NO LONGER UPDATED.
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Thursday 13, October: IT WAS GOOD WHILE IT LASTED.
If you follow me on twitter, you may have an idea of what this is all about, but if you dont you have to know, this is my last diary. It’s a long story so I hope you have time to read all of it.
These last weeks at Teen Vogue were amazing, although Andrew has been in Russia for the last week, I have had lots of things to do and it is all a lot of fun!
Most people would not like it, but I love to do pickups, like going to designer offices to pick up clothes for photo shoots or Andrew, is so cool. I don’t know why I love it so much, but I just like the change from being in a desk all day, and also, getting to see some of really big designers’ offices is really amazing.
Now, I know what you are all wondering so I’m going straight to the point. I was supposed to be at Teen Vogue until mid-December but unfortunately my time there is over. This is something that I was suspicious of since monday, when I got an e-mail saying that I needed to contact the Managing Editor’s assistant, because the HR/Legal department of Condé nast had some problems with my paperwork.
First they said that I did not have a visa, which I do, so I couldn’t be there, but then it turned out that I needed to be enrolled in an american school to be an intern. The Managing Editor was very helpful and tried to hep me as much as she could, but yesterday she called me into her office and asked me to wrap up what I was doing, because they couldn’t have at Teen Vogue anymore.
I almost cried, that’s for sure, but I also got good news that Jane Keltner was going to help me find another internship. So here I am right now, sending resumes out because I don’t waste the 2 months that I have left in NYC.
Everyone was so amazing to me when I told them I was leaving! I had a small conversation with Laurel Pantin, about how I was ahead of the pack; and the fashion assistant said she could pass my CV around but most importantly Andrew has been incredible through all of this. Even though he is in Russia he offered to help me find an internship as well, and will recommend me to some of the people he knows., so I am a firm believer that this will turn out for the best.
Also, I talked to Amy Astley, who apologized to me, and said that she could see I was going to get far and not to give up because we all have step backs; so to hear that form her was very reassuring.
On the MAJOR upside, I saw Anna Wintour on monday! She passed by my desk with Amy Astley, I was so nervous and blind sided by it that I realized who she was after she was gone. It was one of those moments you just want to call your friends and tell them all about it, and I did!
Anyways, I hope I can find something else and who knows, maybe I’ll be back with a new intern diaries blog sooner than expected?
xx
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Wednesday 5, October.
A lot of you guys have asked me to write more diaries because you were intrigued on how I was doing, and I am sorry I did not write before but here I am!
The past couple of weeks have been fairly slow, Andrew travels a lot and has a lot of meetings so sometimes I come in late or don’t come in at all, but I do have a few stories to tell you guys.
About 2 weeks ago I went down to L.A to visit my cousin because I didn’t have to come into work for a week. While I was there Andrew e-mailed me about the Young Hollywood Party which was taking place that weekend saying I could go and bring a guest! I was so excited and had a lot of fun so if you want to read more about it go here.
Now, I don’t know if you guys will think this is silly but earlier this week I had to go on coffee runs and to pick up clothes and it just felt so good! I felt like I was a REAL intern, although I know I am one but it was just nice to do something different.
Other cool stuff has happened too, like last week we had a small ‘farewell’ party in the closet for my co-intern Chelsea who had been here for a long time so everyone was really sad to say goodbye. We had doughnuts and cookies, music and a card signed by all of us at Teen Vogue, so it was nice to see that, because it’s a reassurance that Teen Vogue takes its team seriously and we are all together in this like a family.
Even tho it is always interesting the highlight of this week was seeing the upcoming issue, which will hit stands soon, and see that the pictures that I looked for and sent over to photo department had been chosen by Anna Wintour and were in the magazine! It was so rewarding having the work that I had done a few weeks before in my hands, and knowing that millions of people would see it. I will tell you which one is my page once it comes out, I can’t wait!!
I do have to admit I have had some weird experiences, well not weird but just uncomfortable, like I always get on the elevator to go up instead of down when I am on my way out, and it always stops at Vogue and those girls are so intimidating! Even when I am in the cafeteria I avoid Vogue girls, I don’t know why, it is probably just a reflex, haha.
Well, I am at work right now and it was a little slow but now I have to come up with headlines for the pages in upcoming issues. I promise I will update the diaries more often so stay tuned!
xx
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Wednesday 14, September.
This week has been crazy!! Thank God I didn’t have to go to work today, I was so tired. Anyways, want to know what has happened over the past couple of days??? It has been a lot to process in such a short amount of time!
So pretty much yesterday was just amazing, I got an e-mail from Andrew telling me to go to work at noon and not at 11, so I got to sleep in, and when I got to work he gave me his Diesel show ticket because he didn’t have time to make it!
