"The moment we've all been waiting for"

On Thursday we had planned to attend a seminar by Orietta, a professor at NABA but unfortunately we weren’t able to navigate our way there. Instead we attended the Palazzo Reale. Stay tuned for an Art vs. Fashion assignment!!

After experiencing the museum, we all headed back to the hotel to prepare for the much awaited Vladimiro Gioia Cocktail Party. At 8pm we all made our way to the venue for the party. There we were greeted by Maria Chiara Arona, Fulvio Aniello, Eleonora Monti, and Elise Lefort. The party was held at Lotvs which was a gorgeous bar/restaurant in Milano. Soon after our arrival Professor St. Jean presented Fulvio, Elise, Eleonora, and Maria with our gift. We had all written special messages to them; thanking them for all that they had done for us. It was quite emotional to see their reactions and how much they appreciated the gesture. It then came time for the long awaited internship announcement! Annie Rusteika won the internship with Vladimiro. I have known Annie since freshmen year when I did my first group project ever with her! I know she will do a great job and I can’t wait to hear about all her amazing experiences. I wish her nothing but the best!!  After the cocktail party was over we were all invited to a Disco called “Old Fashioned” that Maria so graciously booked for us until 4am. I am glad to say that I have experienced an Italian disco because it was full of energy, great music, and it was nice to hang out with the whole group for the night. 

Maria waiting to receive her gift

Elise and Fulvio reading the journal we all signed

Lotvs

The experience of working with Maria Chiara Arona, Fashion Times (Elise & Fulvio), and Vladimiro Gioia has been an amazing journey. I came to Italy to experience their culture, learn more about the industry I am so passionate about, and experience one of the fashion capitals of the world. What I didn’t expect to get to know such generous, caring, and kind people. I have to say this trip far exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to experience it. These memories with last a lifetime and I hope to see everyone again sometime in the future!