As for classes, I go back and forth. On Mondays, we have Haute Couture sewing (hand-sewing samples, mostly, to get the hang of things) and Fashion History (17th to 19th centuries), as well as a three hour class at the end to catch up on things, so we're there 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, I only have one two-hour class, and that's French 3. Wednesdays I have off, so we usually do homework, go to the fabric district, do laundry (SO EXPENSIVE HERE. Like, 8 euros per load!), and generally take a breather. Thursday is another 9 to 6 day, with Draping in the morning, then Textiles class, Costume Research, and some other class I don't know the name of in the evening. Thursdays are our days with Xavier. Xavier is your typical French man--kind of catty, wears all black, acts like sunshine could turn him to dust... He has his own knitwear line and works for Yiqing Yin, a major Fashion designer who was selected to run a Haute Couture show this year. He pushes SO hard in terms of the creative thought process. He makes us go so far out of our comfort zone that it feels like we need a rope just to get back. Right now, for him, we're designing a garment out of "things we hate," a silhouette entirely from squares and triangles (no darts! no curves! NO CHEATING!), and a garment based on images of our favorite place (he just told us that we will have to use these images to create a garment out of "camouflage," in any sense of the word). Fridays we have Xavier in the morning for Illustration, and Martine in the afternoon for more Haute Couture. Martine is the sweetest thing! She only speaks French, so she and I have a lot of fun conversations (yesterday we had to peel an orange in one go, trace the pattern, and cut out fabric to sew it back together into a ball. SO MUCH HARDER THAN IT SOUNDS. But the cloth was green, so we decided that it looked, LITERALLY, like un petit chou!). For 20 years, Martine worked for Madame Grey, whose factory burned down some time ago. Madame Grey is a legend in the fashion industry for her pleating techniques. Martine is one of only TWO PEOPLE LEFT who know the techniques, and she's the ONLY one willing to teach them to others! It's such an amazing opportunity to learn from her. At any rate, two of our professors only speak French, one prefers French due to her self-proscribed "horrible" English (not true, but I let it go), and Xavier learned English in London. I get a lot of opportunities to practice my French! Below are some pictures of our classroom.
Squares and Triangles dress that I'm conceptualizing
Of course, it's not ALL work and no play. Last weekend, Jasmine, Caine, Elise, Phoebe (also from Melbourne), Chantalle (from Lebanon) and I went to the Luxembourg Gardens by our apartment. They were so beautiful. The sculptures alone made up for the fact that it was about 20* outside and snowy. By the way, where has Warm Paris gone? I'm constantly told, "Paris is never this cold! This is so unusual for us!" However, I've yet to see a day that is both above 30* AND sunny. Ah, I guess I should know better. I mean, I AM from Oregon, after all--Land of the Rain...
Elise, Jasmine and I went to a Tibetan restaurant right next door to our apartment last night. I love the French--their customs are, at times, so different from our own, yet they still make SENSE. For instance, if you want your server's attention, you must ASK for it, as the French don't believe in "rushing" their customers. You have to ask for the check when you want it, because they don't want you to feel like you have to leave! I was talking to the owner, and she was telling us how everything was homemade. I was so impressed! I did make a little faux pas without knowing it, though--I asked her if the ice cream was homemade as well, as it was the BEST chocolate ice cream I'd ever tried--she started laughing and said, "You must be joking me!" Then she left. Oops... It's okay, though--most French people are pretty understanding. I mean, I feel like it means more to them that you're actively trying to speak the language, and not just forcing your own culture on them. I can totally understand that. I've worked in retail for quite some time, and I know that if someone foreign comes up to me and tries to insist that I speak his language and not my own, I would do my best, but I'd be a little insulted.
Anyways, I'll leave you with some fun pictures of the Gardens and us goofing around at our flat. It's a beautiful day outside, I think we're going to do some shopping today! Tonight should be fun as well; it's Thelma (from Iceland)'s birthday, so we're having a get together at a friend's house. That reminds me... I'll have to pick up some wine for her gift! Bonne journée!
Caine rocking the headphones and mustache
Jasmine's oh-so-healthy dinner
Caine's addictions
Our ever-growing quote wall
The Luxembourg Gardens
Chantalle and I
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