Test 7

Покупки. Карманные деньги

Раздел 2. (задания по чтению)

1. Combine entertainment and shopping
2. Money is not a problem
3. Shopping and services
4. Fashion for kids
5. Britain’s special offer
6. Best ways of shopping
7. Art in shopping
8. Eco Shopping

A.     One of London’s most high-profile eco shops, Eco Age was set up by siblings Nicola and Livia Giuggioli (Colin Firth’s wife). The shop in Chiswick stocks 1700 eco-friendly, fairly traded, recyclable and durable products including gifts, gadgets, fashion and furniture…

B.     Department stores are a London speciality. From Harrods to Harvey Nichols, Selfridges to Liberty, they are located across the city, stocking everything from footwear to furnishing and clothes to caviar. Most London department stores also have cafés, restaurants or bars – perfect when you need to recharge your batteries after an extended shopping session. Some even offer you the chance to unwind with a luxurious spa or beauty treatment. You’ll also find extensive cosmetics departments as well as bridal wear in the majority of larger stores.

C.     Theatre De La Mode is a dynamic fusion of paper sculpture and fashion. Theatre de la Mode has collaborated with paper sculptor Andrew MacGregor to create an exhibition of sculpture, dedicated to the jacket. Later in the week, Melanie Porter’s pop-up store will showcase the designer’s stunning new collection of unique, contemporary designed chairs. Sourcing chairs from across the UK at auctions and markets, Porter transforms these pieces of forgotten furniture into beautiful works of art. Porter undertakes everything from the restoration stage to the individual upholstery, producing a one-of-a-kind piece to treasure.

D.     There are many London food markets selling specialist and organic foodstuffs.
So whether you’re searching for unusual ingredients, or just fancy treating yourself to some home-made delicacies, take a look at some at London’s best food markets. For example, the award-winning Borough Market is one of the largest food markets in the city, spreading under the railway arches at London Bridge. It’s a gourmet’s paradise, offering top quality produce and artisan foods from all over Britain and the continent.

E.      If you want your toddler to look as stylish as Suri Cruise and the Beckham boys, head to Selfridges where you can pick up your favourite designer clothes in miniature. Juicy Couture, Diesel, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are just some of the top name brands available for little people in the famous Oxford Street store.

F.      Whether you’re looking to shop, dine, stroll, be entertained or experience some unique heritage, there’s plenty of things to do in London’s Covent Garden. At the heart of Covent Garden is the market with its quirky craft stalls, boutiques and restaurants. The central piazza has a thriving café culture and is buzzing with outlandish street entertainers and fun events all day, every day.

7. London is a great place to shop for the latest fashions, even if you’re on a budget. London’s high streets are packed with fantastic shops where you can bag a cheap bargain. And if you’re after cut-price designer labels, London’s regular sales are well worth a visit. This low-budget brand is massively popular with dedicated followers of fashion. In terms of quality, you get what you pay for but it’s perfect for bargain fashion that you’re only planning to wear a couple of times. You’ll often find designer-inspired pieces appearing on the rails just weeks after their catwalk debut. Stock changes constantly, so if you see something you like, snap it up!

Interviewing Pilotto

Pilotto and his design partner Christopher De Vos have their own studio, with scrupulously ordered mood boards of digital computer-aided designs, and wide, high tables with samples spread across them.

It’s a far away from the Vyner Street cupboard room where I met them five years ago, when they represented a young label singled out by Time Out as one to watch for spring/summer 2007. Back then, half-Austrian, half-Italian Pilotto and half-Belgian, half-Peruvian De Vos had just secured a first buyer for their exquisitely printed collection – Seven, an adventurous boutique in New York. Now, the brand has more than 30 buyers including Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Colette in Paris, and counts Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama as fans.

How have you made the transition from the tiny label of five years ago to the global brand you’re managing today?

Peter Pilotto: ‘A lot of that is thanks to the Centre for Fashion Enterprise which supports and incubates young fashion businesses. It gave us security – two years not to worry about rent. It gave us a studio, the use of the sewing machines and facilities. And, very importantly, it also gave us a lot of advice about accounting. As a young designer, you don’t consider the fact that if you sell a lot in a season, that can be the riskiest moment. It can mess you up in January when you have to pay your manufacturers but you haven’t delivered to clients yet. It can all be over if you don’t manage the moment right – that’s what the CFE is there for. Young designers just think: Great, I sold a lot. And not: ‘I’m going to have to pay people a lot of money before anyone pays me.’

You’ve always shown in London. Do you feel under pressure to go to Paris and get access to a different kind of buyer and exposure?

CDV: ‘No. Not any more. We get the buyers here. I think the buyers go to every fashion week and make up their minds while they travel. Then they like to make their orders in Paris at the end of it. Even the London stores do that.

PP: ‘We are happy in London – the support has been amazing. That’s why London Fashion Week is so incredible – because all these young designers are able to show and start a business, which would be almost impossible in Paris financially. Here, because of the CFE it’s easy. We’ve been through a struggle, but still, we’re managing.’

Do you feel like there’s a kind of uprising in British fashion at the moment?

Both: ‘Totally!’

CDV: ‘I think it’s exciting that people are now staying in London, and keeping it strong. People seem to be coming back. Also, it’s London Fashion Week, but a lot of us are from everywhere.’

Yes, I was going to ask about that. How did a label with a Belgian, Italian, Peruvian and Austrian background come to be seen as British?

PP: ‘Because we’re here – we’re a London-based label. We started it here right after I graduated.’

CDV: ‘We also manufacture a lot in London. Yes, it’s expensive; the things we make here are the expensive, technical pieces. We used to manufacture everything here but now for some of the separates we’re more careful of the cost.’

A 7          Pilotto and Christopher have made a great career for a short time.

                1) True                    2) False                       3) Not stated

A 8          Pilotto and Christopher have the most famous clients in all countries in the world.

                1) True                    2) False                       3) Not stated

A 9          The designers are very thankful to the CFE for all they’ve done for them.

                1) True                    2) False                       3) Not stated

A 10        The designers appreciated the CFE business advice as the most important.

                1) True                    2) False                       3) Not stated

A 11       First the designers were under pressure away from London fashion market.

               1) True                     2) False                       3) Not stated

A 12       Pilotto and his partner think they could have started their business in Paris.

               1) True                     2) False                       3) Not stated

A 13       London is becoming one of the fashion capitals again.

               1) True                     2) False                       3) Not stated

A 14       The designers have a British brand as they manufacture everything in Britain.

               1) True                     2) False                       3) Not stated

Раздел 3. (задания по грамматике и лексике)

Раздел 4 (задания по письму)

You have 30 minutes to do this task.

You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend Marty.

White a letter to him and answer his 3 questions.

Write 100–120 words. Remember the rules of letter writing.