JD

LOVES

NEW YORK!!!!!

Give me Liberty in NYC!

Finding this ad in the paper created a personal quest in NYC: find the premier of the Liberty of London products for Target! Find it we did and it was like walking into the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland. All your senses were engaged from the zillions of fresh potted flowers, to flower images projected and rotating onto everything, great displays, racks and racks of clothes, and everywhere frenzied shoppers! Unfortunately it had opened the day before so lots of sizes and styles were sold out but, just the experience was priceless and photos do not do it justice. The only disappointment was that alot of the clothes were polyester and Liberty London is all about beautiful cotton.

FIT in NYC

While in Manhatten we chanced upon FIT. I headed straight to the bookstore and there were FABULOUS books galore!! But alas, I was just beginning my trip so I would be foolish to fill my suitcase with books:( SO I settled for one wonderful little book called the Dictionary of Fashion written by Christian Dior in the 40s. It is a delightful little pink book.

After the bookstore we went to The Museum at FIT and saw two interesting exhibits; 'A History of Delman Shoes' with ads, commercials and lots of actual shoes from the 1930s to the 50s. Also 'Night & Day' which covered 250 years of fashion and the evolution of the rules that have governed fashion. No photos were allowed but, I did sneak a couple when the guards weren't looking!

HALLO BERLIN!!!

So I finally arrived in Berlin to visit my wonderful kid. She is having an amazing experience and I had an amazing time in Berlin sharing a little slice of it with her :)

Not Just a Pretty Picture

Berlin is a place wherever you look it makes an impression. Either it's old, it's new, it's bold and nothing is bolder than the murals all over this city. And the murals are NOT pretty pictures, they are visual statements loud and clear.

Wowed at the Wall

We saw so very, very much in Berlin but, for my imagination and inspiration the Berlin Wall rated #1.

Fashionable Communists part 1

So my daughter told us there was a great little museum called the DDR. It is full of actual items; household goods, photos, furniture, propaganda films, fashions, toys, even a little car that the East Berliners were limited to owning during the time they were controlled by the communist government. The place was absolutely fascinating and there is this section on the fashions of the day.

Fashionable Communists part 2

I don't think the desire to create and design can ever be squelched. The East Berliners didn't neccessarily have the opportunity to purchase the newest, best sewing tools available but, that didn't stop them from sewing.

Communists Individuality

So guess how the East Berlin citizens quietly revolted against the equality doctrine of the communist government? They were all quite the nudist apparently because they felt it stressed their individuality. There were lots of photos of the naked communists frolicking in parks and lakes but, in good taste I will only show the statue commemorating their naked revolt against communism.

OFF TO ROME

Finding Fabric

So, before I left for Rome I researched fabric stores and I found two promising possibilities. The first one was Azienda Tessile Romana and was a fairly normal fabric store, but with really high prices. I didn't find any fabric that knocked my socks off and I was always concerned about my luggage becoming over 50 lbs and having to pay $$$ so I didn't make a purchase.

The next store was Bassetti Tessuti and this place was intimidating as heck! It is absolutely stacked from floor to ceiling with fabric and each room features specific fabrics, ie. wool, silks, cottons, trims, etc. Since I speak no Italian, the employees were EXTREMELY haughty, no prices anywhere, so all I dared to do was to snap some photos with my flash off and me camera by my hip.

I did not purchase any fabric, again:( and in retrospect I really wish I would have overcome my sudden shyness and bought 2 yards of Liberty of London cotton fabric because the selection was HUGE and it would have weighed next to nothing. It makes me sad just to think about it.

Ancient Inspirations

Incredible designs were not limited to just the fabric stores. The draping carved into the ancient stone statues was UNBELIEVEABLE!! And the designs used in ancient flooring and structures was absolutely inspiring. My mind was swirling by the end of these antiquity visits.

ITALIANS=FASHION

It seemed that every female in Rome and Florence were effortlessly fashionable. I did not see one girl in an oversized sweatshirt and jeans. EVERYONE wore stylish boots, tights, skirts, jackets, even zooming around on their vespas or bicycles!

CIAO BABY!

My adventure abroad was an amazing mix of fashions, styles, designs and GREAT people watching. It almost seems like a dream...