So, I managed to power through my first day, week, photo shoot (the subsequent returns session) and come out the other side to face what I hoped would be a less daunting second week! It was the first, but definitely not the last, time I was given sole responsibility for packing the clothes, shoes, accessories and kit bag- preparing for every possible eventuality during shoots was now officially my responsibility.. Of course, this is what I had been waiting for for so many months! The opportunity to prove I can plan, think ahead, anticipate any problems and deal with them calmly and efficiently. In theory. The reality, however, is very different from this when the shoes are too big for the model's feet, the photographer isn't happy with the shots and you're nearing 12 hours on set. Riiiight around this point my contingency plans flew out of the window. I was feeling flustered, anxious that I might not be doing what I was meant to be doing, that I wasn't doing enough or even, God forbid, that this somehow might be my fault. This is the situation I found myself in during what I thought would be my easier second week..
However, before long everybody had sprung into action- defiant in the face of these minor crises. Though the impending office Christmas party later that evening probably helped with that somewhat! Before long we had the willowy photographer's assistant, an unbelievable stroke of luck given she was a former model, striding up and down the make shift runway in Charlotte Olympia heels and even the photographer's mood had lifted- signified by the upbeat tones of Rihanna thumping through the studio. The 12 hours on set couldn't be helped in the end but seeing everyone dressed up in their finery, looking pristine despite spending most of the day crouching over a monitor evaluating each shot and with smiles all round at the end of the day I knew we'd done a good job. Seeing the images go live on the website shortly after was even better and something new to me- it provides the type of instantaneous satisfaction that you rarely get with print.
All in all, it was an altogether new experience. At its core styling a shoot for a website rather than a page in a magazine might be largely the same but the subtle differences between the two make a huge difference. There have been times during shoots for various other magazines where things don't work out exactly as planned, but these things can often be tweaked at a later date either by the photographer or the art team. Since a proportion of the shoot for The Outnet is shot as a video the expanse of space between the model's heel and the back of the shoe couldn't simply be erased or filled in; not to mention that it was a walking shot- effectively turning the gorgeous festive heels into ill fitting flip flops. I'm sure there's a lot more to learn about the difficulties that come with shooting a full story and more on a weekly basis, but this was a good place to start!
Monday, 8 April 2013
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Net A Porter
If, like me, you are a consumer of all fashion- e commerce, magazines, blogs, street style websites- then you will be as excited to hear about my time at NAP as I was when I first found out I'd got the job. More than anything it gave me a huge confidence boost, something I really needed by the time I'd reached my.. Sixth placement, to believe that I was good enough to secure a paid position and that I could do something different. Just because your experience isn't in the exact field that you're applying for it doesn't mean you're not capable and that is the most important lesson- Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Not getting a job can sometimes lead to better things.
So let's cut to my first day at the NAP headquarters in Shepherd's Bush, London. The space is intimidating- think sleek monochrome furniture and plasma screens playing videos of chic women discussing their personal style, I felt suitably scruffy to say the least. I turned up for my induction along with fifteen other people, the only differences between them and me being roughly a 10 year age gap and the fact that the majority of the women were wearing heels with their outfits, so turning up in denim cut offs and biker boots probably wasn't my finest hour.. Gradually I realised there was genuinely no dress code for the office but I didn't get the common sense memo about dressing appropriately for your first day on the job- you live and you learn!
