oxford.

On Wednesday we headed to the English countryside, namely to Oxford University. And yes, its just as you'd imagine - a quaint English village with a college town feel. We were invited to sit in on a class, part of the MBA Retailing Program. It was taught by two instructors - Jonathan Reynolds, a research professor at Oxford, and Alan Giles, an honorary guest professor and long-time retail executive (He is CEO of FatFace). We assumed it would be interesting, but it blew away our expectations - the class was smart, insightful and full of thought. It was entertaining, engaging and (dare we say it), fun! We loved the participation from all the students (loads of Americans), and their thoughts on the future of retailing. We felt so inspired and educated, we left class and headed straight to the college bookstore to purchase sweatshirts (after all, we did go to Oxford).

While there, we also made time for a quick stop off at the magnificent Blenheim Palace, home to some of the Dukes of Malborough, and one of England's largest residences (it's non-royal, even though it's called a Palace). It was spectacular - so much history, and the most incredible gardens (which have been used in many films including most recently, The Young Victoria!)

this and that.

Upon our return from Paris, we were knackered (tired) and sick. We needed a low-impact day that still involved fashion, but one where we could move at our own pace. We decided to do a walking tour of some of London's top fashion stores, but first we took a visit to London's esteemed fashion school, Central Saint Martins. Every June, as the students complete their studies, Central Saint Martins puts their final projects on display for the public to view. The viewing takes place at the actual school, so you get to walk in and through the halls, stairways and classrooms...it was a bit legendary to think about who walked those halls. We were also lucky enough to see this exhibit, as it will be the last one taking place at the school's campus on Charing Cross (they will move to a brand new location in the fall). There were fantastic magazines, produced by the Fashion Communications students, as well as garments from the Design students. We found it really great that the design students were also made responsible for branding their collections. Each student had a business card and promotional postcard on display beside their collections (which we loaded up on - they were fantastically creative!). No photos inside, unfortunately.


From there, we moved on to Carnaby Street, the street made famous in the 1960's as the birthplace of Mods and the Swinging 60's London. During its heyday, there were men's clothing stores dotting up and down the street, which saw lines of scooters, and plenty of Mods. Today, it's a pedestrian walking street, filled with well-known mainstream youth shops like Ben Sherman, American Apparel, and G-Star. But if you search, you will find just a small handful of shops that still carry the torch for Mod. Merc has been on Carnaby since 1967, and is probably the most well-known and mainstream. They cater to old and new Mods alike. The Face was a bit more authentic - tucked away on a little side alley off Carnaby, it's a tiny hole in the wall that stocks blazers, shoes, pants and tees - all in the original style.




From there, we walked right into Liberty, a department store started in the 1800's that is known for it's incredible home goods which are merchandised in a flea market style. There is also wallpaper, sewing notions, fabrics, clothing, shoes, stationary and more. The best part is the store's architecture - it's housed in a Tudor-style building, complete with dark hardwood floors and an open atrium in the center, where they hang rugs from the 4th floor railings for display.

We continued our walk over to Mayfair, for a peek at Rei Kawakabu's cult-store, Dover Street Market. It's not really a market, but more of a marketplace for creativity. Kawakabu, the designer of the line Comme des Garcons, stocks her own line at the store, as well as collections from up and coming designers, including Junya Watanabe (her former apprentice). The store also stocks vintage books and shoes, and is spread out over 5 levels of concrete, austere wonderland. There's even a little cafe on the top floor, Rose Bakery.

Our last stop of the day was Selfridges, the behemoth of a department store, known for their "retail theater". This store is full of everything you could imagine - from ready to wear to hair salons to home goods to food halls, restaurants, nail salons and more. You could spend an entire day in there.

There is an old saying - If you are tired of London, you are tired of life. There is so much to do in the city every day, you could be here a year and never do or see it all. While on this "walking tour", we were heading down Picadilly and one of the students spotted this market in the garden of an old church. We popped over and found a great collection of vintage jewelry, antiques and more. It's always so surprising, every which way you turn. There isn't a single one of us on this trip who doesn't feel lucky to be here, experiencing all this great city has to offer.

viewpoints.

Perhaps you've been reading these blog posts from London and thought to yourself, "I wonder what the other's on the trip have to say?". Or maybe simply you just can't get enough? Well, you are in luck, as all of the students are blogging, too! Check out some of their fine blogs here. Happy Reading!

