Vogue’s summer intern, NHL
star Sean Avery, at the 2008 CFDA Awards
Obey the Dress Code
"What not to wear is often easier to outline," says Vogue senior market editor Meredith Melling
Burke. On her list of don'ts: flip-flops, Crocs, ripped jeans, denim shorts,
chipped nails, exposed lingerie, and makeup experiments. (Go easy on the
eyeliner, Avery!) W magazine executive editor Bridget Foley advises
using other office dwellers as a general yardstick of what's appropriate. Even
in creative fields, though, you should look like you mean business. "Dress
according to the reality of what your day will consist of," advises Teen
Vogue fashion director Gloria Baume. "Packing up for shoots and
running around to showrooms means comfortable, easy clothes."
We are talking about the fashion world here, so easy dressing doesn't
necessarily mean easy on flair. "Impress me," commands jewelry
designer Philip Crangi. And Michael Kors accessories
director Richard Sinnott still has fond memories of one ultra-stylish aide.
"She looked amazing. I'd say, 'Honey, we're going out to the warehouse to
pull vintage. You might want to wear flats,' " he recalls. "She said,
'I don't wear flats.' And sure enough, she's in with her bleach-blond bob,
pencil dress, and six-inch patent heels going up and down the ladder." The
key here is that she never missed a rung. "Eccentric and flamboyant is
amusing, as long as it is balanced with efficiency," says eccentric but
efficient Barneys creative director Simon Doonan.
Make sure to work extra hard if you choose to go the eccentric route for your office look, like these models backstage at John Galliano's Fall 2008 show.
Stay Until the Skinny Lady Sings
Think that working in fashion and publishing means having no life outside work?
Good, you're learning. "This is a lifestyle, not a job," says People's
Revolution publicity maven Kelly Cutrone. "If you need to leave at 5:30
every day, it's kind of not the right career for you." Casting director
Douglas Perrett gives his interns a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift, but reserves the
right to go beyond. "This industry can be 24/7," he says. "They
need to be accessible." With luck, your commitment won't go unnoticed.
"You always get bigger points if you say, 'Hey, I can stay and finish
this,' " says Keith Carollo, co-owner of the retailer Fred Flare.
Great Expectations: Check Them at the Door
Remember, there are no such things as small tasks, only small interns. "If
you do little things awesome, you'll definitely get bigger opportunities,"
says Flare. And no matter how beneath your talents you consider stamp-licking
or shoe-taping to be, keep a poker face. "No eye rolls" is the
request from Costello Tagliapietra's
Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra. "That's the bane of our
existence: the intern eye roll." Miserable after a day at the copier?
Baume suggests taking the long view: "Even though on some days it might
seem like a thankless, dismal job, when you look back, you will realize how
valuable it really was." And if not, you can always use the material for
your tell-all blog.
Or not…
Your boss might read Gawker obsessively, but that doesn't mean she wants to see
her name there. Still, in this new world of online notoriety (and, for that
matter, interns) as marketing tool, employers have relaxed their stance on
blogging…a bit. "We love when our interns blog about their
experiences," says Teen Vogue's Baume. The magazine even provides
an area on its Web site to do so, but Baume points out that some things must
remain sub rosa. "I'd clear it with your employer," adds Vanity
Fair's Fanfair editor, Punch Hutton. "That said, if I knew someone was
blogging about their work experience, I'd be reluctant to involve him or her in
an important project." Our take: If you're convinced your online musings
are juicy enough to land a six-figure, kiss-the-office-goodbye-forever book
contract, blog away. Otherwise, find a safer outlet for venting work frustrations,
like mixed martial arts.
Tell your Mom. Tell your friends. Just don't tell all to the World Wide Web, like this (fictitious) disgruntled intern here.
