Last week in the big apple

It's a rainy day here in New York City. Its been dreary with on and off rain for a week and I'm getting tired of it! I don't have that many chic rain clothes in my closet. Fortunately I'm just working in the PR office today. Isabel had a photo-shoot at NBC studios for Bloomingdale's, that I wish I could of gone to, but by the time I was done at the office the shoot was over. Oh well! I'm sure it was cool though, they were doing a story for the September catalogue that was like a Tina Fay type girl working behind the scenes. I guess we'll all see what it looks like when the catalogue comes out. Tomorrow we have yet another photo-shoot for Jessica Simpson's look book for her uncomfortable lovely shoe collection. It should be pretty easy since there's not much styling involved because we already have a set collection of clothes and shoes we have to use.  Then I have a dinner with my parents and the couple that set me up with this internship. The connection is that I interned with a women named Cori at Victoria's Secret in the summer between 10th and 11th grade. Cori then connected me to Isabel because Isabel styled the VS campaign a few years ago. Don't you just love networking?
Regardless, I totally forget what school is like. Everyone told me that the real business world is just a culture shock coming out of school if you've never worked before. And it is. I'll admit that I was scared out of my mind the first few days. Being surrounded everyday by people who are at the top of their careers is a little intimidating. Mostly because thats a place I want to be in five or so years. I know that sounds ambitious but I dream big. In school the thing they forget to tell you is that you will get fired if you don't go to work. But you don't get kicked out of school if you don't go to class (there are exceptions). Now I am proud to say that I have never skipped a class at Solebury, but there is an added pressure to get up in the morning that was definitely not there during school.
Since it's memorial day weekend next week, all the big names at the magazine are off vacationing in the Hampton's or something getting their grill on. Although I'm sure not without their Celine sport pants and Christian Louboutin's. So as you might have guessed, business is a little slow. Sarah, Marie's assistant left on Friday to go back to France to finish her exams. So I got 'promoted' for the next week to do all the assisting for Marie. It's mostly e-mailing clients, pulling items for the magazine and then doing all the invoices. It's really not very difficult, and the other intern who started last week (she didn't show up today so that makes me look really good) is working here as she finishes her senior year at college. Anyway it would be pretty cool to do this all day and actually get paid for it. Because I haven't even graduated high school and this is one of the easier jobs I've ever done. Really, it's nothing compared to the anguish I went through in French and Math. On a side note, everyone speaks french! Funny how the things that you struggle with the most follow you. 
I'm sad this is my last week in the city! I really love working here - even if its the boring stuff.

xo
t

CRAZY

I had two photo shoots the last two days so life has been pretty hectic. I don't get home until 9/10 at night so I am so sorry for the lack of keeping you updated on my life as a fashion intern. Also I'm required by my school to post things so eventually I will have to tell you. But I've been taking notes in my free moments at the shoots so I promise I have plenty of material. Just being in the city is such an inspiration in itself that every moment I am filled with hundreds of things I could show or say to you. Honestly, it makes me a little sad when I have to get off at 42nd street to catch a bus back to good old New Joisey (that spelling was intentional... just say it with The Situation's voice). I just keep thinking of how lucky I am to have this opportunity. Every other intern I've worked with is graduating from college so it's amazing how far ahead I will be after these three weeks. I just keep thinking that every pack-up and mail delivery is getting me closer to achieving my bigger goals. And even though its the silliest and most basic jobs I'm doing everyday,  it is all going to get me to the life I envision in my head. I'm sure I will eventually get tired of filing invoices and bothering Lucky magazine about giving our clothes back (really there terrible at returning things on time). But I genuinely love it right now. And since the world is ending tomorrow, it's wonderful that I got to spend my last days on earth in a community I belong in. Since the first day I got to NYC I knew it was my place. I think it's like finding the right wedding dress or falling in love (or so I hear): you just know when it's right. Well I can tell you right now I found my place. Completely and totally. I've never felt so happy, important and challenged until now.
To put this all into simpler terms: life feels easier when you feel like yourself.

What being a fashion intern looks like from our eyes

Photos via: T Magazine (NYTimes) 

Bloomingdales photo-shoot

What a crazy day! I had my first official photo-shoot for Bloomingdales! The shoot included two spreads (a series of photographs that tells a story) for the August and September catalogue. I woke up at 5a.m. got into the city at 8:20, and arrived at Drive In Studios in Chelsea at 9. In preparing for the styling of the shoot, I spent the previous two days at Bloomingdales's corporate offices on the upper east side. The store is beautiful and has some really amazing clothes.
Preparing for a photo-shoot can mean a lot of different things depending on who its for. Since this was Bloomingdales, it was fairly simple as far as the clothes because we just used apparel from the store. When you're shooting for magazines and such, all the clothes are borrowed from agencies so the retuning and keeping track of everything can get very confusing when you have 10 or so racks of clothes all from different places. Anyway, two days before me and the styling assistant named Hannah, organized the first round of pulls (the clothes initially picked for the photo-shoot). We also took pictures of the shoes and filed paperwork to ensure all the clothes were properly checked out.
The day before is the meeting between the stylist, creative director and photographer. What an editorial looks like is really a collaboration between these three people, with the creative director taking the lead. In that meeting everyone looks over the clothes with the jewelry - which was the focus in this case. After we had a rough idea of the direction we wanted to go, Isabel, Hannah and me went to get more clothes. In this case, it meant we went into Bloomingdales, each took a floor and grabbed anything that was close to our color scheme. Finally, we packed all the clothes, filed the paperwork and got everything ready to be shipped to the studio the next morning.