Vanessa - beauty-and-the-bliss.blogspot.com
Cydney - bootsbirdsandbumpershoots.blogspot.com
Alfred - alfredsbespokelondon.blogspot.com
Brooke - paintedg0ld.blogspot.com
Elaine - eerieexcursions.blogspot.com
Ahn - anhhasablog.blogspot.com
Mahaleth - inspirationscreatingmifashion.blogspot.com
Katy - ktseesondon.blogspot.com
Chelsea - buckeyebetch.blogspot.com
Ashley - ashleytheglamazon.blogspot.com
Tina - fashlon.blogspot.com
Wes - wessidelondon.blogspot.com
Dora - stopmuckingaround.blogspot.com
Ly - feenforfashion.blogspot.com

printemps.

While in Paris, we were invited to spend the afternoon at Printemps - Paris' premiere luxury department store. Although that may make this store sound somewhat staid, and it was anything but. What a magnificent place. The afternoon started off in Printemps' headquarters, where we were greeted by Maguelone Castan and Marion Pommelet, who gave us an overview of Printemps' history, their placement in the marketplace, and how the brand has grown and evolved over the years. We were then led to Citadium, their concept store for the young and hip. And oh was it ever. We were shown around by the store's manager and visual manager - two great guys who've been in the retail business their entire careers, working their way up the ladder. This store's energy oozed from every corner.

We were then led directly across the street to Printemps' flagship store, and right in the VIP entrance. There we were greeted by the store's VIP manager. This esteemed gentleman's job is to host the store's most VIP visitors - and naturally, being from SoCal, we were thinking celebrities. Not so much. Our host led us back to a private VIP room (gorgeous furniture, wall treatments and fine cosmetics on display). This is where he told us about his clients who drop thousands, or even millions, in the store. Think Sheiks, Princes, Princesses, Dukes, Oil Moguls and more. He shared a story of one client who upon arrival said "I want to buy your most expensive watch." And sight unseen, he did.

We were then led through the store, seeing all the wonderful floors of jewelry, accessories, fashion and shoes - of which they stock 90,000 pairs on a daily basis. Yes, we made him repeat that number. Twice.

Then we headed up to one of the store's restaurants (there are 7 in total), which I almost shouldn't mention as there will be no words to describe it. The domed ceiling, a historical landmark, was solid stained glass in colors so magnificent, it took your breath away. The ceiling must tower at least 40' above, and all of the tables in this round room are fitted with mirrors, so that even when you are dining, you don't miss the brilliance coming from above.

We were then led to the rooftop restaurant, where several stories up, you had a panoramic view of Paris. This was the only spot on the tour where pics were allowed, so here we are:


Following that, we thought, what more could they possibly show us? Loads, apparently. We were treated to coffee, tea and macaroons (yes, the pretty french ones), and sat down to a slide show presentation from Cynthia Rousell, one of the store's Style Office directors. Cynthia, an ex-pat from Philadelphia who moved to Paris at 19, told us how she started off modeling, then worked in all of Paris' top fashion houses, including Dior and Celine, finding herself decades later, predicting the trends for Printemps. She gave us a fantastic overview of how they search for trends, and then a rundown of the trends for this season.

Think we are done yet? Non (that's French). Next up, the Head of Retail Buying, who manages up the 90-person buying team for all of Printemps 17 stores in France. He spent a considerable amount of time with us going over their buying process, challenges, and how they go after sought-after products in France - like Coach! We all got a good laugh over that. Who knew?

We left Printemps elated and inspired. We will be surely telling everyone we know to stop by next time they are in Paris. Merci Printemps, for the tres bon day!

paris.

How lucky are we? Not only do we get to spend the month in London studying fashion, but we managed to squeeze in a 3-day visit to Paris while we were at it. Yes, very good thinking indeed. We packed it in, naturally, beginning with a bus tour of the city directly upon arrival. I think we all were a bit too tired from the early wake-up call to fully enjoy it, but a good night's rest got us going. We woke up the next day to a classic french breakfast - croissant, espresso and orange presse. Mmm. No complaints here. We then set out on foot to explore St. Germain des Pres, where we spent an hour in the Pharmacy. Now, if you don't know, "Pharmacies" are everywhere in France, and are marked by a large, green lit cross outside. In classic French style, these Pharmacies are no CVS. The French Pharmacy contains all sorts of great beauty finds including brands like Caudalie and Biotherm (both which you can get in the US - and pay a hefty premium for) to less widely-known brands. More importantly, most of the brands in the Pharmacy are only available in France, which really got us going. We went crazy for mineral water sprays, face masks, lotions, potions - oh the delight. We figured the beauty industry is a big part of fashion, so this counted as "research".

