Jenna Richards

January 19, 2007

            If there ever was a sign that an event was going to go off without a hitch, we were given that sign at the beginning of our study tour to London and Paris.  Upon checking in at the airport we were bumped up to business class.  From this moment on, things only got better.  We were lucky to have the once in a life time opportunities regarding the textile and fashion industry, as well as a lesson in world culture.  Throughout these appointments and visits there was not only a great deal to be learned and absorbed, but also allowed for reflection on our past experiences as TMD students at URI, in our related work experience, and our futures.

            Prudence made for a fabulous first appointment in London.  She animatedly spoke about her position as a milliner for the likes of Yves St. Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Gucci, and Lacoste.  Because she both designs and makes the hats, Prudence is considered a “premiere man”.  She began her career in the fashion industry as a buyer; however it was not long before she realized that her calling was to something much more creative.  Prudence trained to be a milliner with a woman named Rose, taught by Rudolf, for seven years before she was allowed to go off on her own.  Interestingly, she made her designer contacts early in her career by placing a call or two to the designers themselves.  She stated that in London and Paris that is much easier to do, and is a more accepted practice, than in the States, where one would never get through to the actual designer.  Prudence’s story of her career path was very comforting.  This is because at this point we are making decisions of what we want to do when we graduate and are not really sure if the grand plan is going to work out.  It is nice to have a positive example of someone changing her career direction yet being successful. 

            The Zandra Rhodes appointment was an adventure even before we arrived to the destination.  Getting to this appointment was a challenge in tube, street, and taxi navigation.  However, we prevailed and made it through the dodgey end of London to hear the presentation.  Ben, the  Zandra Rhodes designer, shared with us many printed fabrics created by the company.  Not only did he show us samples of garments, he allowed some students to try them on!  It was extremely inspirational to be in a working studio.  Being a designer myself, I could completely relate to the chaos in the designing area of the studio and thought that it looked like a great place to hunker down and design. 

Victoria and Albert Museum included a wide variety of textiles and fashion for us to see.  One of the first things I learned here was the term “black work”.  This refers to embroidery done in black thread.  The black work exhibit we saw was circa 1575-85, a time when this technique was popular.  Further on in the museum there was a mantua or court dress (1740-45) on display.  These wide hoops never cease to amaze me.  Finally, we went through the sixties exhibit.  Zandra Rhodes was included in this exhibit, and because we had just seen her some of her latest work, it was exciting to see things she had done previously and how she evolved.

Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived was the next stop on our London visit.  Here we saw Mario Testino’s special exhibit of Princess Diana.  Testino’s photographs were beautiful and really did show Princess Diana as a person, not just as a celebrity.  Included in this exhibit was a selection of her gowns. Also at  Kensington Palace was one of the Queen’s gowns.  This dress had intricate beading all over it.  Even more interesting still was that one of the women who worked on the gown was there giving a beading demonstration.  

            Our visit to Angel Costumiers enabled us to see a different area of fashion.  This company is one of the dominating costume suppliers in the world today.  Angel Costumiers provides accurate historical and present day garb for major motion pictures, theater, and even costume parties.  They have an incredible quantity of costumes, and our tour guide explained that their largest genre is military costumes.  This is because during the world wars the company acted as a supplier of British military uniform.  They even have a stock room dedicated solely to the insignia for all the uniforms, including world wide military uniforms.  We also were very privileged to see original costumes for the film Marie Antoinette.  Although the collection of costumes was extremely impressive, I was most interested in the first part of our visit, which consisted of a tour of the tailoring and alterations division of the company, as well as a talk from one of the head tailors. Because I have taken sewing and patternmaking here at URI in addition to creating clothing as a hobby, I really could appreciate that amount of hard work that the tailors must put into each costume.  Working in an environment such as Angel Costumiers was not something I had previously thought of as a career path; however, after our visit, I have taken an interest in the field.  At the end of our tour, the guide mentioned to contact her if anyone was interested in the possibility of doing a short internship /work study at Angel Costumiers and I am considering doing so to learn more about the opportunity.

