Monki Summer ''11

Swedish retailer, Monki uses whimsical photos in their Summer 2011 lookbooks. You can see the whole  look book here

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Today, I felt like being a bit creative, so I made my way to the computer lab for some fun with Photoshop- and the above image is what I came out with (along with some roses too! but they aren't done yet). I have a project in my fashion graphics class thats due in a couple of weeks, so I am trying to get it done ahead of time. Its going to be a brochure about my "swimwear brand" (hypothetical but will happen one day!)- Sea Sage, its its Summer 2011 lookbook. It is going to include collages, sketches and the brands philosophy. I am pretty excited about this project!

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I made the above image today in graphics class, I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to put it up! Our professor showed the class this technique of selecting areas and pasting pictures into the selected area- it creates a really unique look.

 In class I used some of my swimwear sketches to create a lifelike bathing suit, it was exciting to see my sketches come to life. This technique is my new favourite- when I do some more images I will post them :)
We also booked our hotel for Cagliari- 16 more days!

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The picture above is one of the exercises that I did today in my fashion graphics class. We took a stock image and had to transform it however we liked....and I am pretty happy with the turn out! I think I will start to use photoshop more to make patterns and designs for material, and eventually get some fabric done (another thing on my endless list of things to do..)

Easter break is tomorrow and I am off to Munich around noon, however I have to take the train from Florence to Pisa (about an hour away) to catch my flight. As I am not really one for trains and the most trains that I have experienced in my life are the subways in NYC...this is a bit different. I am pretty sure the train station hates me already. Before my afternoon class I decided to take a trip over to the train station to purchase my ticket in advance and figure out the station. Well upon arriving at the self checkout booth, I couldn't understand how to select my ticket- as there was no date displayed for the train times. Slightly getting frustrated, I decided to give up and return later.

I returned with my friend Caro. We made our way to the self checkout booth, first one- jammed, second one-jammed...third one- took my money.

lovely!

So we had to stand inline for almost an hour to get a refund and purchase the ticket behind the counter. Finally I got my ticket for tomorrow, and with my luck the trains are going to strike or something...

I am not bringing my computer, so until the 30th of April- there isn't going to be any new posts :)

happy easter to everyone!

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So today could technically be considered the "first" day of classes- we were supposed to have two classes: Fashion Graphics and Fashion Time Management (however the later one got cancelled and moved to tomorrow, unlucky for us- classes tomorrow will now go from 10 am- 6pm). To start things off, we got our login information and a virtual tour of the most crucial (or so I think) part of our course- Polimoda Servitzi. This site is where our schedules are and all the information for upcoming events and grades/tests, etc. To make things a bit more interesting, the computers are in Italian, which isnt that bad- as you can recognize most of the stuff and you know where to click out of habit.

Our first lesson started off with an intro to Photoshop. The professor went around the room and asked everyone their personal experience with the programs and I was a bit shocked to find that no one really had that much experience with the programs- as in college I had to take graphic design etc etc so I know the programs somewhat to pretty well. Anyhow the first exercise started off easy with cutting and pasting then re-colouring an image, and the teacher asked me to explain somethings to the class along the way (which if you know me- I really like to talk in-front of groups (urgh)- none the less..) . After the class was over we got to take a tour of the library (personally excited about), Polimoda's library is the best fashion library in Italy- and it could be one of the prettiest too! They have the newest fashion magazines, both mainstream and indie as well as tons of films, lookbooks, and extensive collections on designers. Upon entering the library, I immediately spotted the huge brightly coloured Pucci book and thought to myself that I will immediately be coming back after the day was over, to check it out.

We received our i.d cards and wi-fi passes and then were free to go- so I went back to the library to get some pictures and look at the Pucci book. I really wanted to check it out, however its about 600 pages and quite heavy, so judging from my already 10 pound bag that I was carrying- I might have to go back and rent it out.

Since we got out early, I decided to go into the Centre and walk around, as it was a nice and warm day. I looked through some stores and finally made my way into a bookstore, where I found a little Italian phrase book (which I ended up getting). My goal is to learn quite a bit of Italian as if you want to do an internship in Italy- you must know at least a B1 level (thats 200 hrs of Italian). Some girls in my group also want to learn, therefore we are probably going to get something together and begin the process. I find that my Italian is not bad, I can get the basics of what is being talked about, I just dont know how to respond!

The Centre was getting more crowed, so I decided to walk towards home. Since it was such a nice day I found a shady spot on one of the bridges. I sat there for half an hour or so attempting to read this Italian book, but it was hard to concentrate between the people walking by, horns honking, and people asking me for directions. I dont know why, me of all people they would want to ask, a) I dont look Italian, b) well basically a summed it up. The most interesting question I did get asked was- "where is the Hermes store?", or in Italian dove'e Hermes- the lady to whom which was asking looked shocked when I replied in English (guess I fooled them!). Lucky for her, I did know which direction it was :)