When I heard one of our main projects for this course was going to involve sketching I immediately felt uneasy. Drawing has never been my forte and I tried figuring out what subject I wanted to focus on before arriving in Milan; however, I did not have any luck. The first day we arrived in Milan we were walking around the Galleria when suddenly a store window display caught my eye. The display featured a normal sized female mannequin, but with extremely long pinstripe flared pants. The woman sported fiery red hair, a top hat, a blazer, and was in the process of juggling bowling pins, creating a circus-esque themed window display. This was not the typical window display I’m used to seeing, so I couldn’t help but feel excited and inspired. It was then that I decided I wanted the focus of my sketchbook to be on boutique window displays.
I believe it was last Wednesday that we went on a walking tour around the Duomo and the Galleria. This was the perfect opportunity for me to walk around and sketch and find inspiration. We encountered various stores including Stella McCartney, Prada, Chanel, Ermanno Scervino and Salvatore Ferragamo. My personal favorite window display was the of Ermanno Scervino’s. The display had an aquatic theme with two mannequins sporting white swimsuits sitting on a golden anchor.
I had a difficult time sketching the mannequins because they were sitting down. I think that’s my biggest frustration. The ideas I have in my mind do not translate well onto paper. I’ve seen the illustrations of other girls in our class and I feel like they are leaps and bounds ahead of me skill-wise. One of the biggest reasons I chose to major in textiles & apparel merchandising rather than textiles & apparel design was because I did not feel I was creative or talented enough for design. Sometimes I do feel discouraged, but I believe that my sketching skills are starting to progress with each sketch I do. I recently sketched the window display from an Alexander McQueen store and I don’t think it looked half bad! I think I was able to really capture the pattern of the dress and the ruffles at the bottom of the garment.
I originally felt like I was limited to sketching window boutiques, but as of yesterday I received the confidence to sketch other objects too, such as some of the appliances from the Alessi museum. My sketchbook may not be as professional as some of the other students, but I believe it’s a work in progress and that practice really does lead to perfection. I’m excited that I’m going to be able to take something back and show my family and friends what I’ve been up to!