I raced to Barnes & Noble this past Monday because October 5th marked the release of the much-anticipated fashion tome, "The Teen Vogue Handbook." This was a project undertaken by the magazine's editor-in-chief, Amy Astley, because she realized that more and more young people had ambitions of working in the fashion industry, but didn't really know how to go about achieving this. I was one of those young people in 2001, someone who knew exactly what she wanted to do (work at a fashion magazine), but had absolutely no idea how to make it happen. This book serves as a blueprint for like-minded aspiring fashionistas of all kinds.
The guide was broken down into chapters on editors, models, photographers, beauty, and stylists. Naturally, my main emphasis was placed on the chapter devoted to editors. Amy Astley put forth a very impressive array of editors, seeking advice from Teen Vogue interns, assistants, and editors; the "ultimate fashion editor," Anna Wintour; and Robin Givhan, the Pulitzer Prize winning fashion critic for The Washington Post. I thought Amy Astley's advice was the most poignant though: "You can't just sit around in Omaha, or wherever you're from, wishing that you could work in the fashion business. You need to move. Go to where the opportunities are!" Ms. Astley also urged would-be interns to always be a "yes person." Most important, one needs to be a curious and educated person, "someone who can place trends into context and give banal things journalistic credence."
Another tip in the book was that one take a chance on e-mailing an admired editor to arrange an informational interview. I know that this is excellent advice because I have tried this- and it worked! Over the summer, I e-mailed an editor at Harper's Bazaar and one at Teen Vogue. After a brief exchange of e-mails, both agreed to meet with me in person at their respective offices in Manhattan. If you are able to orchestrate an informational interview, make sure you come prepared with information on both the magazine and the editor (what does she write about, what is her background, etc.). And, as a bonus, you never know who you'll run into while you're in the office. Glenda Bailey, the editor-in-chief of Bazaar, was just ten feet away in the next office! I almost fainted. Well, I digress. Definitely be bold enough to e-mail an editor to see what could happen.
Of course attention must be paid to what that other editor with Conde Nast advised. Yes, I'm referring to Anna Wintour. For starters, Anna (we're on a first name basis) is looking for someone who has actually read the magazine. Are there people interested in working in fashion who have not read every issue of Vogue? I can't fathom this. Anna also recommended that would-be editors do their homework- go to museums, spend time online reviewing collections, read, etc. These seem to be givens to me. I thought this advice was helpful, but when you look at the masthead, you realize that following that advice alone will not land you in the hallowed halls of Vogue. Two of her recent assistants were an heiress (Claiborne Swanson) and a young lady married to a Rockefeller (Indre Rockefeller). So, I think it takes a wee bit more to land in Anna's office for an interview than merely having read Vogue and knowing who, say, Alexander Wang is. I wish Anna would have just admitted that Vogue still handles the hiring the way Carmel Snow did- bring a list of the wealthiest, most influential people you know and we'll see if your connections are strong enough to land you a job.
My main criticism with the book was that it didn't feature any information on securing an internship. So much emphasis was placed on interning, but I didn't even see the Conde Nast website included in the book. An intern or assistant briefly mentioned the helpful journalism website, Ed2010, but it wasn't directly featured in the book. As important as interning is, they should have included a separate chapter on this alone.
For those interested in other jobs in fashion outside of editing, fear not, the guide has words of wisdom for you too. Also featured were Chanel Iman, Camilla Nickerson, Patrick Demarchelier, the Mulleavy sisters, Thakoon, Elissa Santisi, Pat McGrath, Bruce Weber, and Mario Testino.
My recommendation is that if you're interested in working in fashion, definitely check out the guide. It was a bit reminiscent of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's book, Influence, but there were still merits here. "The Teen Vogue Handbook" can be found in bookstores (naturally) and online at amazon.com. Check it out!
No comments:
Post a Comment