This was possibly the most tiring day, as we covered a lot of shopping, with sight seeing which involved a hell of a lot of walking!
The day started off with an authentic styled breakfast at a classic American dinner. Short stack pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, chocolate chips and strawberries. Just thinking of it now makes me hungry! The diner was quaint and very Americanised topped off with great service seemingly like a family run business. The atmosphere was great, as we were made a fuss of and quizzed about the upcoming Royal Wedding.
We took the subway down to the Fashion Institute of NY. Here, we saw two exhibitions. The first was entitles "his and hers". It features over 250 years of history in fashion. A range of designers are featured including Versace, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent. It explored the relationships between gender and fashion, attempting to test these boundaries. The exhibition is a celebration of the forefront of fashion.
The second exhibition "Japan fashion now" focused on both the culture and fashion of Japan. Their fashion is cutting edge and constantly growing. The cultural fashion of the "Harajuku girls" is in particular a street styled fashion. This exhibition was very insightful and expressed Japan's culture and fashion in a modest way.
It was then time for us to hit the shops of the famous 5th Ave. Of course, Macy's was our first point of call! The largest store in the world, certainly was a girls best friend! Spread across 7 floors, Macy's fulfilled a shoppers paradise. On the top floor was even a food mall with various dining places. The store was unbelievably huge and so very easy to get lost in. It catered for any type of fashion and considered all ages. It was great to take a look at the worlds most famous department store.
Other American stores visited were American Eagle, Forever 21, Victoria Secret's, The Disney store and so many more. What became apparent today was the fact that America was so much better at visual merchandising. Each store was decorated in a way that enhanced and developed the brands image. Particularly Forever 21, which had a taxi inside it and accessories arranged in a cupcake! Technology was also a main difference in the sense that it had been developed more. Ipads were used in store to go through their collections, interactive screens were displayed on the outside of shops and screens on the inside displaying catwalk collections.
Of course we managed to squeeze in some sight seeing. Two of the tallest buildings in the world, The Empire state building and Rockefeller centre. However too afraid to go up, I stood and took in all that they signified both culturally and in terms of wealth and status.
Our last stop of the day was Times Square. This was magnificent as it had now become dark so all the lights were shinning bright, the sight really was breathtaking. There was as screen where you could stand in front of it and you would be projected on a big screen. This was really innovative and a great way to interact with people.
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