go slower than usual.

Always fashionable in high heels

I have learned a lot about the Italian culture but also about myself. This trip has shown me that I love the fashion industry and can’t wait to start my career in it. I consider myself hardworking and determined in anything I start.  I have taken in all of the great advice I have been given here and will apply it to how I move forward in the public relations field. I want to come back in the future, but I know no matter how many times I come back, I will never be able to see all there is to see in Italy!

Where It All Begins

Instituto Secoli is a design school in Milan that was “born from the industry” says Stefano Secoli, the President of the school. The school started in 1934 for people that were working and held classes on nights and Saturdays. They have classes for everything of design and production as they built their foundation. Soon students were coming right after finishing high school and with this growth, the school focuses the classes on seeing what the industry needs now.

Stefano talked with us about the two different sides of the fashion industry. Although fashion is the trends, quality, details, and uniqueness of the clothes, fashion also is broken into atelier and industry. Atelier is the haute couture of the fashion industry, this is the side that very distinct pieces are seen as they are hand made and made to measure. Industry side is also known as the prêt-a-porter or ready-to-wear mass market.

Fashion shows are very important in this industry because no one has seen the collection yet. This is to show the collection in a way so that no one can copy ahead of time. With haute couture, the same people that produce the show produce the garment you choose to buy. This is very different from the ready-to-wear collections.

After the fashion show, orders from buyers are taken. Patterns and directions are sent to outside factories where they are produced for the stores. During this change of hands, a lot of information can be lost or misinterpreted. Italians are very good at keeping open communication because of a tradition they have. In the past, Italian designers were born from a production company such as a factory, so they understand both sides of the situation.

To fashion students, what he was saying was simple and clear-cut. He didn’t make anything complicated, but instead he put a different spin on it than we are used to. We are fashion business majors and we learn about the marketing and buying end of fashion. It was interesting and nice to hear about fashion from instead a designer’s perspective. He left us with advice of not being afraid of the future, but instead be in the present. To me this is very valuable, I have always tried to focus on the present and enjoy where I am when I am there. That is something I encourage everyone to do with their lives.

Vita della Moda: Hole in the Wall Treasures

For our last cultural mission, we were sent to find four different stores. These stores were not on the main streets and instead were down the side streets in little holes. The first store Angela Caputi Giuggiu had hand made jewelry from Florence. The store also had handbags and hats all made of natural materials. The jewelry was big and chunky with bright colors.

The second store was Venini; here we found hand made glass furnishings that were all made in Veroni. Even with the stores long history and tradition, the pieces were all very unique and modern. The colors were bright and shined with the artistic and innovative designs.

The third store was the Lisa Corti textile store. The store had fabrics that were hand crafted in India and then designed and turned into clothing, bedding, bags, and accessories in Italy. In the back of the store there was a design studio and sewing machines. The store was very bright with all of the different patterns and the hand-painted floors were just as unique as the merchandise.

The last store was Bellora, a bed and bath store. The color theme was pastels and the key furniture pieces were painted white. All of the products are made from an Italian company, however the classic pieces are produced in Turkey. The main material being used throughout the store was wood and cotton.

As a group we discussed why we would be sent to these very different stores. We saw a couple major themes as we moved from each store. The colors were captivating and the quality was always top notch. The atmosphere of each store was fun and inviting while also having a homey feel. Although not all of the products were made in Italy, the stores still had the complete pride in their handcrafted pieces that Italian merchants have always had.

As we enter the industry, these stores reminded us of the two main factors that impact the fashion industry. Quality and uniqueness are what helps products stand out against the standard designer labels. As we have learned in classes, this industry is very competitive. These stores all have specialized products and in order to be as successful they have to be different in the experience that they give their customer along with the product. This allows the stores to be distinct in their categories within the industry. From this we can take the same mentality and make ourselves stand out against our competition as we grow in our chosen fields.

If any of these stores were to come to the United States, they would be successful. They offer the customer quality and style that Americans are looking for. As some of these stores are small, they would present their customers exclusivity within the American market. We are glad we got to see these four hole in the wall stores and grow from the experience.

All about Passion & Quality

White Sposa has grown immensely over the past years. They started as a small-unknown bridal magazine, with an English name in Italy and are now one of the top magazines in the bridal industry. Their office is intimate, holding only a few full time employees and the rest as freelance. Editor-in-chief Simona Polli mentioned, just as other industry professionals have, that everyone in the office works together. They may have a title or rules to follow, but the rules are broken and everyone works extremely hard together. Fashion editor, Elena Todros then said, “to work in a team is very important, it is the philosophy of the magazine in a way.”

The magazine lives, or is paid by, the advertisements it holds, instead of like other magazines that live for the sales from the newsstand. It started with four issues a year, however because of the economy, designers and companies couldn’t pay for advertisements four times a year. The magazine then had to drop to three issues a year because they were unwilling to sacrifice their quality, to have the four issues and their clients thank them.

The magazine is always looking for ways they can grow. They organize 25 exhibitions each year that are open to the public, they help clients with fashion shows, and offer brides not only gown advice but also advice on the right the wedding planner, gifts, and location. As the total package, White Sposa has been in Russian boutiques and is the first Italian magazine with a Japanese issue.

The magazine is different than any other I have picked up. The cover is beautiful, not only with the editorial picture, but with the clean lines and shapes, the texture of the embossed elements, and the stiffness of the paper. These pieces of quality are continued throughout the magazine. There aren’t any cutout collages or flimsy pages; each magazine has great quality to it, like a book that is trying to tell a story. They believe that less is more and the sophistication in the layout shows.

Seeing the way White Sposa is run and being able to now compare it to Vogue Italia, the magazine business is very exciting. You are a little bit of everything in the fashion industry. You are a trend forecaster as you decided the upcoming issues theme; you are a stylists when discussing the layout and photo shoot; you are in public relations with the events that are held; you are an editor and journalist; and you are a designer in the sense that you make something from nothing and sell it.

I have always loved creating layouts like a magazine when I was in high school on the yearbook committee. The advisor there let us grow and expand anyway we wanted which led me to being the Editor for two years before I graduated. As we talked to Polli and Todros, their passion shined through and reminded me of the same passion I had for the layouts. I remember the hard work and dedication that is necessary to produce top quality and White Sposa has both. I would love to work in a PR department for a magazine so I can have both of my passions under one roof.

Special packaging for White Sposa clients

Info packet designed for JWU & the latest issue, The British Issue

When In Milan, Do As The Milanese

One of the main ways to travel around the different cities around Italy is with a bike. Milan has different stations opened that you can rent a bike for your commute to work, an appointment, or just for fun. This was a cultural thing I wanted to soak in and with a group we looked into how to go about renting a bike for a little stroll.

Instead of just putting cash into the station, taking the bike around, and returning it, the process was much more! We had to travel by Metro to an ATM station. The ATM’s here allow people the get Metro passes for long periods of time as well as the codes for the bikes. Through some broken English we had our codes and passwords and were on our way back to the bikes.

We unlocked the bikes and after some shaky starts, we were on our way. The city is so beautiful on the bikes, as we rode around the Sforza Castle and through Sempione Park. There were many people out so we careful not to run into anyone. It was a beautiful day and a great experience. It may seem like such a small task, riding a bike, but to have the experience, it put a small part of the city into a completely different perspective that made it shine.

Me bike riding

Sempione Park

Station to rent bikes