I was certainly thrown in at the deep end on my first day, half the fashion team was away in LA shooting the chic chat videos for the website which left myself and the Styling Director for The Outnet, Eve Thomas, muddling along together. It's always a tricky time starting something new, particularly your first ever paid placement, and being unsure of where everything is, who anyone is or what you should be doing. For me, it was the first time I was given sole responsibility for the fashion cupboard, returns and samples etc- in previous placements I always had the support of other interns to rely on. Add to this the fact that I had also never really been left to my own devices before, with the luxury of not being monitored constantly and being handed specific tasks, and I was basically a nervous wreck. The pace of working in e-commerce is the thing that struck me the most. It is a very different thing to work for an on line company than to work for a traditional print magazine; while stories are shot months in advance for magazines such as Vogue, at The Outnet there are shoots virtually every week for the site's homepage as well as themed stories such as luxe traveller and work wear. I went on my first shoot with NAP in my first week which was fairly frightening- knowing everyone's rhythms and the way they like to work with the photographers and hair and make up is so important to how smoothly the shoot runs that it was a little intimidating to be prepping for a shoot right off the bat. However, it all went smoothly and seeing the images appear on the site the next week definitely boosted my confidence that I could do it all over again!
More on my solo shoot next time, and below some snapshots of my first shoot on the job!
So let's cut to my first day at the NAP headquarters in Shepherd's Bush, London. The space is intimidating- think sleek monochrome furniture and plasma screens playing videos of chic women discussing their personal style, I felt suitably scruffy to say the least. I turned up for my induction along with fifteen other people, the only differences between them and me being roughly a 10 year age gap and the fact that the majority of the women were wearing heels with their outfits, so turning up in denim cut offs and biker boots probably wasn't my finest hour.. Gradually I realised there was genuinely no dress code for the office but I didn't get the common sense memo about dressing appropriately for your first day on the job- you live and you learn!
I was certainly thrown in at the deep end on my first day, half the fashion team was away in LA shooting the chic chat videos for the website which left myself and the Styling Director for The Outnet, Eve Thomas, muddling along together. It's always a tricky time starting something new, particularly your first ever paid placement, and being unsure of where everything is, who anyone is or what you should be doing. For me, it was the first time I was given sole responsibility for the fashion cupboard, returns and samples etc- in previous placements I always had the support of other interns to rely on. Add to this the fact that I had also never really been left to my own devices before, with the luxury of not being monitored constantly and being handed specific tasks, and I was basically a nervous wreck. The pace of working in e-commerce is the thing that struck me the most. It is a very different thing to work for an on line company than to work for a traditional print magazine; while stories are shot months in advance for magazines such as Vogue, at The Outnet there are shoots virtually every week for the site's homepage as well as themed stories such as luxe traveller and work wear. I went on my first shoot with NAP in my first week which was fairly frightening- knowing everyone's rhythms and the way they like to work with the photographers and hair and make up is so important to how smoothly the shoot runs that it was a little intimidating to be prepping for a shoot right off the bat. However, it all went smoothly and seeing the images appear on the site the next week definitely boosted my confidence that I could do it all over again!
More on my solo shoot next time, and below some snapshots of my first shoot on the job!
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| Cheeky snapshot behind the scenes |
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| The photographer's dog Lucille in her Security hoody |
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| Her little face is so damn cute! |
Monday, 1 April 2013
Instyle!
Some good news, finally- signalling that I am heading in the right direction after all these months hoping that something good would come of all the internships and placements! I am returning to Instyle on Monday, but this time in a more permanent position for 3 months or so. It'll be strange to be back at one of the first magazines I interned at almost a year ago but I'm hoping that this way I'll be able to see how far I've come back and look at everything I've done so far with pride. Responsibilities this time, I think, include more than doing returns in the cupboard- though I'm sure I'll still do a fair few of them while I'm there! I'm looking forward to being trusted with doing more this time; I want to feel as if I'm actually contributing something to the magazine- whether that be on a shoot or in the office. The first time I felt as if I was actually a useful member of the team was while I was at The Outnet- that was the without a doubt the hardest but most productive placement I've had so far. Every day was ridiculously tiring but I could see a real result of the work I was doing day to day- perhaps one of the more rewarding aspects of working in e-commerce rather than in print magazines- and that ultimately gives the satisfaction you crave from a job.