The Day of the Shoot:
When I got to the studio at 9, me and Hannah unpacked all the clothes and laid out the jewelry. When the model got there, she went into hair and make-up while Isabel, the creative director, and the photographer chose final looks. By 10:30, we had the model on set and doing test shots. From here on out, my job was mostly waiting around. The whole team was extremely meticulous about every detail. Of course you have to be for this job, but the whole day lasted longer than usual. By 12, we had tried about three different dresses with the Gucci jewelry, and finally got 'thee' shot. This is basically what a photo-shoot is like. The creative team talks and debates and tries a million different options before everyone is happy. Mine and the stylists assistants job was to change the model and pack up at the end of the day. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait for next week! Were shooting an editorial for Marie Claire magazine, so its going to be all about the clothes and the fall trends. And thats all the fun stuff.

behind the scene photos coming this weekend!

my internship begins!

Hello my loves!
Tomorrow, I start my exciting three week internship! I can't think of a better way to end my senior year.  I will be working with Isabel Dupre, an NYC based stylist, who was previously the style director at Elle magazine before going freelance a few years ago. If you don't follow fashion, being the style director of a major magazine is a huge deal. So needless to say, this is an amazing opportunity. For the next three weeks I will be documenting all the exciting things I'll be doing and the fashionable people I'll meet (and I will explain everything because people rarely know what I'm talking about when I talk about fashion). And then of course, there will be the clothes. I have high expectations for the clothes, and there will be plenty of me obsessing over them, and giving detailed fantasies of the day I will finally buy my first pair of Monolo Blanhik's.

I have no idea of what to expect, so I'm going into this with an open mind. In the mean time, here are some recent shoots that Isabel styled. So basically, a stylist picks outfits for magazines, celebrities and so forth. I think her style is awesome, but you can judge for yourself...

 first editorial: Marie Claire June 2010

second: Marie Claire February 2011

third: Marie Claire May 2011

xo

t

high school

I was sitting in assembly, when I realized how close to the edge I was. When your caught up in four years of isolated moments you never realize how far ahead of you your life is getting. So as I was sitting among 200 or so other Solebury students, I took in the humid condensed air, and the sound of freshman obsessing or minute details of their social lives, and the look of drained eyes milling into the PAC. I was sitting by myself, and for one split second, I think I understood. It was something of a perfectly out of tune note of sound, smell, and look, as I took in one last deep breath full of life as I know it. As I exhaled, the reality poured out of me and the room was suddenly old, yet very unfamiliar. Something like a friend from years and years ago that you used to have a crush on, and then suddenly seeing them across the frozen food isle at Whole Foods.

I think it takes a new perspective to really appreciate something. Up until recently, I rarely found beauty in my world. I ignored the moments out of spite and not having enough time to stop and think. The trouble was that if you stop and think, epiphanies have a funny way of falling in front of you. Their right there, and in your way, and unavoidable.
If I've learned anything, its to stop and stretch a moment for all its worth. And as always with the best life lessons, a series of unintentional events had led me to that conclusion.

So sitting in assembly, I took a moment from everyone in the room. I cant imagine anyone else had claimed such an arbitrary moment in their Solebury careers, so I made it mine. It was exactly what I want to remember when I'm developing frost bite in November in Chicago, on my way to a six hour art class. I want to remember the buzz of 200 people I do actually know, and the smell of mold from the ex-athletic center, and the heat from an 80 degree day in April. I can't imagine I'll ever wish myself back in high school. But I will miss the way high school nurtured an unrealistic perception of people. The hardest thing is realizing that I can no longer ask one person to find out the complete dating history of another person. And its going to be hard to try and remember that not everyone tells the truth.

But it is definitely time to go. Isn't it the truth that as soon as you realize the value and meaning of a place in you're life, it becomes the time to leave. To be honest, anyone who gets all the understanding and love out of a place, and then stays because its easy, is overstaying their welcome. Not to mention not doing themselves any favors. I don't believe anyone who's truly alive, is ever comfortable. So here I am at the conclusion of my farewell monologue. I know why I went - and stayed - at Solebury. And now that I know, it's time for me to go, I wouldn't be doing the place any justice by staying. Maybe it's just my nature but I needed to go through the pain and heartbreak to get here. And to anyone who actually finished this, thank you! But more importantly, find those moments and take them. Because in the end, genuine inspiration doesn't come from photos, or fabric swatches, or even ancient history.

xo

t

home

I'm gonna miss these kids... It's my last three days of high school and I think I'm getting a little sentimental.

karma's a bitch

... And a good bitch to have on your side. 

xoxo