here is all of us out to dinner
Tuesday morning was our first day of industry visits in Florence. They began with our trip to Angela Caputi. She was the most adorable woman to meet. Angela Caputi is a bijoux (made from resin and plastic) fashion jewelry designer. You could see the passion about her work as she spoke to us. A part of this visit that was most interesting to me was that Angela Caputi follows her products from production to delivery. All products are made and shipped right from her store in Florence. Her main reason behind that was Angela Caputi wants to keep the personal aspect of her company the most important and then everything else will come second. Another part of this visit that I found intriguing was that she started to sell her pieces in places other than Italy first. This was a way to get her name out there. Italy then came in a second phase were she was now already known to them and word of mouth advertising grew from there. Afterwards we went into the room where women sit and make her jewelry by hand. All of Angela's creations are made this way. Then we were able Do what girls do best, shop. Her designs and pieces are all one of a kind and unique. Lastly the words of wisdom she gave us, "..find your strengths, and trust yourself."
out visit with Angela Caputi
some of her beautiful handmade creations
Directly after this industry visit, the 72 hour madness began. Upon arrival in Florence we were given Firenze cards. It was like a fast pass to cut all of the lines at six flags, but instead of rides, you had access to over 60 different museums in Florence. Mission accepted! First my group and I decided to go to the Piti Palace. This one large palace held six different exhibits. I went into four of them, the Galleria Palatina, the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, the Galleria del Costume, and the Gardino di Boboli. The renaissance paintings that were in these exhibits were really helpful when piecing together my art vs. fashion that was due. The similarities between old paintings, sculptures and architecture can directly correlate to the design details and fashion currently. Afterwards my group and I went to the Galleria degli Uffizi. This museum had incredible statues lining the hallways. At one point it almost felt as if they were going to come to life. Next my group and I went to the Palazzo Vecchio. My favorite part of Italy so far is the beautiful architecture, and Palazzo Vecchio is definitely in the running for first. You walk into a gigantic room with what seemed like three story ceilings and murals that covered the walls. Upstairs at the Palazzo Vecchio was a beautiful balcony that overlooked Florence. It was completely breathtaking. The next day we went to the Museo Galileo. Which is the science museum. Now you might ask what does that have to do with fashion, nothing. This was a museum my group and I decided would be a breathe of fresh air and just something fun to do.
my group for the museums
view from the Boboli Gardens
Thursday we were all thrown into the fashion industry full force when we got passes to Pitti Uomo and W. Pitti Uomo is the world's most important trade show for men's clothing and accessory collections and for launching new projects in men's fashion. Pitti W is dedicated to experimental anf innovative projects in women's fashion. Here were were able to walk around and experience a more behind the scenes view of the fashion industry. Everyone walking around was dressed with impeccable taste. Companies displayed at Pitti were from all over the world. It gave us an inside look of global communications between everyone in the fashion industry.
Saying goodbye to Florence yesterday was tough. I was able to learn and take in so much in such a short, fast paced week. Back to Milan we go for yet another even crazier week, Men's Fashion Week!
The weekend before we arrived in Florence a few girls and I decided to take a day trip to Lake Como. Ever since I was little, it has been a dream destination of mine. I knew it was somewhere I couldn't leave Italy without going, and something that I definitely could not leave out of my blog. Going away from the city life of Milan for the day was a breath of fresh air. The girls and I had an amazing lunch right on the water, and then even went cliff jumping. This was one of the best non fashion experience so far!
from left to right: Lauren, Amy, Me, Carly, Kelsey, Mackenzie, Kim
our view from lunch
One week left in this country that is immersed in fashion, culture, and everything in between. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. Until the next post, ciao!
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