Of course it helps to stay in contact with the people you've worked with and for at each magazine you go to, and I'd like to think that there's at least one person from every place I've worked at who would remember me for a future position- I do make it a point to stay in regular contact just so they know where I'm working and how much experience I've gained since they last saw me. That's one of the most important things for me, to show each magazine that I've progressed since I worked with them. If they can see that you've grown in confidence, ability and experience that shows them that you're willing to learn and push yourself. That's how I knew about the 3 month position at Instyle- I kept in touch with Robyn, the senior fashion assistant, and dropped her an email asking if the position was available. Luckily for me they rolled out the longer term placement at the magazine while I was there last year and a girl I was in the cupboard with, and who I've stayed friends with, kicked it all off. Thankfully, she did an amazing job and they've decided to continue with the programme! As with many things in life, it is largely a case of right place, right time when it comes to securing placements and jobs- it worked out this time for me but that doesn't mean I didn't have to interview or go through much the same proceedings as if I hadn't been there previously.
I met with the Senior Fashion Editor, Natalie Hartley, which was absolutely terrifying. I'd never been important enough to actually take up a senior editor's time so this was the first time I found myself sitting face to face with Natalie and having, what transpired to be, a conversation! Interviews like this can often blind side you because you're always waiting for a trap- something that tricks you into tripping up or exposes a weakness but in this industry that usually isn't the case. They genuinely are interested in talking with you, finding out about what you've been doing with your time, where you see yourself in the long run and, as was the case with me, who your favourite designers are! Obviously the questions are somewhat designed to ascertain whether you'd be a compatible member of the team, it being fairly small at Instyle this is something important to them, and whether your style and aesthetic fit with the particular brand of the magazine. So while questions aren't designed to trick you it is worth while considering your answers, difficult in an interview situation, I know, but if you can anticipate key questions it'll make the whole experience a little less nerve racking!
P.S. I know that I was going to write some posts about my time at the Net A Porter group, and I still am so I'll be covering my time there in the next post before talking about my role and responsibilities at Instyle and hopefully I'll be back on track soon enough.
Of course it helps to stay in contact with the people you've worked with and for at each magazine you go to, and I'd like to think that there's at least one person from every place I've worked at who would remember me for a future position- I do make it a point to stay in regular contact just so they know where I'm working and how much experience I've gained since they last saw me. That's one of the most important things for me, to show each magazine that I've progressed since I worked with them. If they can see that you've grown in confidence, ability and experience that shows them that you're willing to learn and push yourself. That's how I knew about the 3 month position at Instyle- I kept in touch with Robyn, the senior fashion assistant, and dropped her an email asking if the position was available. Luckily for me they rolled out the longer term placement at the magazine while I was there last year and a girl I was in the cupboard with, and who I've stayed friends with, kicked it all off. Thankfully, she did an amazing job and they've decided to continue with the programme! As with many things in life, it is largely a case of right place, right time when it comes to securing placements and jobs- it worked out this time for me but that doesn't mean I didn't have to interview or go through much the same proceedings as if I hadn't been there previously.
I met with the Senior Fashion Editor, Natalie Hartley, which was absolutely terrifying. I'd never been important enough to actually take up a senior editor's time so this was the first time I found myself sitting face to face with Natalie and having, what transpired to be, a conversation! Interviews like this can often blind side you because you're always waiting for a trap- something that tricks you into tripping up or exposes a weakness but in this industry that usually isn't the case. They genuinely are interested in talking with you, finding out about what you've been doing with your time, where you see yourself in the long run and, as was the case with me, who your favourite designers are! Obviously the questions are somewhat designed to ascertain whether you'd be a compatible member of the team, it being fairly small at Instyle this is something important to them, and whether your style and aesthetic fit with the particular brand of the magazine. So while questions aren't designed to trick you it is worth while considering your answers, difficult in an interview situation, I know, but if you can anticipate key questions it'll make the whole experience a little less nerve racking!
P.S. I know that I was going to write some posts about my time at the Net A Porter group, and I still am so I'll be covering my time there in the next post before talking about my role and responsibilities at Instyle and hopefully I'll be back on track soon enough.
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