I was so excited to go to diesel because every year they put on a big show and everyone goes. I sat next to Naomi Nevitt, online editor of Teen Vogue, and got to say hi to Amy Astley, Mary-Kate Steinmiller and Shiona Turini; also talked to Nina García and made a joke about Colombians rising in the world of fashion, as we both are Colombian natives…..but the best is yet to come.
I could see her form across the runway, a woman that I admire so much was in the same room as me! Want to know who? Carine Roitfeld and her daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld was with her! I could honestly care less that Gerard Butler was sitting next to them, because I love Carine!
After the show was over I rushed to her and asked for a picture and she even complimented me on my french and asked me where I had learned it! Julia was super nice too (even tho I called her Julie from across the room, talk about embarrassing) and said she loved Teen Vogue.
Then I saw Anna Dello Russo, who I deeply admire as well and obviously took a picture, she was a bit more in a hurry so I didn’t get to talk to her as much but at least I can say I met her, right? And of course I gave my card to ehr and every other person I met.
…Now, I am going to be completely honest with you guys, my eyes teared up a little bit during the show. I was just so happy to be in such an amazing show with people I could only dream of meeting surrounding me, and great models walking in front of me. It was so surreal! I got to see 3 models who I have always wanted to see in action and they were Marcel Castenmiller, Baptiste Radufe and Sebastian Sauve.
I couldn’t be happier right now, but I have to get going, I do have work tomorrow!
xx
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Monday 12, September.
These past dew days have been crazy! Fashion week is just so busy, but I love it because there is always something to do and it rarely gets boring.
The last few days have been pretty much research on new trends, celebrities and events. To date the harshest day was last Friday, because we all know that last Thursday was FNO and everyone stays up late for the fashion holiday, and I had to be at work earlier the next day. Of course I felt it was my responsibility to get home a bit earlier than my friends, but that didn’t stop everyone else outside from screaming and waking up everyone at 1am. But then I am so glad I don’t have to do a lot of runs outside the office because then I would’ve been dead on Friday, but since I am pretty much just in a computer all day it wasn’t that bad.
One of the most amazing things also happened to me, it may not sound like much but to me it means a lot! On Friday after I did some research I got an e-mail from the photo department saying that Anna (yes, as in Anna Wintour) wanted to see more pictures of some celebrities, so it means that Anna was actually seeing the work that I had just been doing a few minutes ago!! It is so surreal that she is taking in count what I do, even if she doesn’t even know me or knows that I did it.
Also, yesterday was Teen Vogue’s Show Us Your Denim fashion show which was super fun! It was colorful and trendy and I got to talk quite a bit with Amy Astley; and Shay Mitchell and Victoria Justice were also there talking to fans and taking pictures.
I know it has been only one week but I love working at Teen Vogue!!! I feel like I belong there, and Andrew Bevan is the nices and most fun person to work for. Also some of the research that I have done is in the layouts for next issues, so it is great to see what I do materialized, I can’t wait to show you guys all of it in a couple months! Anyways, I hope you enjoy my diaries and don’t worry because I can just feel a lot more exciting things on are coming and I will write about them.
Until the next diary,
xx
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Wednesday 7, September.
Tomorrow is Fashion’s Nigh Out and Fashion Week is starting so Andrew is very busy getting his schedule together for this week, so today wasn’t much different from yesterday but definitely some very exciting things happened.
At first I just did some research about a designer while Nathalie, the other intern, was fitted into clothes for an upcoming shoot, since she has model-like features and Andrew wanted to see how they looked on a real person rather than on a clothing rack. Right after I finished I had to get down to SoHo to pick up some WESC headphones that they provided for the Teen Vogue bloc party, which Andrew is DJ’ing. The event is going to be awesome with a smoothie bar, Sky Ferreira performing and a special sale of limited edition Vans, designed by the Teen Vogue editors, so make sure you come by! And why not, say hi to me too :).
After I got back from picking up the headphones I went down to the cafeteria for lunch, I was lucky enough that someone lent me their Condé Nast card so I wouldn’t have to go outside to grab something to eat. Everyone is so nice at the office! I just love being down there with so much talent surrounding me.
In the afternoon me and the Nathalie hang out while Andrew got back from a meeting and then helped him organize some clothes and shoes, and after that we just helped with some Fashion’s Night out information before I signed off and said goodnight.
I know not a lot has happened yet, but it takes a while before I am given bigger responsibilities. Tomorrow I don’t have to get in until mid-day so I am glad I get to sleep in since I am going crazy shopping tomorrow night, haha, and on friday I have to get in super early so I don’t think I will be posting tomorrow. Stay tuned tho! Because I will be posting really exciting stuff about tomorrow night.
XX
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Tuesday 6, September.
Today was my official first day! I can’t even put into words how excited I was, but to give you an example I went to bed at 11 and only managed to fall asleep at 2am. Yeah, thats how excited I was.
Today I got in at 10:30am and it is chaos down at the offices planning everything for fashion week, you know, Teen Vogue has events like Fashion’s Night out and Teen Vogue’s Haute Spot this week so everyone is running to get everything ready.
