Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part IV

I'm sure you'll all be deeply saddened to hear that my time as a fashion intern has come to an end... although on a more positive note I'm back in Newcastle & reunited with my partner in crime Bex aka Grace! This can only mean one thing; there will be some fantabulous posts coming very soon from Alice and Grace! (I can almost hear the cheers from here...).

As sad as I am that I'm no longer living the high life in London (did I mention I met Gok Wan?) part of me is actually relieved. Shock horror! Interning is extremely hard work & I recommend really thinking about whether you're ready to committing to the work load before applying. If you get a bad reputation in one magazine or newspaper it can make it ridiculously hard to get another internship within the same media company.

However (and that's a big however), I haven't been put off of my dream career in the process of this blood, sweat & tears regime...okay, there was no blood. But in all seriousness it's taught me a lot about the industry & the amount of work that goes into a magazine. Something I admittedly never thought of when I picked up a copy of Look in my local Tescos every week. 

For all you keen bean supporters (I know you're out there somewhere...) if you pick up this weeks copy of Look & flip to the High Street Catwalk page then look at the teeny weeny credits down the right hand side you will see yours truly! That's right, I dressed those lovely ladies & enjoyed every single second of it. 

I'm famous!! (In the small print world...).

Kathy xo

Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part III

As my third week comes to an end I've started to realise something: you need to really want this if you aspire to make it in this industry. I'm tired, I'm sick of returning clothes & I'm sick of soup but I've also had one of the best weeks of my life. Another week, another photo shoot. This time it was hands on & I really had to pull my weight.

While I don't think I've ever been happier it's a Friday (yes, I have had Katy Perry stuck in my head all day) I've learnt a lot this week. I think the more the fashion team & stylists get to know you the more they're going to trust you with the more challenging jobs. I was admittedly told by one of the lovely stylists, Chloe, 'It's hard to shine while you're stuck in the fashion cupboard' (to be honest it's hard to do anything in the fashion cupboard it's so full). But on a more positive note interning is the way you make contacts and network - the important thing when it comes to journalism. In the past three weeks I've managed to pick up five numbers from the Look team - & one of the stylists (Lucy, who I went on my New Look shoot with) is moving to Stylist Magazine which means if I ever find myself there I already have a contact. See how this is starting to work? The best advice they've given me is even if it's just a week or two snap up any interning or work experience you're offered - you don't want to be that girl who turned them down (yep, it's pretty cut throat).

Don't get me wrong, this isn't my attempt to put anyone off achieving their dreams & eliminate some of the masses of competition (joke serious) but this is the kind of invaluable tips & tricks the text books won't tell you. If you really have your heart set on a career in the fashion journalism industry my best advice (after pestering the life out of anyone in the office who will answer my questions) is: have a thick skin, people can be mean (especially girls) but don't take everything personally & most importantly be persistent - if you don't get a reply from your first application don't freak out, people are busy & easily forget to reply to e-mails...send it again!

Top: Amazing view from this week's shoot in Shoreditch

 Bottom Left: Working with this view isn't too bad I guess...

Bottom Right: A surprise parcel from my best friend Georgie - a framed copy of the first ever magazine I've worked on (there were a few tears)

Kathy xo

Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part II

This week has been ridiculously exciting. I'm all settled in, I know how to do all the basic intern requirements (returns, PR contacts, answer the phone, web links, making a cuppa etc) and this is when the exciting stuff starts. I experienced my first ever professional shoot. And yes, it was unbelievably amazing. You may have noticed Look often team up with brands to do promotional shoots & that is exactly what I was part of. New Look supplied the clothes & Look supplied the style. 

What beats a cheeky panorama shot? This is the amazing Shoreditch Studios - majorly fancy. 

Being the fashion assistant on set means getting there to meet suitcases & suitcases & suitcases (you get the idea) of clothes, shoes, accessories & pretty much everything else you can think of. Once unpacked & neatly arranged it's my job to steam the clothes & have them 100% shoot ready - this is undoubtedly where I come into my element, it has organisational freak written all over it.

Apart from that I get to shadow the stylist, who in this case was the love Lucy, & learn all her tips & tricks - it's the only way to learn in this business. Making things look chic & more expensive is what stylists are employed for. With a collaboration with the New Look team Lucy was easily able to do this & it was pretty amazing to watch develop right before my eyes. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing range of jewellery New Look had to offer this season at pretty damn reasonable prices - I've taken a few pictures (above) of my favourite bits which I'll be making a cheeky investment in this weekend. 

