British Life and Culture - #15

Today I went with Haley, Lauren, and Anna Marie to the Tower of London. I was supposed to go with Emily, Kelsey, Anna, and Mary earlier in the trip but the day they went I wasn't feeling well so I decided to stay at the flat. I'm really glad I got to go today though so I didn't miss out on anything!

We met at the tube station at 11 and headed to the Tower of London. We got our tickets and went inside. It was so big that we didn't know what to do first or which direction to go in. We wandered into the closest tower and went from there. One tower led to another so before we knew it, we were on a completely different side of the palace.

The Tower of London was once used to hold prisoners and they were actually kept in these different towers. In some of them there was "prisoner's graffiti," words etched on the stone walls. One of the coolest things we saw was in the Bloody Tower. There is a story of two Little Princes, who were kept there. The myth is that they were brought there by their uncle and eventually murdered so he could have the throne. No one knows whether or not this is true but the two little boys did in fact disappear. During a time of reconstruction, the bones of two young boys were dug up. They were then buried at the foot of a stairwell somewhere in the Tower of London.

In another tower, there was an exhibition of the "royal beasts." There was a saying, "What do you give someone who has everything?" Back then, kings would give each other wild and exotic animals as gifts. Henry VIII had some of the rarest animals from all corners of the world when he lived there. He had lions, tigers, eagles, owls, elephants, and kangaroos. He even had a polar bear that was on a long chain so it could go swimming in the Thames River.

The Tower of London was also used as a royal home. We walked through a room that was Edward I's bedchamber.

My favorite thing we saw were the crown jewels. They have been on display at the Tower of London since the 17th century. They had the most beautiful and extravagant crowns and even swords covered in diamonds. I loved the coronation crown that Queen Elizabeth II was crowned with in 1953. It's the same crown that she wears every time she opens Parliament. We watched a video of an opening of Parliament in class and there was a whole ceremony that was centered around that very crown. On camera the crown looks much smaller but it was pretty big. And the diamonds on it were even bigger.

This is where the crown jewels are kept.

We then walked around outside and saw a monument. It listed all of the people who had been killed there. On the list was Anne Boleyn! It said she had been beheaded in this area.

British Life and Culture - #14

Today we had another day trip. We all left Hampden House at 9:20 and walked to Great Portland Street Station. We had to take the tube to another station to meet our tour guide. The tube ride itself took almost an hour. When we got to the tube station, we couldn't find our tour guide. We walked to the pier for our boat ride and he met us there. We were taking a boat to Hampton Court. At first I thought the boat ride was going to take 30 minutes. Then Mary told us it would probably take an hour. Then when we got on the boat, we found out it was going to take an hour and a half. The boat was like a bus so we kept stopping at docks and picking people up. At one point, we even had to get off and change boats. Any other day this would have been more fun but today was cold and rainy so there wasn't much to see. When we finally got to Hampton Court, we found out we could've gotten there by just another 30 minute train ride instead of the hour and a half boat ride.

A few of us on the boat ride.

When we got to Hampton Court, everyone was hungry so we went to the Hampton Court Tiltyard Cafe for lunch. The Tiltyard was once used for jousting tournaments that Henry VIII would watch for pleasure. Now the area is divided into several rose gardens. After we ate, we started our tour. Our tour took 3 hours!

Tiltyard Rose Garden

Hampton Court Palace was so pretty and had so much history. Our tour guide gave us a quick history of Henry VIII and his six wives before we went in. We toured Henry VIII's apartment and kitchens. The kitchens were huge and consisted of so many rooms. Our tour guide said they had to prepare 600 meals a day and about 20 boys would be working in the kitchens at one time. There was even a big room just for storing barrels of wine! I loved how most of the rooms were kept dark because back then they would only have the light of a candle. We also recognized that a lot of the castle was open so whatever the weather was, they felt it inside.

The front of Hampton Court Palace

The Clock Court

Stained glass window of Henry VIII and his six wives' crests

Then we toured the apartments of William III and Mary II. William's apartment was so pretty and decorated beautifully. The staircase and mural on the wall closely resembled that of the King's State Apartment in Kensington Palace. The apartment also had the best view of the gardens outside, which were so beautiful. Mary's apartment had an exhibition called The Wild The Beautiful and The Damned.  There was so many historic paintings there.

