garancedore.fr

I just want to say to everyone like me who chose slightly more complicated paths, the roads less traveled, the ones with lots of roadblocks and long stretches of anguish, I just want to say that the most important thing is to always be moving toward your desire. Just do the things that make you smile and you’ll always end up somewhere. Even if that place is not anywhere you’d imagined you’d be at the start.

-garance dore.

Last Weekend: Friday

laser machines that screen designs on fabric (up to an 8 color process)

the finishing factory

On Friday, Rosita (my advisor in the Program) took me to the nearby city of Prato, the center of textile production in Italy. Her family owns a finishing mill and her hilarious and generous brothers took us on a tour of the factory and explained the processes that go into finishing fabrics before the cut and sew process. There were denim tumblers that added texture to the material (think stone washing and softening), a machine covered in diamond heads that produced incredibly smooth silk, and even the bolts that will eventually become part of Louis Vuitton's Winter 2010-2011 handbag collection.

Afterwards we toured their friends' silkscreening factory where we watched them create colorful bolts of fabric from white bolts, learn about different effects that can be applied to fabrics, and watched the by-hand silkscreen process (the same one I used to create the first THE BEARON t-shirts!). He showed us fabrics like a cotton/viscose blend that when treated with soda water in a patterned design burned away the cotton, leaving only the viscose and creating a raised cotton design against the viscose background. Everyone was so kind and spent a great deal of time (and patience) as we asked questions and translated.

rows of silkscreens

the silkscreen process (the same one I did, launching THE BEARON!)

a cheetah print burn out technique

Then Rosita's wonderful brothers took us out for a delicious lunch. They warned that we were headed to a gas station but to trust them. We walked into the equivalent of a BP convenience store and there was a long table set for us with nine chairs. A few of their friends drove in to join us and we had a FEAST. There was antipasti and fresh bread, bottles of wine, sundried tomatoes, and the most delicious carbanara of my life. The pasta was made without cream, relying entirely on the flavors of the bacon, eggs, and oil. To Die For. You would never have guessed it from the surroundings, but we had a beautiful (definitely top 5 meals in Italy) afternoon, laughing and meeting new Italians, translating between broken English and my terribly broken Italian. It was incredible. Simply incredible.

Last Weekend

This weekend was my last weekend in the study abroad program. With exams and papers there's a lot to do, but it's painfully difficult to concentrate. Every moment on the last week is so exciting and bittersweet. I cannot wait to see my family and friends, eat chocolate chip cookies, and sit in front of the fireplace. But I will miss looking out my window at the Tuscany countryside (spoiled), my three delicious daily meals, speaking to people on the streets in Italian, and walking down the street surrounded by dapper older Italian men. This was an incredible opportunity and I am so thankful that I was able to spend my last weekend in Florence smiling, laughing, and standing in awe of how beautiful Florence in the springtime really is.

spring on the ponte vecchio.

my conversation heart said "relax"

one down.

two papers

four exams

to go.

also known as the countdown to capri.

miss, your italian is quite good.

just happened upon a store where I watched a gentleman

hand marble paper.

add that to the list of things I will miss in Bloomfield...

(he also told me that I spoke Italian very well.

probably explains why I didn't walk

away empty handed. sucker...)

Cinque Terre.

Take that, Mom and Dad. Now I've been to the Mediterranean too!

(I was sooo jealous not to be included in that trip...)

After pouring over my parents pictures from Greece, I finally found myself on the coast of the Mediterranean this weekend, hiking Cinque Terre, the stretch of 5 cities, connected by 4 trails, in the north east of Italy. It was definitely physically trying- It's moments like that when I wonder how I made it through 3 hour swim practices for so many years. The trails were beautiful but extremely difficult. Thankfully we conquered the 2 most challenging (think thin trails with no guards from the cliff side, "stairs" that are really just uneven levels of loose rocks and dirt, and an excessive amount of boulders chillin like villains in the middle of the paths...) paths first. The remaining 2 were much more flat, and at the end of it all, there was truffle pasta with fresh shrimp and a bottle of crisp white wine waiting for me. GREAT SUCCESS. (so outdoorsy...)

*I'm telling you, if you're going to do something really physically challenging, I highly recommend having a delicious meal to look forward to. Of course, the stops in each city along the way didn't hurt. My favorite was the 2nd city, where we sunbathed, ate lunch on the rocks, and even took a (very quick and VERY COLD) dip in the Mediterranean.

With views like these, it almost made me forget how exhausted I was. Of course that was until my body reminded me early Saturday morning. ouch.

The Lost Photos from Venice

purely awkward, pretending that's my boat.

at the top of the bell tower

in da zone. (incredible meal, floating on the canal...