Speaking of shopping, Tina arrived at breakfast on our first morning in Paris in this great outfit, which purchased entirely in Camden the weekend before - dress, shoes, handbag - the whole lot! Camden is this fantastic area of London that houses 7 different "markets", focusing mainly on young fast-fashion, and in many cases, tons of alternative fashion. As you can imagine, it is a favorite spot of everyone on the trip.


And now back to Paris...and a mandatory stop-off - 31 Rue du Cambon - the famous address of Coco Chanel's apartment and first store. We were too intimidated to pop in, so we opted for the photo from across the street.


Then it was off to the Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. The Foundation was started by Pierre Berge, YSL's longtime love and partner, to raise funds for the preservation of YSL's collections, sketches and artwork. The collection on display currently was Rive Gauche. In my personal option, it doesn't get much better than this. All of YSL's classics from the late 1960's-1970's were on display, including the infamous Le Smoking Jacket - the women's power tuxedo. I wish we could've taken photos, but alas, we could not. You'll have to settle for these from outside and take my word for it...the clothes were incredible. Timelessness would be a good word to use here.



We also made sure to drop into Colette, the famed Parisienne boutique that is widely known in the fashion industry for seeking out the newest and best. In their window upon arrival? A skateboard theme. Ha, we came all the way to Paris for Vans? I guess California cool is where its at.


And lastly, we ended the day with a late night picnic in the park under the Eiffel Tower. We picked up all the French essentials - fresh bread, cheeses, meats, fig jam and cookies, and headed over. We were there at 11pm (and again at midnight) to see the tower awash in twinkle lights - and all the 1,000 or so people with us in the park oohed and aahhed. It was a perfect end to our Paris getaway.

millinery.

British Fashion has a few standouts - Street Style, is one of them. High Street Fashion, or what we might refer to as "fast fashion", is another. One other aspect where they surely have the market cornered? Millinery. And we were lucky enough to have a visit with one of the premier milliners in London.

Prudence, of Prudence Millinery, got her start apprenticing for another hat maker years ago. She learned the basics, then branched out on her own and hasn't looked back since. She currently makes custom hats for Vivienne Westwood, YSL and many, many other designer collection runway shows. She is regularly featured in fashion spreads, and on magazine covers. Here is Prudence herself, showing us her very first, and most special, magazine cover - Vogue Italia, with Linda Evangelista on the cover, wearing one of her pieces. Did I mention this was her first magazine cover? Did I mention it was Italian Vogue?


She showed us great fabrics that she works with too. She sources them mostly from Paris, but she looks for them everywhere. This one was made from pineapple fibers.


She mesmerized us with her beautiful British ways - her pink cheeks, her soft manner, and her cup and saucer on her work station. She had the tiniest and loveliest of little studios, and worked directly with her husband, who she affectionately called her "Pierre Berge" (the reference is a nod to Yves Saint Laurent's love and business partner, Pierre Berge - Pierre was the business, Yves was the creator). She showed us all her tools, and shared how she often allows apprentices to work with her (where can we sign up?). Millinery is such an incredible craft, we were so pleased she was willing to share.

Hat Blocks

paris.

How lucky are we? Not only do we get to spend the month in London studying fashion, but we managed to squeeze in a 3-day visit to Paris while we were at it. Yes, very good thinking. We packed it in, naturally, beginning with a bus tour of the city following our arrival. I think we all were a bit too tired from the early wakeup call to fully enjoy it, but a good night's rest got us going. We woke up the next day to a classic french breakfast - croissant, rolls and espresso and orange presse. Mmm. No complaints here. We then set out on foot to explore St. Germain des Pres, where we spent an hour in the Pharmacy. Now, if you don't know, "Pharmacies" are everywhere in France, and are marked by a big green cross outside. In classic French style however, this is no CVS. The French Pharmacy contains all kinds of great beauty finds including brands like Caudalie and Biotherm (which you can get in the US) to French-only brands that got some of us going. We went crazy for mineral water sprays, face masks, lotions, potions - oh the delight. We figured the beauty industry is a big part of fashion, so this counted as "research".

Speaking of shopping, Tina arrived at breakfast that morning in this great outfit, which she shared she purchased entirely in Camden (London) the weekend before we left - dress, shoes, handbag - the whole lot! Camden is this fantastic area of London that houses 7 different "markets", focusing mainly on young fashion, including alternative fashion. As you can imagine, it was a big hit with all.
Chanel


YSL Foundation


French Schoolgirls


Printemps Rooftop


Printemps


Tina's Camden Look

parlez vous francais?

We left London today for a little "field trip" to Paris! We took the Eurostar over from Central London right into Paris. One of the students (no names here ;) mentioned they were excited for some sightseeing on the train. There would be none of that, as if you don't know, the Eurostar travels underwater across the English Channel. Thankfully that is one speedy train. I for one was VERY glad to see daylight on the other side! More on our Parisienne adventures to come...

misc.

royalty.

