In my flurry of job applications and writing samples, I added in a few applications to magazine internships. The benefits being a) many companies want to hire a new recruit to their company with at least two- three years experience (more than I have unless you count my pre-college writing which, trust me, no one wants to read that) and b) with minimal expenses and lots of time for writing on my hands, now is a great time to gain that necessary experience!
So, as long as I'm applying to magazines, I'm not just aiming for small publications. And that's how I ended up applying to magazines like ELLE, Rolling Stone and Deux Hommes. (If you're going to aim for your dreams, aim high. Even if you fall short, you're going to land something great.) My "something great" is more along the lines of Lucky Magazine, my favorite fashion consultant throughout high school and college, which in my mind is still a dream job.
So, imagine my surprise when I checked my inbox an hour later and found a response from the managing editor of Deux Hommes (!!!!)!
"Thank you for your interest in Deux Hommes! To better gauge your fashion writing abilities, I would like to have you complete a trial article on the designer below."
(I may have screamed for three minutes or so whilst hugging my extremely confused kitten.)
The designer of choice was Barbara I Gongini, who I was unfamiliar with, but immediately looked up to get a view of her Spring/Summer 2016 collection.
Oh...
"Ready to Wear" where??
This is not Lucky Mag...
I felt like Andy, the Anne Hathaway character in the Devil Wears Prada, when she gets a lecture in how fashion influences everything. Except I actually recognize the difference between the two blue belts... This Gongini was way out of my fashion knowledge.
But if this is fashion, I have to know how to write about it. So I tackled this first assignment of Halloween Goth meets Runway.
The first couple attempts were hard. How can you construe this look as "Ready to Wear"? These designs resemble more of something you'd see at the VMA's, not hanging in a closet. I spent two hours working on the project and got three sentences in. (Beginning of coffee/tea overdose.)
A few hours and countless cups of caffeine later, I hit a breakthrough. Well, really it was more of how to see this from Miranda Priestly (aka Gongini's) POV.
Fashion is art first and foremost. Designers draw inspiration from a wide range of different elements; in Gongini's case, from the Nordic landscape of Denmark where she studied design. Thus, these inspirations may seem at least foreign to the viewer unfamiliar with the designer's culture and background. The other big thing was I have to convey the designer's intentions to the audience. Which means I had to get inside the mind of Barbara I Gongini and write about her fashions the way Miranda would describe the process of how the color cerulean made it into Andy's sweater.
First, I asked myself a series of questions: How is this spring/summer fashion? Why neutrals? How can open weave be convincing as street fashion (because, let's be honest, someone will be rocking that kilt thing in a matter of months).
If I was going to convince the managing editor (and my imaginary audience) to take my opinion seriously, I knew I had to believe in it myself. Looking critically at the designs, I found aspects that I could appreciate: flowing short trousers to combat the heat, striped patterns to include some light hues and a lot of gorgeous draping. Seriously, I fell in love with that flowy, cross-body tunic and pinned it on my "too expensive, but oh I'd love to own you" board. And as I kept writing, I actually did believe my own comments on the collection.
This exercise not only changed my viewpoints on high fashion, but also made me appreciate Anne Hathaway's character more.
I always try to relate to the heroine, but in The Devil Wears Prada, Andy always seemed to me to be a major pushover. She didn't really care about her opportunity to work for Runway, which to me was a major WTF factor. We're talking Vogue equivalent here, girl, and you can't even put on a pair of Valentinos?? Plus, keeping your mouth shut around the head editor is common knowledge. Honestly, for the first twenty minutes of the movie I just want to cry watching Andy stumble over the simplest assignments.
Post-Stanley Tucci makeover Andy is much better ; she actually has the initiative to put 120% into her job and it's paying off. Meryl Streep gives her a nod of approval and even allows her to drop off the Book (although this leads to another "What the hell are you thinking, Andy?" moment). Despite that minor messup, Andy pulls through, contacts Simon Baker to get hold of the unpublished Harry Potter, and bam! keeps her job.
It's around here that I get into the grey area: the inevitable romantic storyline. Let me say up front: I do not like Andy's boyfriend. At all. Maybe it's from knowing a similarly douchey Nate, or maybe it's just because the guy is selfish. He makes fun of her job, doesn't appreciate her efforts to better succeed in the fashion industry and makes stupid purchases like $3 per strawberry. (Alright, maybe he was exaggerating, but really.) The weight of the storyline leans on the big question: will Andy stick with her boyfriend or give him up for her career. Either way, she's going to either be portrayed as a heartless workaholic or a pushover.
I'm a hopeless romantic. But there's nothing romantic about sticking with someone who's going to undermine your goals and criticize you for trying to succeed. So when Andy doesn't end it with foodie-freak Nate I'm really upset. The way she handled the whole Paris trip wasn't the best either. It's not until she throws her phone in the fountain and flies back to New York that I can sympathize with her.
I'm not saying that every person who enters the fashion industry goes on this roller coaster of trying to balance the mindset of a non-fashionist with that of a Prada executive. Having said that, being placed in this position, you have to be able to think outside of your own mindset and appreciate the efforts of the designer in order to succeed in the fashion world.
Anyway, I'm excited for this prospect and can't wait to see to see where this opportunity leads!
Cheers,
Victoria