I have a soft spot for floating restaurants)

from the lens of molly sparrow.

i miss you friend.

disclaimer: I have incredible friends. I am so blessed to have such kind, generous, sarcastic, and fabulous people in my life. Crist sent me this message on my birthday and I just had to share.

*

so against writing this on your wall...

I love you more than rabbit hair hats and silk trimmed duvets. More than little children with British accents and unleashing my inner Maxxista. More than Franzia after dark and toasted baguette. More than I would love cashmere boxer briefs (if calvin klein would just get his act together). More than I love the soy in my latte and the logo on the cup. More than Park Ave West and our trips to Wiliams-Sonoma (see, I left out the "and"). More than the Celine Dion commercial when she drives all night in her Crossfire.

So, I can't be there today to make sure we both end up at Cafe Felix (even though CF is probs out of salt, sugar and flour) but every time your gypsy bangles clink and clank - think of me, and know how much I love you, on your birthday.

We've come a long ways since girl talk, now, haven't we!

love.

BUONA PASQUA!

BUONA PASQUA!

villians.

so many treats!

chocolate egg hunt in the garden

bruschetta and liver, lamb, chicken, roasted potatoes, peas, and easter cake. yummy.

Easter Monday at the Villa

"Listen to me. This is what I do for a living.

I dress people. I know what I'm talking about"

- Woman in the leather market attempting to sell me a leather jacket lined in fake Burberry nova

I challenge you to a dual.

Street Style: Firenze

mr. stewart, looking straight off of sart.

his round tortoise shell frames make me weak.

Birthday Week Recap

I'm pretty sure that this blog cannot support the excitement that was birthday week. So I'm going to break it down, by day and illustrate my excitement through pictures. There is more to tell ... and more photos and posts to come, but this is a good start.

March 30th:
- Sent mom an email, sad that I was spending my birthday without my family, boyfriend, and friends from home
- Come to the conclusion that celebrating my 21st in Italy is incredible and I should get over it... if only I can find a dress
- After a whirlwind 3 hours in Florence I end up with a new dress (from the wonderful Rei) and a cup of gelato in hand, headed home, finally REALLY excited to celebrate!

March 31st:
- Savannah surprised me at midnight with a miniature cake, Adam left me kinder eggs on my pillow. I have incredible friends.
- Ice cream with a candle at lunch... a nice gesture. My table enjoyed the treat and I was just happy to blow out a candle
- Dressed and ready to roll... headed to Luisa Via Roma for a glass of champagne on their rooftop terrace (aka my favorite place in firenze)
- 7 minutes until closing and we run up the stairs, I'm certain there will be no champagne, until I get to the top of the stairs and ... wait what? I recognize that sweater! EDUARDO!
- My boyfriend flew across the world to surprise me on my birthday. I'm completely shell shocked. My roommates knew all along, Molly coordinated the whole thing, my parents knew... mike knew... I had NO IDEA. MY BOYFRIEND FLEW TO ITALY TO SURPRISE ME 'nough said.
- Dinner at Acqua all'2 (have the balsamic or blueberry steak. I expect a thank you note. In cursive.)
- Off to Roberto Cavalli's nightclub where Eduardo got to meet all of my new friends. Bottle service at Cavalli with big screens showing his past runway shows? I without a doubt, do not expect my life to ever be more fun.

The next day, Eduardo visited the villa and I had a moment to check my email. Message received March 31st: "I would absolutely love to offer you the summer internship at DVF. I think you are going to be perfect for what we need, and we are so excited for you to join our team." My dream job offer, received on my 21st birthday. I will never forget that day.

The rest of the weekend was a blast. We had bagels and Mama's, gelato, McDo, truffle pasta, and panini in the market. We rode the merry-go-round at Piazza Republica, found a few gifts for our friends, and watched the sun set over the Duomo. We went to Santa Croce, San Miniato at night, saw the Saints of Orsanmichele and learned how to tell a Lucca della Robia. I was so proud to show him my new city, navigate the markets in Italian, and share all of my little secret places in Firenze. I'm certain that my life peaked this weekend and I am completely okay with that. I truly am the luckiest girl in the world.

* Special thank you to molly, savannah, and danielle for planning the Italian end of the surprise, to everyone who came out to Cavalli, and my mom for not spilling the secret.

* Extra special thanks to everyone at Luisa Via Roma. Further proof that the boutique represents every perfect moment that I have had in Firenze.

love.

"I love you more than you love your ipad"

"I love you more than you love clothes"

a match made in heaven.

Of course I know how to play bocce... what kind of question is that?

Sitting outside in the garden, reading for art history.

The sun is shining, the Coca-Cola cold,

and we just finished a round of bocce ball.

Is this real?

wearing my new stella mccartney jacket. thank goodness for italian outlets and sunny days.