Last Week Before Break!!!

So this past week was...well, you read the title.
Monday, we had Muriel in class. We worked on our pants/skirt. I had put in the zipper, hemmed each pants cuff, and attached the belt facing to the pants (which took me about 5 hours) over the weekend. I got into class, showed it to Muriel, and was promptly told that I would need to redo it. I spent the morning taking the zipper out, and attempting to redo it. On my first try, I veered off too far away from the zipper. When Muriel looked at it, she asked me if I needed my eyes checked. I replied that I had my contacts in and last eye appointment I had had was last August. So naturally, I had to rip that out and start over. Muriel also showed me the correct way to do the hems.
In Art History, we talked about Pop Art, which is always fun. After class, I printed out my moodboard and color story for Susan's class. (We would see her Wednesday, and see Muriel again on Tuesday.) I redid my illustrations (i.e. put legs on the drawings) and drew up one more (because she was fine with the other 11).
Tuesday was more Muriel. We kept on with our pants. I spent the whole time (hand-) sewing gloves onto the pants (and occasionally talking with Nisa). It was pretty hard, since the gloves were made out of thick leather and I was using a thin needle and thread.
During class, Muriel asked me if I had looked up couture houses to contact for an internship. I had not, so I made a list of potential places, and tried to find addresses (I found ones for over half of them). I brought it to her after lunch, and she then asked me some questions about how long I'd been studying fashion and what kind of techniques I'd learned. She also mentioned that a lot of Americans applying for une stage (what an internship is called here) don't speak French, so that fact works in my favor. She also took down my email address, and told me that she'd look around for me! So I feel like Muriel is going to really help me in this search, and I hope it's true!
In French class that afternoon, it was just Pablo and I, and Nolwenn (so it's not like we could avoid answering questions). We watched a video on the history of Paris, and Nolwenn would periodically pause the video to ask us questions. I felt lucky that I had known about Parisian history previously (mostly gleaned from hearing Mom talk about "Caesar's Women"), but it was really interesting, and I learned a lot of new vocabulary.
Wednesday morning, we had Susan, and she first looked at our quilting samples. She said that my all-overall sample was "lovely", but that I did the other two wrong. So I began to redo that one, as she saw other people. After Susan was done reviewing everyone else's quilting samples, she re-circled around to look at our evening-wear project changes. She didn't say too much about mine, but then, she didn't tell me to redo anything again, so I took that as a good sign.
She had also asked to see our pants/skirt projects. I showed her my pants, and she first asked whether I had had much sewing experience. I said no, and she immediately said, "That's what I had guessed". It apparently was too lumpy, and I needed to steam it. There was also a problem with my gloves, since they were too long. Susan suggested a way of wrapping them together with a button. I didn't follow what she was saying at all, and since we have to have these finished for the first class after break, I'm not really sure what to do...
(I didn't really feel too bad about doing poorly on the pants, since it was Liz and Sharon's first times as well, and she told all of us the same thing: "It was a good learning experience, wasn't it?")
Since we were having Susan on a Wednesday instead of on a Tuesday, she asked that those of us who didn't have French to come for 2 hours in the afternoon. I got there and talked a bit with Beliz while we waited for Susan. I worked more on my quilting sample, doing one of the revised ones correctly and Susan liked it. She also asked to see what we'd been working on for our evening dress, and I showed her my progress on the draping. She told me to watch out so that the sides meeting weren't creating points.
After class, I asked her about places to intern, and the first thing she said was, "What are you looking for? Since sewing's not your strong point..." (well, certainly not yet, but there's no need to mention it over and over). I said that I'd like design, and she said I wouldn't be likely to do that as a lowly intern. She then said, "I don't know what Peter's telling you to ask me, he's the one with so many more contacts".
