My trip to Spain was a blast…We arrived on Wednesday October 19. Shortly after our arrival, we were off to a fashion museum. The Dressing the Body exhibition explored how garments have been used to accentuate different body parts over the centuries. The exhibition incorporated garments dating back to the 1700’s. It was amazing to see how women’s clothing has changed over the years, and the museum had a very impressive set up that allowed visitors to easily see the transformation. The collection included Charles Fredrick Worth (the first haute couture designer) gowns, and it was so rewarding to see some of his designs! After our trip to the museum, we explored various fashion retail locations—I was not overly impressed with the city’s “mall.” After all of our touring and traveling, we were exhausted. I went for a light and quick dinner and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. We started the next day by traveling to Mango’s headquarters and had a private tour of the design center. The design center was huge, and I was amazed to see the different components that are needed for operation. We were able to see different designers working, and the sewing rooms were intense. Mango hires models for their design center that represent each size, and all of the clothes, shoes, accessories are tried on before they are sent off for mass production. The environment is very artsy, a tactic used by the owner to encourage creativity. The company is very team oriented, and if I thought I could happily live in Barcelona, I would consider applying for an internship. After our tour, we were off to “study” the outlets. I wasn’t impressed with the outlets, but the architecture was tastefully done. We were also able to go to an arena that had been transformed into a shopping area which is definitely an interesting place to shop. After all of our fashion research for the day was over, I decided to walk down to the Port of Barcelona and see Christopher Columbus and the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful day with gorgeous blue skies (such a nice change). Natalie and I had a photo shoot on a tour boat and then we walked back up Las Ramblas and discovered the food market. The food market was amazing and it was interesting to see. Our dinner consisted of way too many tapas, but we had so much fun with it. The next morning, we went to the famous Sagrada Familia constructed by Guadi. This church was by far the most remarkable church I have ever seen. The architecture is brilliant and deviates from the typical structure of a church. I enjoyed seeing how different this church is compared to all of the gothic style churches I have been in lately. Later that day, we went to the chocolate museum and the Picasso museum. That night, we decided to go out after dinner and experience the night life. The Spanish are intense partiers with clubs open until 6 am, no wonder they need siesta during the day. Our last day, was spent shopping at the Ramblas and by the Mediterranean. It was sad to leave such nice weather, but by the end of the trip, I was ready to come back to Paris. As far as fashion, it is pretty non-existent. Fashion didn’t seem to be a priority or even valued by most of the people. Self expression was more prevalent. Piercings, tattoos, graffiti, etc. seemed to be a predominate theme. I am so glad that I was able to experience this city, but I doubt I will ever make it a vacation destination in the future.