Then we walked around outside, which was probably my favorite part of Hampton Court. There was so many gardens and they were breathtaking. We also went into the Royal Tennis Court. We found out that you can pay to have a membership and play there. There were two men playing when we walked by. Anne Boleyn would even watch Henry VIII play tennis there. Then we saw the World's Largest Vine. If you go in August, you can actually taste the grapes! Finally, we did the maze before we left. It didn't take us long and it was so fun because that was the first maze I've ever done.

Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #8

Today we went to Covent Garden. I had already been here before with Emily, Kelsey, Anna, Mary, Victoria, Lindsay, and Emily but I was excited to walk around again. Last time we came was at night  so although there was a bunch still going on, the market aspect wasn't. We walked all through the market this time and looked in some of the stores around it. We also went through this store, which was more of a souvenir shop. They had everything from Lil Wayne tank tops to union jack pillows. It was set up more like a market inside because there were a bunch of different booths or sections but outside it looked like a typical souvenir shop.

Then Jose took us to an area called the seven dials. It was a point where there was a statue in the middle of the intersection and there were seven roads coming off of the intersection. He told us he had gotten lost in this area before so we were careful to keep track of where we were. We had to split up into pairs and go down one of the seven roads to do our assignment. Anna Marie and I went down Monmouth Street. There were so many boutiques, which looked upper scale. We finished our assignment early so we also wandered down Earlham Street. This street had a bunch of vintage shops and even a sale going on in the middle of the road. There were clothes, books, and knick-knacks that the guy was selling.

After exploring the market and the area around it, Jose said we were free to go. Our whole class stopped at the infamous Ben Cookies. They were sooooo good. They were warm and literally fell apart as you ate them. We were covered in chocolate and by the end of it, I literally felt like a messy five year old little boy eating that thing.

I decided to focus on a boutique called Poste Mistress. The visual merchandising of their store windows was organized with dominance by color, coordination, and price.

They both had a beach theme but each one was organized by color. The first was blue and took on the aspect of the ocean, waves, and clouds. The second was coral and incorporated nets, seashells, and paper coral. The second one also indicated price because they had a huge sale sign on the window and they listed the prices of the shoes that were displayed on little cards next to the shoes. Both windows were coordinated because the shoes that were displayed went along with the feeling of the window. The blue window seemed edgier so the shoes were fun, playful, and wild and had darker colors. The coral window seemed more feminine and calmer so the shoes were more sophisticated and it featured a lot of pumps.

British Life and Culture - #13

Today was one of the most fun days I've had so far but I'm beyond exhausted. We had British Life and Culture class today so we all met at the University of London building at 11. Justin gave us a lecture on the monarchy and we found out this was the last lecture he would be giving us. This has been my favorite lecture so far. It was so interesting and I learned so many things about the Royal family. The biggest thing I didn't know is that the Queen doesn't really do anything. She doesn't have as many powers as I thought she did and she isn't a political figure. She only has a few roles, one being that every piece of legislation has to have her signature on it. However, she can't ever dispute it and always has to sign it whether she agrees or not. I understand tradition and symbolism but I never realized she didn't exactly get to voice her opinions. She works closely with the Prime Minister and he/she seems to be almost superior to the Queen regarding politics. We also watched a video of the ceremony of opening Parliament. This was 1,000 years of tradition and so intriguing to watch. Parts of it seemed so silly and unnecessary but in the big picture, everything was tradition and symbolical. We then talked about the significance of the Royal family. Justin seemed to be a little biased but I can see both sides of the argument. The Royal family doesn't have much power, doesn't really do a whole lot, and costs millions and millions of dollars every year to sustain. However, the Royal family keeps the country united. Sarah made an excellent point when she compared British commoners and the American people. Most Americans are either strongly for or strongly against Obama and don't seem to be very united, at least right now.

After our lecture, we had about 30 minutes for lunch. There was a farmers market right outside the building so everyone went there. Mary, Anna, and I brought sandwiches so we ate those and got homemade strawberry ice cream from the farmers market for dessert. It was so delicious and I can confidently say the best food I've had in London has been from a market. Then it was time to head to the London Eye!

