After the first day of my internship, I came home more enthusiastic and exhausted than I could have explained with words. The day went by exceptionally fast; it wasn’t until I arrived home that I could finally unpack all that had occurred.
I interviewed for W Magazine in December when the office was nearly vacant due to covid; they had explained they were working under a hybrid model due to the inconsistent nature of the variant at that time. I didn’t know what to expect leading up to my first week though I couldn’t help but think of Meryl Streep as the terrifying fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada. When I arrived, the office was working at total capacity. The issue was two weeks out from closing and resulted in organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. There were two shoots that week, which meant as a temporary member of the fashion team, my days were full of neverending deliveries, clothing hangers, messengers to meet, and expenses to keep track of.
The day before a shoot, the board room was lined with clothing racks arranged by brand alphabetically, and the table was covered with shoes organized by height and color. I had never seen so many clothes in my life! We displayed the jewelry and accessories in trays and labeled them respectively. The entire staff would file into the room and gather around the table. These run-throughs were facilitated by the head of each department and held to go over the story and add/ edit one last time. Next, the fashion team would take pictures of every piece to send back to the brand before packing the entire room into sets of trunks. The next day the trunks would be gone and replaced by a new set, having returned from another shoot. Our job was never done.
Everything that I have been lucky enough to be a part of so far at W Magazine has affirmed all my interests as well as inspired new curiosities. After my first week, it was clear that W is an environment of motivated individuals collaborating as a team while working autonomously. I shadowed the fashion team, which consisted of the stylists, fashion director, and their assistants. My addition felt seamless, at least from my perspective. Immediately I clicked with the people around me due to our shared interests and ambitious goals. I learned that for most of my coworkers, W is a pitstop with their journey. Some people are striving for a specific dream job in the industry, while others seem to float around, hoping to find what makes them happiest and learn more along the way.
I’m excited to shift gears next week and shadow another department. Next week I will be joining the editor and her assistant through their days and learn about another side of the magazine. Now feel I understand the experience of working as a part of the fashion team at a magazine and the department’s purpose as it relates to the production of the magazine.
