Category Archives: international students

Packing For College

Hello Tigers!

It is August 1st, just three weeks until school starts and many of you are coming from different parts of the world. It becomes very hard to pack all of what you need in just two 50 lbs. luggage. So, how can you move to the city you’ve dreamed of without having to overpay for baggage on a plane?

Two years ago, I was in the same situation as you are now. Moving from Miami to NYC was not too easy, I did not know what exactly was important to bring along with me. So, along with a few college checklists and advises from friends in college, I started packing my bags.

I packed light on clothes, down to the basics, some of my most favorite looks, some winter coats, and great walking sneakers among other shoes. Now, why should you pack light on clothes? Well, you are going to NYC, a city big on shopping, a city also big on gems, so you never know in which corner you are going to find your new favorite garment!

I did not even focus so much on toiletries, unless it was that one curly hair cream I adore. Apart from this, I knew I could find almost everything that I had back home in New York. So, pack those unique products you absolutely cannot live without.

In my case, I had to make some room for all the fashion design supplies. Although you can find them in NYC, I had most of them at home already, so I packed them too. This included at least 5 rulers, and countless markers, colored pencils and microns. I really don’t know how I managed to squeeze all of that into my bags.

My last tip is that it is better that you start packing with time. Making sure that you have all your essentials, and, buying any that you might be missing back in your hometown might save you a couple of bucks.

To all of you,

Welcome to New York!

Maria

Finding Materials in Florence, Italy

Hello TIGERS!

Finding the right materials in Florence, Italy for projects might be a whole adventure around the city. It takes a lot of curiosity to find the right places to shop for fabrics, trims, buttons, that you might be looking for. The following is a list of stores and markets that will help you through your search!

Bacci – Located in the central market, in between all the local leather-goods vendors, this store was my go to when it came to buying fabrics for garments. They had such a wide range of fabrics, from linings to linen, from silk to velvet, even wool and Alpaca. Prices are good and there is a student discount.
Giesse – This fabric store is located in between Florence City Center and Polimoda Design Lab in Scandicci. It is very convenient as a one-stop store, with a variety of supplies including: fabrics, trims, design tools, etc. Towards the back of the store, they have a container with remnants of fabrics with great prices since they are the final pieces.
Cascine Market – Located in the Cascine Park right along the Arno River is one of the largest markets in the city. You can find anything you may need for your household, but most importantly it is a great place to find trims, ribbons, buttons, zippers, etc. There are also vendors with fabrics and you can find lace in some booths too. The market is also great for thrifting, prices are pretty cheap, and the great thing is that the market is so big there is so much you can find!
Haberdashery Samba Di Villani Carmela – Located near the Duomo, this tiny store is great for ribbons and any extra embellishments you may want to use in projects. They have some beautiful brooches, appliques, buckles for belts, etc.

These were some of the ones that I went to the most and found great materials in each. There are, however, other stores, it all depends on the quality that you are looking for. There are some stores that have the finest of finest fabrics, it all depends on your budget.

Until next time,

Maria

Roaming For a Day in Rome

Happy Friday Everyone!

The semester is soon to end and so is my stay here in Florence, I’m quite sad!

But before I leave I will share with you my last trips, thoughts, and recommendations for those of you who are planning to study abroad in the FIT in Florence program.

This week I did a day trip to Rome, how exciting right? However, a day isn’t enough!

Spanish steps in Rome

Started the trip with a whole pizza for lunch and soon after made my way to the Roman Baroque style Spanish Steps, with a beautiful church at the top of them overlooking the city. Right after we followed the sound of the cascading water from the famous Trevi Fountain, filled with many tourists throwing their coins for good-luck.

Trevi Fountain in Rome

My next stop was the Pantheon, a great monument to visit, free of charge and a must see! Once inside there is no way to describe the awe when viewing one of the greatest masterpieces in architecture.

I walked and walked around, not having any place in mind, just exploring the city.

Vatican City

My last stop was the Vatican City, a few hour wait in the line to enter the walled city-state, but definitely worth to visit. The home of the Roman Catholic Church and home for the Pope, full of gardens, fountains, and a total of 11 Vatican Museums and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. My favorite? The Sistine Chapel, a world known masterpiece, a work that I’ve seen and studied so many times in art history classes. With numerous famous frescoes, and some of the most vivid colors and precious details. It will take you a few minutes to discern the grandiosity of this masterpiece.

Rome, the eternal city, which you will definitely need more than one day to discover all gems it has to offer.

Colosseum

Until next time,

Maria

AAS Exhibition In Florence (Continued)

Hello EVERYONE!

Last week I was kept quite busy finishing up for the AAS Final Exhibition in Florence. On my last post I explained the theme and how we gathered all of our inspiration. From the museum we chose two objects/spaces of the museum that would inspire us for our collections. Since then we have had a few important deadlines along the way! The latest was last Friday, both of our garments were due and needed to be ready for our guest judges coming in to view them throughout the weekend. These judges included some of our professors, museum coordinators, and a very special critic, Mr. Mirko Bottai, textile designer for Pucci.

In total we completed two illustration projects and two final garments! All which are now part of my portfolio.

Both of our illustration projects include the following elements:

Introduction Page
Moodboard
A Series of Concept Pages
Makeup & Beauty Pages
Accessories Page
Fabric Swatches
Collection Overview
Illustrated Models
Flat Sketches of Designs
Tech Pack for Garment Constructed

Project Example for AAS Stibbert Exhibition

(Click on Image for better view)

Along the way we had meetings with Mr. Bottai and our professors to make sure we were making all the right decisions and staying on track between our inspiration and execution of them.

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to sit down with an industry professional to discuss the projects and listen to their suggestions to enhance my skills.

I will say it was not easy, but definitely eye-opening. To have a glance on the different jobs there is in the fashion industry, and most importantly of the main role a designer plays when it comes to creation and production of a collection.

Next week we have a celebratory ceremony, where we showcase our work in the museum. Open for parents visiting, plus other classmates and professors.

Arrivederci,

Maria

Studying Art History in the Cradle of the Renaissance

HELLO EVERYONE!

A great decision I made before coming to study in Florence was to plan all my classes and required credits I needed accordingly. I sat down with my counselor and spoke with her on the many possibilities in completing all those requirements. One suggestion that she made was to leave art history classes for when I came to Florence. Best decision I have made!

In my first semester spent here I took HA 112- History of Western Art and Civilization: Renaissance to the Modern Era. This course was geared towards religious, political, economic, and social conditions in relation to art, such as paintings, sculpture and architecture. It was very eye-opening and enriching towards learning about European culture, mostly events that happened in Florence!

The second Art History course, which I am currently taking is HA 212- Renaissance Art in Florence. It mainly focuses on paintings, sculpture, and architecture from the fourteenth to seventeenth century. Most of the course has been guided towards some of the major monuments and anything art related in Florence. It has been wonderful! Almost every week we have visited different sites, from churches to museums to piazzas!

All visits have been mesmerizing, we’ve got to see some of the most famous art pieces by important artists. Some of these include: The Trinity by Masaccio, The Statues of David by Donatello & Verrocchio, and of course, one of the biggest monument, the Duomo and Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.

There is so much art to explore here in Florence since it holds a great amount of the most important works in the world, better yet, it is the cradle of the Renaissance. I definitely recommend, if you are planning to study abroad here, to go for the option of taking these courses here and see all these majestic works in person.

Arrivederci, Maria