We all ended up fitting on one cube on the London Eye. It was so fun and gave the best view of the city. I think I took a million pictures of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey alone while we were up there. The weather forecast said it was supposed to rain today but luckily it was bright as could be and sunny so we got to see everything. However, if I had the chance to go back and do it again, I think I would want to go at sunset. Stacy said she did that with her friend and that it was absolutely beautiful. Although the ride was fun and all, my favorite part was after. Jose told us that we got to see a free 4D movie with our ticket. At first, I didn't think anything of it and I thought it wouldn't be worth seeing. The other girls said they wanted to see it so I went with them. Oh my gosh. It was SO good. I think I liked the movie more than the ride itself. At some points, they would squirt water on you or fog would come out of the floor to make you feel like you were in the clouds but my favorite part was the fireworks. The room went wild with sounds and lights and I felt like they were going off right beside me.

After the movie, we decided to walk along the river for a while. We came to a really artsy area. There was a skateboarding place with graffiti everywhere and a huge sand box with rainbow colored sand! The sand started off red and would fade to pink then change to purple then blue then green then yellow. It was the coolest thing. Then we stumbled upon some sort of show going on. There was a group of people on a stage doing tricks and acrobatics. We sat down for a while and watched them. It was called the National Theatre and we found out they were doing a program this summer called Inside Out. The intention was to show the behind-the-scenes and the making of their performances. Everyday they would be on that stage practicing for their performances at night. Anyone could walk up, sit down, and watch.

After watching for a while, we walked along the river more until we came to Shakespeare's The Globe. We took some pictures and decided to walk across some bridge that is apparently destroyed in one of the Harry Potter movies. At first, I didn't care anything about walking across this bridge but then we got to the middle of it and straight ahead was St. Paul's. From the bridge was the most beautiful view of St. Paul's and I loved every second of it. Once we got to the other side, we could barely walk another step since we were so incredibly exhausted. So we got on the tube and headed back to our flat. It was unbelievably hot today and it tuckered all of us out so we stayed in for dinner and watched a little Wimbledon.

Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #7

Today we didn't meet for class but we still had an assignment. Anna Marie and I decided to meet in the afternoon to do it so we wouldn't have to worry about it later. For the assignment, we had to go to Soho. I hadn't been to that area yet and I love visiting new parts of London in this class so I was excited to go somewhere new.

We left the tube station and headed toward Soho Square. We had to walk through this area to get to actual Soho. Soho Square is an enclosed park. It was very interesting and completely different than the other parks we'd been to so far. Most of the parks are so beautiful and compare to St. James or Hyde Park near Buckingham Palace. Well this park had some grass but patches of dirt, too. It had a gazebo in the center and some statues in various places. There was even a little old lady walking the cutest dog. The other people there were what made this park so interesting. As we were about to exit, we hear some commotion to our left. There are a few guys sitting on a bench, a few guys sitting on the ground facing them, and a guy standing up yelling at the people sitting on the bench and on the ground. Some of these men were also shirtless and you could smell the alcohol a mile away (it was only 3pm). That was definitely not something you'd see in St. James park.

After that, we entered actual Soho. We knew we were right in the middle of it because it was full of stores catering to the gay market and it had sex shops like Jose had told us about. There were so many bars (almost every other establishment) and it looked like all of them were for the gay market. One was even called Gays. And we did see a rainbow flag flying off of one of the buildings. The sex shops were a little more inconspicuous. There was a vintage shop with a light-up sign in the lower corner of the window saying there was a sex shop downstairs. There was also a store called Ann Summers. From the outside it looked like a nice little boutique so we started walking closer until we realized it was full of lingerie, stripper poles, etc. Then we quickly walked away.

I decided to analyze the floor plan of a chocolate shop called Hotel Chocolat. I don't have their address because I was going to look it up online but apparently Google doesn't want to find it. But I do know it was on Old Compton Road in Soho. And it looks like this:

I liked their floor plan because it was so open. They has a single round display with many tiers in the center of the store. It was a smaller store so this was the only stand-alone display. However, each wall was covered in shelving. The shelving was plain glass. This made it so easy to see the merchandise in an organized manner. Everything was spaced out really nicely and arranged in unique ways, which makes shopping easy and fun. 