That afternoon, I needed to go to Monoprix and decided to stop in the Gibert Joseph bookstore on my way. I had seen a book of the complete works of Moliere, and had wanted to get it at some point, but wanted to make sure that it was still there. I got to the shelf where it normally was and didn't see it. I was disappointed, but decided to look around a bit before I left. I circled around, browsing a nearby table, and guess what I saw? The complete works of Moliere...but better! The previous one I'd had my eye on was a regular book-size book, with only text. On this table was displayed a new, improved version. It was oversize and came encased in a box (that's how you know it's serious). I took the book out, and paged through it. It has everything I love in reading stuff from the past: historical context and background, telling who played which part in the original productions, as well as drawings of the period of some of the characters. I mostly looked through it to see if the plays I really liked were included (The School for Wives, The Precious Idiots, Tartuffe and The Misanthrope), and sure enough they were (along with others I hadn't heard of)! So I'm definitely doing back, probably sometime during the break, and getting it. I'm pretty sure that it won't sell out, since it's a bit of a higher price point, and I've gone to see it a couple of times since then and nobody's bought one yet (this is based on me counting the number of books on the table, the number's holding steady at 6).
(One thing I did notice: of the plays that I saw who played who back in its heyday, Moliere was the male lead in just about all of them. The man clearly wore many hats, or he was so unsure about anyone else's ability to perform the role to his liking. Maybe he was a perfectionist. Also, the woman who would become his-much younger-wife, Armande Bejart, was usually playing the supporting female, if not the lead. Moliere originally had had a long-term relationship with her mother, so I wonder when he began throwing over the mother for the younger, more nubile model.)
Coming back, I made dinner. (By which I mean, Maggi-like rice cooked 2 minutes on the stove. I'm preferring to eat the faux-Maggi, not only because it's easy to make, but because it's really cheap and I can spend more money on real(ly) good French food!) I'm somehow not feeling inspired lately, and I think it's because we've had to be so inspired 24/7. I've just felt drained.
Thursday was Draping with Anne. I worked the whole time on the skirt part of my dress. Since it tightens at the knee and then flares out from there, I had to take off some centimeters in the back and add some to the bottom of the dress. I did this kind of hurriedly, since I hadn't placed the ribbons on the skirt yet. I did finish this in the afternoon, so I'm going to come in during the break so that I can take off the ribbons and trace the lines in pencil (since that's about all I can do without anyone's help). I also asked Anne about how much fabric I'd need, and she told me to measure my model top to bottom, and multiply that measurement by 3, since all of my pieces are curved and will be on the bias.
After class, I talked with my parents on Skype and then stared at some blank sketchbook pages before starting Jen's required 10 sketches a week. I had already decided on my theme (retrofuturism), and had looked at a great blog that had some cool pictures, but I was still feeling just uninspired. I drew a bag inspired by a jetpack, but that was about the only one I really liked. I eventually drew my 10, but didn't feel great about them.
The next morning (that would be Friday), Jen outlined what we'd be doing for the next weeks after our break, and then she walked around and looked at our drawings. She told me that I was being too-literal and that I should tone it down so that it'd be able (hypothetically) to sell. (Once again, I'm told to rein it in.) So I drew a few more sketches, until Jen called us all over, and did a demonstration on making patterns for bags (which is pretty intense, it took her about 30 minutes just to make a basic square).
After lunch, we had Hats with Jean-Pierre. We used our felt hat that we had bought a few weeks before, and first wet all sides of the wrong side of the hat, and then wrung it out a few (hundred) times. After it was (relatively) dry, we stood over a modern (plastic) kettle, and steamed the crown for a few minutes. Then we had to jam it down over a wooden model and stretch it down all the way around. We tied a band of twine around it, and then steamed the brim below the twine to open it up. I kept steaming it inadequately, and had to keep returning to the kettle.
Around this time, Nisa came in to get her stuff, and asked if I wanted to go to Chanel with her after class (she needed to get something for her friend). I said sure, and we decided we'd meet up after class. She left, and I returned my attention to my hat. I decided to make mine a bowler (un chapeau melon) and Jean-Pierre showed me how to shape it. We were done before class, so I used the time to measure my model so that I could get fabric. (Jean-Pierre was interested and asked what I was doing. He was probably wondering why I put my model on the table.)
After I dropped my stuff, I went to Nisa's room and we left for Chanel! We first went to the boutique in Galleries Lafayette, but they didn't have what she was looking for, so we went down a few streets to the actual store. We got a little lost and asked a few people for directions (rather, Nisa had me ask, since she somehow thinks she can't speak it, even though she's really good). We finally found the street, and walked down it to Chanel. (I love how all these big-name stores are all hidden down deserted streets. The message is clear: We only want those who are serious about shopping at This Big-Name Store. It's like a club: If you have to ask, you're not the target Big-Name Brand customer.) We went in and looked around (at the impeccable craftsmanship, of course). While Nisa was being helped, I watched the loop of the most runway show. (During this show, I came to the conclusion that I love Natalia Viadanova, this uber-Russian model. She's just awesome. I hadn't been sure for years whether I liked her or not, but somehow now, I really do.)