Master the Art of the Telephone
Right up there on the list of fun intern tasks: answering the phone. And it's
harder than it looks, by all accounts. Among the pet peeves we heard from
employers: incomplete phone messages, an unfamiliarity with clients' names, and
even offering a "Good afternoon" to callers at 10 a.m. Vanity Fair's
Hutton advises, "Always answer the phone with a sunny disposition. This
doesn't mean singsongy or overly familiar. And always ask for a phone number if
your boss isn't there." At PR powerhouse Karla Otto, where a phone is
unfailingly answered by a live human being, senior staffer Libby Haan advocates
uniformity and manners. "Everyone answers the phone the same way: 'Karla
Otto, New York .'
Polite and respectful, that's it." Years from now, that "Who? Can you
spell Gabbana?" gaffe might make for a funny anecdote, but right now it'll
mean a long summer—or a very short one.
Learn by Osmosis
You're not Barbara Walters, and a busy boss has better things to do (lunch at
Michael's, checking out that new spa for a two-line front-of-book mention,
etc.) than answer all your questions about how she broke into the industry.
Still, a savvy intern can pick up tons of intel without a single inquiry—every
office has bits of information flying around all day long. "Keep your eyes
and ears open," says Vogue's Melling Burke.
"Make a point to remember everyone's name. Research the latest collections
on Style.com." According to Cutrone, after four weeks of stuffing
envelopes, a good intern should be able to tell you where every editor works
and the magazine's address. "That's amazing because they've actually been
paying attention to detail," she says.
Get your mind out of the gutter. That's IT as in your information technology.
As much as the vibrating siren song of your BlackBerry's IM or thoughts of who
might have just poked you on Facebook might call, ignore them like Odysseus
should have done if he wanted to get home on time. "Personal phone calls
should be the exception, not the rule," says W's Foley. "Cell phones, texting, and IM'ing should take place
outside of the office," agrees Vanity Fair's Hutton. "Be wary of
giving the impression that there are a million other things you'd rather be
doing." IPods, on the other hand, can be welcome under the right
circumstances. "We always want to know what the kids are listening
to," says Perrett. "Listening to iPods is encouraged, as long as it's
on our iPod dock." And for a few open-minded employers, your youthful tech
savvy can be a plus all around. Says Barneys' Doonan, "[Interns] should
show me all the latest tricks and technology. I consider it their duty to
prevent me from becoming an old fart."
Agyness Deyn might be allowed to break out the BlackBerry and iPod at work, but cubicle-bound interns should resist the temptation.
Be Seen and Not Heard
Your opinion matters. Just kidding—it doesn't. It may be tempting to chime in
with your incisive take on what's happening in front of you, but resist the
urge. "It sounds really catty, but my pet peeve is you giving your opinion
without being asked," says Kors' Sinnott. "Sometimes interns get a
little too involved in their heads," say Costello and Tagliapietra.
"They try to work themselves into meetings or listen to phone
conversations and voice their opinion. Then you have that oddball who just
thinks they're the designer, but there's usually someone to put them in their
place, whether it's a stylist or a hairdresser." To avoid being zinged by
an up-and-coming Oribe (trust us, the scars can last for years), just remember
that silence truly is golden.
So What's In It for You?
An internship is essentially a two-month-long job interview, and a successful
intern can reap rewards. "Sometimes an intern impresses you so much that
all you want to do is find them a job within the department," says Teen Vogue's Baume. Beyond an immediate
job, however, the value of making a good referral is, as they say, priceless.
The worlds of fashion publishing, design, and PR are as tight-knit as the stitches
on the gash above a hockey player's eye. When hiring, everyone asks for
suggestions. "We are very fond of referring our outstanding interns to
companies once they are out of school," says Vogue's Melling Burke.
"We're very supportive of people who have helped us," say Costello
and Tagliapietra. "It's about making connections as much as it is about
learning." But don't downplay the educational aspect. "You can't go
study any of this stuff," says Cutrone. "The only way to learn is to
be in the work environment."
Images by Sherly Rabbani & Josephine Solimene, Greg Kessler, and Style.com staff.
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