This weekend was our "free" weekend - an opportunity to travel, explore and see things on your own. Half our group set out for Amsterdam, and the other half who stayed in town hit a New Romantics nightclub (so fun to see people dressed up in the style). That said, most wanted to sleep in Saturday....too bad for them! Just three of us made the brave attempt to wake early and set out for The Mall - the Royal road leading to Buckingham Palace, as Saturday marked Trooping the Colour. Trooping the Colour is the official celebration of the Queen's birthday, marked by a parade and ceremony. We were told it would be all tourists - so typical of the Brits. It was packed solid with locals - families with children and older folk who wanted to celebrate their Queen. We landed a spot right up against the gates, and not 10 minutes passed then did we feel a hush amongst the crowd - looking up we were just at the gates to Clarence House, and driving out the gates in two Rolls Royces were Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Princess Kate! I have a great shot of my arm, covered in goosebumps.

What then followed was a ceremonial parade from Buckingham Palace to Whitehall, where the Queen inspects the Troops. We had a front row seat to the parade - first came the horse-drawn carriage occupied by Prince Harry, Princess Kate, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Andrew. Then followed by another carrying Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice and Sophie Rhys-Jones (wife of Prince Edward). And lastly came the Queen and Prince Phillip. Wow. The quiet hush and excitement that came over the crowd was the most special - no load cheers or whistles - just polite waves, and subdued cheers. Then the sweetest moment - the older gentleman next to me was so overcome, he just said in a normal speaking voice, "Hello, Queenie". I teared up.

We waited the hour or so for the Trooping Ceremony to complete, then watched the parade again, in reverse. This time, we were able to spot Prince William, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who rode in full uniform on horseback behind the Queen's carriage!

Following the parade, we hiked up to the Palace to see the entire Royal family make their appearance on the balcony. Just before that, cannons, yes real cannons, were fired, then the RAF performed a flyover, that was breathtaking. If you see any footage of the day, you'll see Prince William pointing and explaining to his wife, Kate, about the airplanes (as he is a part of the RAF, of course). Can you say Prince Charming?

Too bad for those that wanted to sleep. For this girl, today was a dream come true - just like a fairy tale!

The Queen, Her Majesty


Prince William on Horseback


Princess Kate & Prince Harry


The Royal Family on the Balcony at Buckingham Palace


The Flyover

punk & tea.

Punk is probably my favorite street style. I love it's history, particularly, the story of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, and her influence over early punk design. This morning we went down to 430 Kings Road in Chelsea, to visit the actual store that gave birth to the Sex Pistols, and the look that followed, inspiring designers for generations to come. The shop, now called World's End, is a tiny little boutique with slanted floors and low ceiling. It's packed with current Vivienne Westwood designs, and some classics (like the chicken bones shirt) hanging on the walls. The shop manager, Lisa, was happy to share stories of those that still visit the store, surely to relive their heyday - such 70's and 80's icons as Adam Ant, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Billy Idol, Pete Burns and Siouxsie Sioux. Oh the history of it! No photos allowed inside, but here's a shot of the outside, complete with the 13-hour clock that runs backwards...


We spent some time exploring Chelsea, then made our way to Harvey Nichols, one of Britain's top department stores. We enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea & scones, welcomed on this cold afternoon (the weather here is wild!). Who knew we could be so civilized?


Following the tea, we were greeted by Emma and Gary, who led us through the 7 stories of wonderfulness - and right past a setup for a Jimmy Choo event this evening with Tamara Mellon!

There are amazing fashion things happening in this city every which way you turn...Take for example these beautiful store windows at Harvey Nichols, that were curated to coincide with the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met in New York. Harvey Nichols was able to obtain a few pieces from McQueen's retrospective to place on display in their windows during the duration of the exhibit. Oh, to see them up close. They are even better and more magnificent than you could ever imagine.


And in another example of that...check out the Karl Lagerfeld Diet Cokes! Exclusive to Harvey Nichols.

tops.