 However, my absolute favorite part about this store is the theme of it being a hotel. When you first walk in, the check-out counter looks like a desk you would see in a hotel. They also had cute displays on the wall for messages. The details contributing to the theme added sophistication to the store.

Store Design and Visual Merchandising - #6

Today we went to Libertys, Carnaby Street, and Bond Street.

I went to Oxford Street before class to walk around a little bit. I brought Stacy to Primark since she had never been before. I went into a couple more stores and then made my way to Libertys to meet the rest of the class.

Libertys was established in 1875 by Arthur Liberty. The store started on a loan and with only 3 staff members. The current building is an example of Tudor architecture. It was built from the wood of 2 ships. This location was built so trading could still go on while other locations were undergoing renovations. This was a time of art and crafts. This building showed Arthur's love for luxury.

Libertys was so beautiful. The architecture was amazing and very unique. However, I think the store sticks out like a sore thumb. It looks so historical compared to all of the modern buildings surrounding it. Inside, it definitely does not have a department store feel. It is 5 floors but is very very much smaller than the other typical department stores we have already visited. I thought it was interesting how they display only scarves and a few hats in the central room right inside the main entrance. Libertys is known for prints and particularly floral patterns. The scarves did an excellent job of exemplifying this.

As we walked around the store, I noticed the merchandise is a lot more crowded and cluttered compared to other stores. If you take into account the fact that the store has far less space than the other stores, this is understandable. I did think the women's apparel section was organized nicely, though. The store also has bright, neon orange sale signs posted up around the entire store. I was not a fan of these. I didn't think they were up to the level of sophistication the rest of the store put off.

The store balances their rich past and the popularity of their prints and a more modern customer very well. The displays are similar to their architecture. There is a lot of wood but they are all very simple. Most of the light fixtures are very modern and extravagant. They look a little out of place but balance the idea of the past and present. Their assortment of contemporary and traditional merchandise also balances.

I thought it was really interesting how they had "pop up" dressing rooms around the apparel section. This is something I haven't seen before and is unique to Libertys.

The antique section on the top floor was fun to look at. It was much more crowded as furniture takes up a lot of room. I like how they still staged rooms even with the little space they have. The carpet room was amazing. They had piles and piles of so many different carpets. Jose told us that the salesman would do everything he could to get a customer to buy a carpet. He would instantly move the piles and show you every single carpet in there if he had to.

After Libertys, we went to Carnaby Street. This street played a major role in fashion in the 1960s. It was iconic of Swinging London, a fashion/cultural scene. During that time, it began to see many independent boutiques. Many bands, such as The Who and Rolling Stones, would hang around the area for work and would shop on this street. It exemplified the hippie style. On a Time Magazine cover on April 15, 1966, it was said, "Perhaps nothing illustrates the new swinging London better than narrow, three-block-long Carnaby Street, which is crammed with a cluster of the 'gear' boutiques where the girls and boys buy each other clothing."

I saw this history alive today because the street still has the quaint, boutique shopping feel. There is even a Miss Sixty store at the beginning of the street and I haven't seen this store anywhere else in London. There is also a sparkly union jack hanging above the street, giving off the vibe of the 60s.

I think the target market is a younger person that is modern but with a hippie twist. The street might also be targeting men a little more than women because they had many stores like Lee, Diesel, Vans, Hilfiger, Levi, Puma, and Northface. Although these stores cater to women also, a man might shop there more.

We concluded the day by going to Bond Street. I had no idea it was right off of Oxford Street. Although Oxford Street has nice shops, I thought it was interesting that all of the designer boutiques are located on Bond Street and off of the major road. The target market for Bond Street is a designer-loving, high end shopper and particularly women. 

I picked the Louis Vuitton window displays to analyze.

I loved how there were so many windows and they all had the theme of a magic trick. The bunny figurines were used in repetition in all of the windows. I love how they showcase merchandise in every window by using it as part of the magic trick. I think these windows were extremely effective because they are so unique and still do an excellent job of selling the merchandise. 

These windows are both balancing acts.

This window is hands doing a magic trick with LV watches.

These mannequins are twirling hoola hoops with only their wrist.

This is a mannequin being cut into pieces and the center of his body is being turned in circles.