            Alain Lalou was the first appointment in Paris .  Monsieur Lalou creates couture wedding gowns.  Most people would say that he is a bridal wear designer, but he specifically indicated that his job is to create.  One thing that must be said for Lalou is that he is very passionate about his work and fashion in general.  In addition to speaking about his own business endeavors and background, Lalou spoke about his theories relating to fashion.  One thing he discussed was the “Spirit of the Time” which was a familiar phrase to most of us because it is a concept that we studied in both TMD 224 and TMD 240.  This appointment was particularly exciting for me because I work as a bridal consultant.  After dealing with the retail side, it was interesting to hear the designer’s point of view on bridal wear.

            The Yves St. Laurent appointment was a chance in a lifetime.  The foundation archives included a large majority of Yves St. Laurent’s couture samples, which we would never have been able to see on our own.  I was able to recognize some of these pieces because of TMD 240.  The Mondrian dress had the most impact because it is such a famous piece.  I could not believe I was seeing the original sample!  The samples we saw created a tangible historic timeline because each piece had a significant representation of the time period it was designed in.  This had a much bigger impact in person than reading about it in textbooks.

            Watching the draping demonstration in Paris was riveting.  First we were shown how to make a 4 piece bustier.  I could not believe how quickly she was able to drape it and still have it turn out so well.  After this demonstration, we met Madame Pico, who worked for Madame Gres.  In TMD 240 I was introduced to Madame Gres’ work.  This made the visit even more interesting because I had a background on who she was as a designer and recognized her work.  To make one of the dresses we saw it took between 250 and 300 hours to produce.  This is due to all of the tiny pleating, done by hand, that is Madame Gres’ signature look.  After watching the process of accomplishing this pleating, this was very evident.  I was also very interested in the silk organza bodice base on display that was an original of Madame Gres.  This appointment made me especially excited to take draping in the spring semester. 

            In Paris , we visited two museums.  The Musee d’Orsay was our first.  Viewing Degas’ artwork was the highlight of my visit here.  Musee d’Orsay has quite the collection of his dancer paintings, which are my favorite pieces of art.  Second we went to the Louvre, which is one of those places you just can not miss when you visit Paris .  As cliché as it sounds, seeing the Mona Lisa was one of the best experiences here.  Even though it is so small and there is so much hype surrounding it, the painting commands your attention.  I stood in front of that piece of art for a very long time, my eyes completely fixated on it.  I also really enjoyed seeing the Winged Victory of Samothrace.  This sculpture was found on a Greek island in 1863 by a Frenchman and brought to France .  Even though it is missing its head and arms, which I learned is common to statues of this time period because they are the most fragile components I still find it extremely beautiful.  This piece of art moved me and was a new source of inspiration which enabled me to refresh some of my designs for the fashion shows this year.  In hindsight, it is interesting that the things I learned that have nothing to do with fashion still somehow worked their way into my fashion world. 

            The Balenciaga exhibit was a phenomenal display.  I found the collars on many of the garments to be really intriguing.  They were very unconventional and a lot of them were asymmetrical.  As with many of the exhibits, it was easy to see how current fashion pulls from the past at the Balenciaga exhibit.  A good example of this is the bubble skirt.  Within the past year they have been very popular, yet Balenciaga created them years ago.  At the beginning we were told to keep an eye out for the use of black lace.  I did so, and noticed that he used a lot of it, however it was very well done.  Overall I was very impressed with this exhibit.

            The word gorgeous sums up my feelings on Versailles .  I saw the movie Marie Antoinette so I knew sort of what to expect and was extremely excited.  However, the film did not do the place justice in the slightest.  Touring the palace felt like stepping back in time.  My favorite room in the palace was the theater where Marie Antoinette first clapped for the actors.  Seeing the grounds where Marie Antoinette created her own world was like stepping into someone’s fairy tale.  It was enchanting.  I especially loved that there were buildings that were there for the sole purpose of taking a rest and drinking hot beverages.  That is the life!  

            Experiencing London and Paris is unforgettable on its own; however, visiting these cities and being able to meet with people in the fashion industry presents knowledge and opportunity that can not be gained through any other manner.  This trip was an amazing experience, and I would recommend everyone to do it.  I feel extremely lucky to have had this fantastic opportunity.