No, not the ones we wear on our upper bodies, silly. Tops is Brit-speak for "best". And that's what our days have been! Each day seems to top the one before, and the visits and tours and walk-arounds seem to just get better and better. Wednesday was action-packed. To start, myself and 4 students headed to Lipsy's London HQ (Headquarters). Lipsy is a high street brand with 40 stores in the UK, and 12 in the US (all inside Bloomingdale's stores). Upon arrival, they had coffee, tea and biscuits waiting for us, as we sat down with Kristi Eames, their head of Retail. Kristi spent an hour talking to us about the brand, their stores, celebrities who wear their product, and great stories of her career and how she made it! She was delightful and inspiring. She then took us on a tour - past designers, pattern cutters, walls of bright fabric, and through the PR closet. Heaven. After some double air kisses, she sent us away with press kits and to-die-for goody bags.
Kristi Eames of Lipsy, showing off their PR Closet

Katy, Chelsea, Cydney & Lainey at Lipsy


We rushed back to our classroom to meet the others - where we were just in time for a birthday celebration for Vanessa! Lucky girl gets to spend her 23rd in London!


Following class, we got spiffy and tubed over to West London for Graduate Fashion Week. GFW is an incredible annual event that features graduates from all the UK fashion schools. There is an exhibition featuring each of the schools and the graduate's work - including marketing, PR, journalism, textiles, design, merchandising and more. Plus, there was a show to present the top student graduate collections. What talent the Brits have. We left excited and inspired (I'm quite certain as we watched the show, we were looking at some of the next McQueen, Galliano or McCartney's on that runway). Oh, and the best part? There were street style photogs capturing some of the best arrivals to the show, and two of our own were snatched up for a photograph! Well done Dora and Ahn!




And if that wasn't enough, we rushed from GFW to Leicester Square, to take in the wonder of the stage show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. What fun! I cannot say enough good things about this show - witty, happy and full of fun music. During the portion of the show where they bring audience members on stage, one of the cast members came down and selected Chelsea! Given her HUGE love of theatre, it was great to see her up on stage, dancing away!


It was a tops day, indeed.

harrods.

Another awesome day. This morning we set out for the one-and-only, Harrods. We met our guide, Lindsey Harper, Concessions Manager of Women's Collections, Contemporary and Men's. Lindsey is a former colleague and good friend of one of our own student's, Sonay Ince (thank you Sonay!). Lindsey met us at Door 5 (there are SO many doors to enter this store) and took us through their newly remodeled Men's store, past the Men's Shoe Collections (where they sell shoes for $12,000!), then to ready-to-wear. Now while most of the clothing in the store is very similar to what you could find at Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue, it's the sheer size of the store that is awe-inspiring. 1,000,000 square feet. 50,000 customers a day. 3,500 employees. Services include a bank, a travel agent, a shoe repair, personal shopping, a wine shop, 22 restaurants, 5 sets of escalators, and a "Pet Kingdom", that has sold elephants and tigers and more.

We split off after our tour and spent some time exploring on our own. Some when back to Men's (Superdry was a fav), others to the Pet Kingdom (it had to be done), the Food Halls, and of course, to drool in Fine Jewelry. I took the opportunity to visit the Millinery, where I spent the next hour trying on hats and fascinators. What fun! While there, I learned that on Saturday Harrods will host a personal appearance by London's top Milliners - Stephen Jones AND Phillip Treacy! I will surely be there, straight after I see the Queen ride along in her Birthday Parade. Perhaps I should purchase my fascinator early, so I have something appropriate to wear for Her Majesty?

And lastly, check out Katy, modeling in class today her big purchase- a Stella McCartney raincoat! HOT!

yamamoto and the v&a.

Monday kicked off a busy week for us Londoners. We woke up to our first real day of rain - which was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity (particularly when in the crowded tubes). We donned our umbrellas and headed out to the Victoria & Albert Museum. There we had a morning tour of the museum's fashion collections. Our guide, Anne, was very knowledgeable in fashion history, and weaved a brilliant thread through the exhibits from Japanese kimonos to Samurai gear, and stage-wear ranging from Coldplay's Viva La Vida tour to Adam Ant's "Prince Charming" costume to Glam Wear from Mick Jagger and Roxy Music. We saw incredible tapestries, Victorian wedding dresses and a sweater that was nearly 600 years old (and surprisingly was quite cute!). After a lunch break we headed back to the museum to tour it's featured exhibition - a Yohji Yamamoto retrospective. Draping, details, Japanese-inspiration. Simply put - amazing. We could walk up and touch the garments, admire the details, and take it all in - rendering most of us speechless. To top it off, the exhibition's exit dumped us right into the museum's bookstore, which had a solid 4 walls of fashion books. We had to pry ourselves out of there!

The first photo below is our group walking up to the Museum - the Natural History Museum. Thanks to Alfred for correcting my mistake - as we would have spent the day looking at dinosaur bones had it not been for him! The second is of Adam Ant's Prince Charming costume, circa 1981 (New Romantics!). No photos of Yamamoto, unfortunately...none allowed.