Video of my flat

This is a video of my flat- I'm whispering because my flatmates are sleeping and I was a tad loopy with lack of sleep so please forgive the commentary.

So... I love it here. I want to stay! I had my first day of classes on Monday and they were absolutely amazing! It was a 10 hour day but it didn't seem like it. Classes here are small and much more independent. You do a lot on your own and if you want to learn more you have to take the initiative to ask. They gave us our projects for the term and then we mostly discussed and began ideating together. My first class was menswear which will be a lot of work but worth it. We got our design brief which is the theme of our work for the term. This term the brief is science based and since it's Darwin's 200th birthday he, his life, and his work are our inspirations. We are required to visit the Darwin exhibition in the Natural History Museum and do an abundance of research. By the end of the term we will have a sketchbook filled with our research, ideas and designs. It will be bursting at the seams with fabric swatches, pictures, tearsheets (magazine rippings), documentation of our progress, etc. and it has to be mixed media so I had to go shopping for watercolor paints, pencils, pens, markers, glue, scissors, etc. The final will be a set of 6 boards detailing our process and a final outfit which will consist of at minimum 3 garments but I might do 4 (pants, top, vest and jacket). We will also have a 1500 word essay evaluating our work.

Fashion styling is also wicked brilliant (I'm practicing). Our teacher reminds me of Ms. Jay from Americas Next Top Model. He dresses in vintage; on the first day he wore an amazing fur coat, a houndstooth (or as he calls it "puppystooth") jacket, magenta scarf, a pocket watch, a murse, leather pants and Italian dress shoes. He also must bathe in some concoction of oils because he has a very, very distinct aroma that remains long after he is gone from a room. I would love to go through his closet and see his other amazing clothes. Our projects for this class are a still life of a fashion item that we purchase, 5 two page elemental collages of things representing our self, a fashion shoot, and 10 pictures in the final. We have to turn in a portfolio at the end of the term with 100-500 word explanations of each of our works. Each of the fashion shoots are directed by us and we have our own studio time. This weekend he is taking us to  vintage markets and museums to give us a quick and dirty fashion history lesson and help us find objects for our shoots. It will be amazing and enlightening to follow him around and listen. He absolutely loves what he does and he has been in almost every area of fashion so he is incredibly knowledgeable. 

My class on Thursday for 5 hours is accessories which is apparently taught by a famous milliner who has fashioned hats for the likes of The Queen, Vivienne Westwood, Hugh Grant, and many, many others. All of the teachers here are still very integrated with multiple facets of the fashion world which is amazing. In fashion, if you are out for even a few months you are no longer up to date. I am going to find it very, very difficult to leave London for this and many other reasons. Another reason is the well dressed people. The over abundance of brilliant looking people awes me and excites me. It is without a doubt inspirational and urges me to design and be more and more creative. 

The night life is so fun! The crew that goes out always changes

but my flatmates are usual suspects. Bill, Ally, Bri and Megan (not pictured because she was busy in Dubai) are all AIU students from the states and only Megan is an interiors student (the rest of us are fashion design). Ally and I are always dancing (nothing new there) and we found a great dance place the other night called Taste of Brazil. We weren't going to go in because there was a cover but he let us in for free (the ladies anyway) and sent us to the VIP room! We danced the night away! Guiness is amazing here; nothing like the states! What is funny is that they measure out shots in shot glasses to make sure you get the right amount. My friends were complaining that 

usually they don't do this in the states. It makes more sense to me for them to not pour it out because it creates more dirty dishes! 

As you can see in the group picture I FINALLY found a leather jacket! I LOVE it and plan on purchasing more. It feels and smells so amazing! It was a great deal too- I found it at Camden market which is a crazy place! Bill and Bri keep saying that the market is almost like Hot topic threw up on Camden road which is pretty close. You have to dig for the finds but they are there (take my jacket for instance!). Of course I haggled too so that made the win even better. 

I have been walking my feet off! You would think, then, that I have been getting amazing sleep but, alas, the bed is without a doubt simply a box spring. You can feel each and every spring in your back which makes it impossible for you body to relax. Luckily Megan, who lived here last term, had some extra blankets from the girls who lived here with her and she donated them to our beds. It helps but I know when I get home my bed will be heaven. That is if I actually do come home. 

Well, there is so, so much more but I'm off to see what the flatmates are getting into. I'll write again soon. I miss and love you all! 

Mom: you know you can comment on this page, right? Ask Ben. Oh yeah, happy UK Mothers day!!!! I love you!!