After that, we decided to have dinner together, but it was only about 6 pm, so we walked around a bit. We went into Zara to look around, and then went to this one trendy (because of its lounge-like decor) cafe Bertie on Rue Edouard VII. I got a hot chocolate, and Nisa got first a citron presse; on finding that too sour (even with nearly the entire sugar cup dumped in) she got a red mojito (which tasted exactly like a regular mojito). We had some great girl talk (as usual), and decided to go around Saint-Severin for dinner. When we had finished, we took the metro there. We walked around and eventually decided on La Taverne de la Huchette, near the Theatre de la Huchette.
(I forgot to add that I got stopped by some officers at the Chatelat station on our way to Chanel. You have to swipe your ticket to get from one end of the station to the other. Apparently, I was following Nisa too closely, and I was asked-in French-to step aside. One of them swiped my card, and I guess everything turned out OK since I was allowed to leave. At the beginning, one of them asked me something, and I looked to Nisa, and she didn't have any idea of what he said either. So that was...interesting..)
Back at the restaurant, we each got the 12 Euro fixed-price menu. I got the green salade to start, with the fish in some slightly mustourd-esque sauce. (The waiter was so happy and/or surprised that we spoke French that he remarked on it.) For dessert, we each got Neopolitaine ice cream, 2 boules of strawberry and vanilla. (My god, that was the best vanilla ice cream I've ever tasted. I don't know what was in it, but there was some extra thing which made it fantastic.)
After our meal, we took the metro back and hung out in her apartment for awhile, talking (to each other, as well as her boyfriend Redza via web-cam), as well as watching this show "Qui est la meillure sosie?", which roughly translates to "who's the best impersonator?" (although I don't actually know what sosie means, I was using that 3rd grade standby: context clues). Basically, they would have 2-3 people impersonate 1 celebrity (we saw Bruce Willis, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and French singer Mylene Farmer), and the audience voted for their favorite. (They actually had this on at the restaurant. I happened to see faux Whoopi Goldberg in her Sister Act garb, as well as Michael Jackson, and wondered what station this was.) I was actually really proud of myself in that I understood the gist, if not the entirety of what was being said. (Apparently, Friday is a big TV night in France, so much so that they can host a show requiring audience participation, and it will be successful). I went back to mine about an hour and a half later, and went to bed soon after.
Today (Saturday), I got up a little earlier since I had a few things to do to get ready for my trip! I first took the metro to Rue de Rennes, since I had wanted to get some boots and had been told that that was a good place to get some cheap ones. I walked in what I thought was the correct direction, until I reached the Tour Montparnasse (which is in the south direction, not the north, the one I wanted). I checked my map, and sure enough, I had gone the wrong way. I turned around, going into shops here and there without seeing anything that I really, really liked. (I was frustrated at myself for waiting until the tail-end of the season to get boots, instead of going one of the first few weeks we were here.) I walked up toward the north without seeing anything, and decided to go down Rue de Four, since I had wanted to go to the Village Voice bookstore and it was in that direction. Near it, I saw a shop that advertised having shoes as 15 Euros. I went in, and asked to try on a black pair of boots that had a few shiny strips, along with matte ones, criss-crossing the boot. I really liked them, and the lady got the other boot for me to try on. I was told that they were the last pair, and they were my size (36)! So I bought them, and will break them in on my trip!
Having accomplished that, I went to the Village Voice bookshop, and browsed around a bit. I'm interested in getting F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Love of the Last Tycoon" (his last unfinished novel, about the Hollywood studio system at that time-awesome) at some point to read, but not now.
I then went down Saint-Michel, where I bought a notebook, so I could write/plan when I'm in the hostel at night. I also went down Rue Claude Bernard to Avenue des Gobelins, where I got shampoo at Monoprix and purchased a money belt. I hiked back to my apartment, and did laundry, and packed.
My flight leaves at 9:30 am, and the shuttle is picking me up around 6-6:20 am in front of the school. I'm going to bed early tonight...