My first day was pretty basic tho, it was great don’t get me wrong, it was very relaxing and not stressful at all, which was a very nice way to start; plus Andrew Bevan is really nice and always happy to help me with my questions!
At first I did some research for future interviews and articles and last week’s best dressed (which you can check here) people and after that I just went for lunch, which was very disappointing….Now you may be asking yourself: what is disappointing about lunch at Condé Nast? Nothing! that is why IT IS disappointing, because since I’m new I still don’t have a company card to pay at the cafeteria. So I went out in the middle of the rain and hundreds of raging tourists to search for a place to eat.
The second part of the day was slightly more active because I had to organize some clothing racks for this week’s Teen Vogue Haute Spot, do some paperwork and more research on up & coming designers, and that was the end of my day.
I know it may not seem like much but it certainly took 8 hours to do all those things, and as easy as they may seem I still put 120% into them. Hope you enjoyed my first official diary entry and stay tuned every day for more stories about my life interning in fashion!
XX
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Thursday 25, August.
LETS MEET OVER LUNCH: AN INTRODUCTION.
Today was the day! After a lot of time planning a meeting I finally got to go to the Teen Vogue offices and meet Andrew Bevan in person.
I was so starstruck at the offices, they are amazing! I saw Jane Keltner again and she was as nice as I remembered, and the fashion closet is huge (I wish my apartment was the size of that closet). So after a quick tour of the office all of Andrew’s interns and me, along with Andrew, went for lunch to the legendary Condé Nast cafeteria.
Now I am going to tell you about the cafeteria in a whole new paragraph, because that’s how amazing it is. First of all it is bigger than my high school cafeteria, and it has everything you can think of! hamburgers, sushi, pasta, salad, soup, sandwiches, Starbucks products and whole trays of desserts. And the seats are all sofa-round-table’ish with amazing ”I don’t know how to explain” glass ”things” from the floor to the ceiling. On that note Eva Chen, Beauty Editor of Teen Vogue, was behind me at the sushi line but I was too shy to say hi. Another day perhaps!
After some really good conversation with Andrew and my fellow interns, we headed back to the office where he told me about Fashion’s Night Out event that Teen Vogue is hosting at the West Village, were Sky Ferreira will be performing.
He also told me that I will start the 6th of September and I can’t honestly wait! I am so excited I can’t even put it into words, this is a dream come true. From the first moment I stepped into the elevator to the moment I was at the copy making room, I was mesmerized. I can definitely feel that Teen Vogue is a place where I will be very happy.
Ps. The reason why this is an introduction is because I won’t start to work for 2 weeks so I won’t be posting until my first day of official work. So stay tuned around the 6th for more Diaries of a Teen Vogue Intern!
XX
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THE PRE-STORY:
So remember a post a looooong time ago about me meeting ”Kristina from Chanel” and getting into the fashion show in PFW? and that there I met Jane Keltner de Valle? well if you don’t, click here and here and take this post as a “sequel”…
After I met Jane Keltner, Fashion News Director at Teen Vogue (for those of you who don’t know who she is), at the Chanel show we kept talking through twitter, and e-mails; and I have to say she is super nice and helpful, she gave me a lot of advice regarding my career.
”Hi jose, great meeting you at Chanel! love your blog-fun mix of sourced photos and your own. my email is….”
After talking for a while she said her co-worker, Andrew Bevan, was looking for summer interns, and told me Andrew and I would really hit it off, and recommended me for the internship! Long story short, I didn’t end up going for summer but for fall, which I actually prefer, because major events happen this time of the year: Fashion’s Night Out, NYFW and Teen Vogue Fashion University.
In case you don’t know who the Teen Vogue Style Editor, Andrew Bevan, is I made up a little collage to show you.
I honestly can’t believe that I am going to be a Teen Vogue intern! I mean, how many 18 year olds form Colombia can say they are moving to NYC to be working at the Condé Nast building in Times Square?! I am so grateful that this opportunity was given to me and I will make the most of it.
So in conlcusion my story goes like this: I met a lady named Kristina in the subway at the end of a Katy Perry show who helped me get into the Chanel fashion show the day after, where I met Jane Keltner, who recommended me to Andrew Bevan for an internship at Teen Vogue.
I can’t lie, I am scared sh*tless, I have never had this kind of job or experience so I’m really nervous, especially after finding out that Shenae Grimes, is my sucesor, so I have really big shoes to fill! I don’t know who I will seat with at the famous Condé Nast cafeteria (oh High School memories!) or what to do if I mess up, but I will learn from everything and try my best at each thing.
Hopefully some of you will be inspired by this story because, if a guy from Medellín, Colombia is on his way to making it, why can’t you?
Anyways, I have to leave now since I’m at the airport and I will board the plane pretty soon…NYC HERE I COME!
XX
