Day 8

My second day of classes was just as good as the first, if not better because in my first class we all met at the Victoria & Albert Museum to view the Grace Kelly exhibition. What a fashion icon of her time. I obviously knew she was iconic in her day, what with being a film star in the states and then marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco. I guess I had just never realized what bold fashion choices she made during that time. They weren’t allowing pictures to be taken inside the exhibit, but I did get this picture just before going in of one of her gowns.



The exhibit also included outfits, hats, jewelry and dresses from some of her films like High Society. They also had her actual Oscar on display that she won in 1954 for The Country Girl. There were a LOT of designer gowns and accessories, but I noticed there was more Christian Dior than anything else. This is another museum I would definitely recommend seeing. The entire thing is gorgeous on the inside – mostly old, antique architecture with subtle modern accents. This is a picture I took of the ceiling above the museum’s café.



After the V&A Museum, we made the quite long journey back to school by tube. Allie and I both had to go to a short meeting held by the dean of the fashion department before I went to my second class. I know what everyone has to be wondering: What ensemble did Robin Dutt end up wearing today? When he showed up late, he had on all black leather. I’m talking head to toe leather jacket and pants. One girl said, “Oh cool, you look like you came from The Matrix,” to which he replied, “Oh, I know. It’s so GaGa oo-la-la.” I couldn’t hold in my laughter after that comment.

The class was so inspiring today as well. We all talked about our first assignment, which was our worst fashion mistake ever (if you must know, mine was when I was 12 and I HAD to have those awful leopard-print pants that got popular…ugh). Then he read us a fashion article he had written recently. It was about an old coat he bought one time. He took it home and discovered there was a hole in the inside pocket. He curiously reached down into the lining of the jacket just for kicks and ended up finding two Frank Sinatra concert tickets from the 50s and a diamond engagement ring in a little plastic bag – all unused. He was trying to emphasize an example of telling a visual story with words, and his certainly did.

After my class I headed down the street to Ryman. This is a sort of office supply store that reminds me of an Office Depot or Staples. I got some school supplies, and then made the journey home via the bus system. I have to say, I’m very proud of how well I use the buses/tube station after only being here a week. I could also probably tell most people how to get to the major tourist sites in the city if they asked. London is just like any other big city – complicated and overwhelming when you first arrive, but slowly becomes more familiar and easier to navigate once you understand how it operates.

I’m SO excited for tomorrow. I’ll be going on a day trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury for one of Tony’s tours. I can’t wait to see this magnificent spot and learn about all of its history!

Here is a short video tour of my flat as promised. Sorry it took so long.