'A million girls would kill for this chance' - an ex-intern at Vogue US

[nina_]

fun and intresting reading, i would "kill" for that job, free designer things : heaven!

 

[SomethingElse]

I would never make it in an internship at Vogue. I would be afraid it would turn me into a complete devil.

 

[gia0202]

i went on an interview witha conde nast mag for a internship. iwas told some nights i may not get out till midnight. that interns cannot leave until all the worrk is done.

 

[katebug]

It makes me wonder how many people are willing to be unhappy, just so they can say I work for Vogue (or whatever company that sounds impressive).

They say they love fashion but they seem to hate their job. Surely it would be more fulfilling to work in a lower-level and less influential company but actually be hands-on and respected and get satisfaction.
I dont know. I'm sure that some people truly do love working in those conditions, but I worry that too many people get caught up in the glamour and the idea of it than realising that all those hours being someone's slave doesnt compensate for those few words on your cv.

 

[fashionistasista]

in regards to the question 'are steven miesel and anna wintour really like this?'.. i have never met either, but it is a similar situation with most editors or high profile photographers. It is half the personality of the person and half hype. Usually as they are quite well known and revered people, you will not believe what idiots people can act around them. A work experience girl that i had to work with once would repeatedly hover around the entrance to the office of some people she admired. she obviously wanted to go in and just talk to them, ask advice etc. If you hang around the office of an editor, you are at risk, from the companies side of overhearing priveliged information - say who is on the cover of an upcoming mag before it has become common knowledge. it seems silly, but in this case if the whisperings get around, the magazine can lose in the long run with advertisers who promote/ or DO NOT promote the star can pull support. its all very boring really. i can understand that people would see this as diva behaviour on the part of the Wintours and Miesels out there, but really they are happy to have you help out in the office or on shoots etc, but they have interns around every day. to new people it is quite exciting and new to them, but editors unfortunatly dont have time to give inspirational advice to all the interns they come accross. in the end if they get to know you, you will be able to chat with them, perhaps ask advice. it is also a matter of seniority. they do not believe that they are superior to you (well maybe some of them do) but they are not, unfortunatly in the habit of talking to interns, as they only deal with the people they are used to dealing with in the magazine.

this is just my example but most people with this reputation will warm to you and you can be yourself around them when they get used to you being there. work experience is a great thing to do and it provides a great insight in the industry but if you are going in for work experience you have to understand that if they are a popular magazinenthey have had 1 - 5 people in for work experience each week every week year after year, so if you want a more hands on approach to your work experience, its better to go to a smaller magazine. you get more hands on experience - may even get to have styling experience or writing experience published, and every one in the office is lovely and friendly and happy to help out.

 

[softgrey]

i told one of the interns at conde nast (not vogue-but teen vogue) that her shoes had very high heels...

and she said....thank you....???......

*it wasn't a compliment...


....

she was funny...and very silly...

the story is perfectly accurate....
but i am sure she was eventually reimbursed...
it takes several months for the invoice to go through the proper channels and finally be issued...

 

[gia0202]

softgrey-any tips on what an intern should wear to show up to work? i generally wear converse sneakers, although recently boot some high-helled boots. I am not sure how much sneakers are frowned upon--- or if i should invest in some sort fo different footwear.

also how high is too high.
keep in mind i am about 6ft tall.

 

[Cicciolina]

That's pretty random softgrey. I do wonder though if it is true that Vogue interns (and employees in general) have to wear heels. I'm always in flats!

 

[Destined]

softgrey-any tips on what an intern should wear to show up to work? i generally wear converse sneakers, although recently boot some high-helled boots. I am not sure how much sneakers are frowned upon--- or if i should invest in some sort fo different footwear.

also how high is too high.
keep in mind i am about 6ft tall.

Maybe if the sneakers are Chanel
but really this article was fantastic, my sister wants to be in that part of the biz, I'll be sure to show her this...

 

[pout306]

That's pretty random softgrey. I do wonder though if it is true that Vogue interns (and employees in general) have to wear heels. I'm always in flats!

Would like to know this as well

 

[James1057]

OMG its just like devil wears prada! even though after reading that i would still kill for that job lol

 

[Acid]

my job at donna karan NY as a PR intern wasnt much different but i made my mark and had a personality. everyone went on about how Donna herself would be quite scary. i did occasionally walk past her office for a couple of reasons and at the time not knowing better would hand whatever i had for her to someone else just because all other employees made her seem out of reach for mere mortals..
i dont know what this girl has made out of this opportunity but i can for sure say from own experience that a slight mixture of arrogance and bitchiness is what gets you around in the fashion world. CONFIDENCE no matter what people say or however they may look at you
.

well absolutely. i mean all of these people talk about how they were bossed around and terrified. but if you think about it from the bosses perspective. there are countless kids around who dont really have a clue about anything theyre doing.

and leyla ur right, when someone comes along who knows exactly what they are doing and what theyre talking about and can make conversation that is relevant and make an interesting contribution then of corse that is going to impress them and they will want you around

 

[pinkpalm]

I don't buy the story. The souce and the publication are not exactly known for accuracy.

 

[KhaoticKharma]

I'm suprised that magazine internships don't pay, because I know that many of the fashion houses do.

I've given working in magazines a lot of thought, and I'm pretty sure that I want to intern at a magazine like Jalouse, Nylon, or i-D. I would rather start out at a smaller magazine because it would be a bit quicker to climb the ranks, and when you do reach a top spot you're one of the top choices for jobs at bigger magazines.

 

[voguelover94]

gees i wanna work at vogue!

 

[LUXXX]

I would've liked to intern for Diana Vreeland...that would've been fascinating...

 

[modela]

''In reality, all he did was settle in front of a computer and direct his assistants, who were taking the pictures."(steven meisel) it could explains why his latest work is so blah...(if this is really true)but this was a fun read!!

 

[LUXXX]

''In reality, all he did was settle in front of a computer and direct his assistants, who were taking the pictures."(steven meisel) it could explains why his latest work is so blah...(if this is really true)but this was a fun read!!

That part kind of disappointed me...I love Meisel's work...I thought it was actually his...

 

[ApertureRomance]

I know I feel disappointed by that too.

As for the article it makes me angry but it doesn't put me off. I can't wait to start interning.

 

[ApertureRomance]

ps. I need to start learning languages eek !