Day 1 You'll See:
- 5th Avenue Walking Tour
- FIT Museum
- Mood Designer Fabrics
- Top of the Rock
Day 2 You'll See:
- Central Park
- Garment District
- Showroom Visit
- Broadway Show
Day 3 You'll See:
- M&S Schmalberg
- Showroom Visit
- Times Square
Fierce fashionistas, budding department store moguls and runway hopefuls, all, will find something to love about this three-day foray into the feather and fur-lined heart of NYC’s fashion industry! From leather and lace to buttons and bows, this enticing tour takes your students around to pertinent Big Apple highlights and hotspots, serving up a juicy glimpse of what a future in this dog-eat-dog field may hold! You’ll start on posh 5th Avenue and end up on sizzling Times Square; it’s not all glitz and glam in between, but if you’ve got the desire, talent and grit you’re bound to be a “shoe-in” with a closetful of options!
1
5th Avenue Walking Tour
Kick-off your fabulous three-day fashion fiesta with a 5th Avenue walking tour! Along the way, you’ll learn the history of this legendary street and the prestigious stores and iconic landmarks that have made this fabled thoroughfare an enduring favorite destination for NYC shoppers for decades. This five-mile stretch of road beginning at Washington Square and ending at Harlem River is loaded with designer shops and architectural stunners; these first-rate forays can be customized to include your very own “NYFabulous” 5th Avenue shopping experience!
Fashion Institute of Technology Museum
Your fashion-minded troupe won’t want to miss out on a trip to The FIT Museum, best known for its innovative, award-winning, ambitious and ever-fresh special exhibitions. Its three floors house a permanent assemblage encompassing over 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present and represent important designers such as Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior. The collecting policy of “the Most Fashionable Museum in New York City” focuses on aesthetically and historically significant “directional” clothing, accessories, textiles and visual materials, with the emphasis always on contemporary avant-garde fashion! Prepare to be WOWED.
Mood Designer Fabrics
Aspiring young stylists, hobby sewers and fashion mavens, alike will LOVE this tour of the ULTIMATE NYC designer fabric store! Without a doubt, Mood Fabrics is the number-one shopping destination for fashion and home fabric in the world; the NYC flagship store greets more than 1,200 customers every day! Named one of “Fashion’s 50 Most Powerful” by The New York Daily News, Mood has built a truly impeccable reputation based on honesty, creativity, and hard work; the company prides itself on being a family business and true American success story. Followers of Project Runway will recall how quickly it became one of the most successful reality shows ever; even non-sewers flock to the three-floor NYC store for a peek at Tim Gunn or Mood mascot, Swatch!
Top of the Rock
Rockefeller Center invites you and your group of intrepid itinerants to experience the magic of the “City that Never Sleeps” from a beyond-breathtaking vantage point. Step inside a supersonic elevator and soar straight to the twinkling, LED-lit “Top of the Rock” for exhilarating and utterly matchless 360-degree views of Central Park and the iconic city skyline!
2
Central Park
What better way to start day two than with a leisurely stroll through the Big Apple’s 843 acre back yard? Central Park is a mainstay of any NYC student travel experience; this familiar landmark attraction is a veritable oasis in the heart of the bustling city, offering locals and visitors, alike, a refreshing escape from the frenzied crush of crowds and the dizzying pace of life in the shadows of the serious skyscrapers. Among its myriad highlights are two ice skating rinks, a 90-acre area of natural woods, dozens of bridges and arches, 21 playgrounds, one of the largest merry-go-rounds in the States, a small Zoo, a 106-acre reservoir encircled by a running track and an heirloom rose garden!
Garment District
New York assumed its role as the center of the nation's garment industry by making affordable work clothes for slaves on Southern plantations; in addition, its tailors produced ready-made garments for sailors and western prospectors whenever regular business slowed. Present-day NYC is undeniably the Nation’s fashion capital, with $14 billion in annual sales. The heart of the industry is Manhattan's Garment District, where the majority of the city's major fashion labels operate showrooms; no other metropolis houses a comparable concentration of fashion businesses and talent in a single district. Once dominated by the fashion industry, the area has evolved into a truly diverse neighborhood; in addition to “talking shop” and taking in the endless amazing sights, you can grab a sweet bite in a wonderful bakery or lunch on a trendy rooftop, check out the local arts scene, pick up some fur trim for that favorite jacket, pore over rainbows of fabulous accessories and shop incredible sample sales! P.S.: Don’t forget to grab a shot of the enormous “needle threading a button” sculpture!
Showroom Visit
Your students have experienced the magic of 5th Avenue, explored the FIT Museum and been into the belly of the Garment District; why not orchestrate the showroom soiree of their dreams?! Meet and mingle with fashion trade experts during an exclusive tour of your chosen designer’s showroom; plunge right into the satisfyingly frenetic world of fashion and get a firsthand look at the latest creations from a roster of industry heavy hitters including Betsey Johnson, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ann Klein during this thrilling lifetime opportunity!
Broadway Show
You and your group are in for an extraordinary evening’s entertainment! Select the production of your choice, head to the theatre, find your seat, and enjoy the show – it’s as simple as that. There’s absolutely nothing like catching a live performance on one of the World’s greatest stages, and with dozens of venues to choose from - ensuring something for audiences of all ages - no excuse justifies missing out on the Great White Way theater experience while you’re in town. P.S.: Don’t forget to linger by the stage door for autographs!
3
M&S Schmalberg
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering where those intricate little silk posies on accessories, hats and wedding favors come from, your group’s first stop on Day 3 will prove wonderfully enlightening! M & S Schmalberg, located in the fashion district of NYC, is the largest direct manufacturer of custom silk fabric flower pins in the USA, perfectly complementing the apparel, millinery, accessory, and bridal industries since 1916. Their unbelievably lovely fabric flowers have been featured in countless magazines and on runways the world over. Using the same delicate process they’ve employed since 1916, they continue to provide an exquisite quality product and offer clients truly unmatched artisanal customization service. Some of their flower molds date all the way back to the turn of the century, and their endless styles can be created in any fabric - leathers, suedes, silks, kinds of cotton, velvets, felts and even exotic skins! Informative and fun factory tours detail the intricate manufacturing process and outline the company’s rich history and relationship with the garment industry.
Showroom Visit
Your final day in the big, beautiful and bustling City that Never Sleeps is shaping up quite nicely! Can you believe it? You’re heading to yet, another designer showroom of your choice!
Times Square
There’s nothing in the world like experiencing the cosmopolitan vibrancy of iconic Times Square; its huge digital billboards, brilliant neon lights, and dazzling storefronts are just a part of the amazing explosion of sights, sounds, and attractions awaiting visitors to this world-famous intersection in the heart of the Theater District. Times Square, referenced and portrayed time and again in popular cinema, is the home of the annually televised New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, the Paramount Building, Planet Hollywood, the Good Morning America show and so many other hotspots and highlights it’s earned another nickname: “Center of the Universe”! And so closes your third day in NYC; what an amazing farewell – for now!