To top off the incredible day we were supplied with a Smeg full of unlimited drinks, coffee & tea whenever we wanted as well as a lovely Greek inspired lunch followed by salted caramel brownies....all for free. Now this is my kind of working environment.

I got to meet some really talented people on the shoot; the hairdresser had worked with Miranda Kerr & apparently she's lovely! The photographer was pretty inspirational & was supported by an amazing team. They worked so well with the two models (two lovely girls from Australia & Holland) & knew exactly how to achieve the shots they wanted.

At the end of the day we had a beautiful two page spread (TPS in the industry lingo - took me a while to understand...) which will be out in a few weeks. I would seriously recommend trying out a shoot if you're not sure where you're heading in the industry - it's really helped me in getting some direction & being able to talk to these experienced, talented people who have already made it is truly invaluable. 

lots of love,

Kathy x

Diary of a Fashion Intern

So, I may or may not have mentioned I've just began a month interning in Look magazine's fashion department (It's not like I talk about it much or anything...). As my first week in the big bad fashion journalism world comes to an end I thought I'd share my experiences with you, you lucky lucky people. 

Unlike most fashion blogs I'm not going to just show you what I wore every day because really, you're probably not that interested & secondly I have to get up at 7 every morning & to be perfectly honest I really can't be bothered to start taking pictures of myself at that time. I want to tell you about what I've really experienced & what it's really like to be the lowest of the low on the fashion career ladder.

On my first day I turn up early, trying my best to make a good impression, to this awfully intimidating building that resembles The Devil Wears Prada a little too much for my liking. I'm left waiting for about thirty minutes & naturally I'm starting to freak out. This is obviously a bad omen isn't it? I should just get up & leave now shouldn't I? Coming to London & missing an entire month of my third & final year at university was a ridiculous idea Kathy, what on earth were you thinking?

Yes, this all went through my head within a short half an hour. Thankfully, I could not be more wrong. I have literally had one of the best weeks of my life & as cliche as it sounds I've learnt so much. Yes, there has been copious amounts of coffee involved (it's free though - IPC Media supply unlimited amounts for all their staff the little cuties) but it's been worth all the hard work. The view from the canteen (top right corner) is enough to make me want to go into work everyday. 

While me & my fellow three interns (Jaz, Megan & Hannah - who are adorable by the way) were majorly thrown in at the deep end, I was always expecting that. Being part of a team has made it so much easier though, ringing up a PR company for the first time can be a little bit daunting but now I wouldn't think twice about it (I'm a pro, naturally).  I've even been able to put together an online piece this week which will be published in the next few days, and yes I will be bombarding you with links. 

Despite having absolutely nothing to do with my journey to becoming a fashion journalist I've got to say experiencing Liberty's this week was a major highlight. I was sent to buy a leaving present for one of the team (Yep, major intern classic right there) & was given their press card...which means 20% off...and I was allowed to use it. Yes, you read right, I was allowed 20% in the most beautiful, fantastical, amazing store of all time. It was worth buying something for the carrier bag alone (That's me being drawn in my advertising once again, cringe).

Although I've pretty much lived off soup this week (Pret you lifesaver) & I don't think I've ever been this tired I have really been able to see the hard work that goes into a weekly magazine. I'm beginning to appreciate how much magazines rely upon their unpaid interns. Sample returns, chasing up photographers, showing models where to go, arguing with PR companies & freaking out when you accidentally barge into the editor (She wasn't impressed). It's all been part of an amazing week & I can't wait to do it all again (Although I am a little sick of soup).

Kathy x

Working Women: Part II

As you may have noticed we've been very busy at Alice & Grace lately with Bex (aka Grace) becoming Deputy Fashion Editor at The Courier & now we sadly must be parted for another month (queue the violins).

Now it's time for me to get into the working world & I'm off to be a Fashion Intern for Look Magazine in London. While this is ridiculously scary & yes I am, to put it politely, bricking it me & Bex promise to report on all our learnings in the big bad fashion journalism industry. Keep checking back for my Intern Diary blogposts where I'll be telling you all about my (hopefully) amazing & fun filled time in Landaaan (I promise that will be the first & last time I do that - I just needed to get it out of my system, I swear...).

& if any of you have any advice you'd like to share with us we would love to hear it!!

My favourite things about London...

Kathy x