Unfortunately I will not really be discussing anything pertaining to an Italian restaurant in this blog but I just thought of this title and this blog is my last opportunity to use it. Once getting back to the hotel after my final Italian meal tonight, I packed for the plane ride home tomorrow. I am eager to return to the comforts of home and reunite with my family, but I have gained great experiences, friends, and memories from Plus3.
The final academic visit of the trip was to the Milan Fashion Library this morning. A private collection of fashion magazines, lookbooks, and other papers, the library can be entered through a short door in the canal district of Milan. It was created as a resource for students, designers, and other creative minds to draw inspiration. Its rich collection is also accessed for legal purposes if, say, a lawsuit arises whether a brand used a certain design first. As opposed to the other sites we have visited, the library fits uniquely into the fashion supply chain as a service provider.
After a brief discussion at the library, we had about an hour to pore over the collection. I enjoyed this part most because it felt like a treasure hunt to see what cool things I could find to read. For those interested in fashion, I’m sure this archive is a place where the hours could disappear very quickly! The site also made me consider the importance of preservation in fashion; since as I learned at another site visit that fashion has a cycle of about eight years for trends to reemerge, clearly there is a need to keep a historical record of previous looks.
After the site visit we had our final group lunch- again, I got to have Milan’s famous risotto and it did not disappoint (I was in the clean plate club). I spent the rest of the free afternoon in the Porta Nuova and Corso Como areas of the city, shopping around and enjoying the nice weather and scenery. There, I had my final gelato of the trip. For my last hurrah, I chose strawberry and cream flavors instead of my usual chocolate.
I rested at the hotel for a couple hours before dinner and then it was back to Corso Como for a meal of not just pizza, but pizza and pasta! I have trouble with “lasts,” so I tried to embrace my final bites of the delicious Italian food I have enjoyed throughout the program. I also tried to embrace my final ride on Milan’s metro. It was neat to recognize how comfortable I felt on the metro; my friends and I were discussing how just a few weeks ago we truly thought we would never use the metro system on our own. Now, we confidently use the system and appreciate its efficiency.
Reflecting on the last two weeks, I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to Italy as part of the Plus3 program. Especially because this was my first time in Europe, I feel that Plus3 has increased my self-confidence and shown me the benefits study abroad and international travel have to offer.
To study fashion in the world’s fashion capital has been an incredible opportunity. I have always enjoyed fashion and clothes, but this trip has given me firsthand experience with the industry. After this experience I hope to keep an enhanced perspective toward fashion as a whole – knowing that Italy’s emphasis on fashion is a core part of its national identity and is something the country and its people pride themselves on. “Made in Italy” means so much more than just the country where an item was produced; it means that the people who crafted that item work with great passion and effort to produce a premium good with a story behind it.
Because I am still in a tired state from the whirlwind this trip has been, I can’t completely articulate all that this experience has meant to me. However, I am glad I will have my memories, pictures, and this blog to remind me of these two weeks and as more time goes on I expect to more fully come to recognize the meaning of this trip to my college experience (it has meant a lot).
Arrivederci, Italy! Thanks for a great journey 🙂
– Shelby Smith