My First Job: FASHION Magazine Editorial Intern

Gorgeous Julia Dunstall

The Three FASHION Interns

FASHION Editors at 30th Anniversary Party

Greta Constantine Show Spring 08

Me Outside Loreal Fashion Week Tents

The Brilliant Jeanne Beker of FT

Hello Darlings,

Firstly I would like to offer a tremendous thank-you for the ever encouraging comments you left on 'Neon Colored Gypsy'. You all have me thinking so much about the idea of destiny and the power of visualization. Thanks to Sarah I've picked up a copy of 'The Secret'. Though I still have my reservations about the idea that absolutely everything is within our control through our thoughts, I'm definitely open to the idea of the 'law of attraction'. One thing that has struck me so far in reading it is that our past is a reflection of all our past thoughts. We attract into our lives whatever we are thinking about at the time. Change your thoughts, change your life.

I've had a lot of readers ask me since starting this blog how I came to discover fashion illustration as my calling and I suppose it's an example of the 'law of attraction'. I've decided to do a three part job series that will document my journey after college in hopes that I might shed some light on this whole debate. My entire life I've been in love with fashion and art. In high school I was simultaneously labeled the next big thing in fashion while selling paintings to faculty members. By the time I finished my Bachelor of Commerce at McGill I was itching to work in fashion to find where I belonged. I wasn't sure that I would ever combine my two loves.

After spending about five weeks in France and Spain following graduation, I returned to Toronto lost and anxious. It took maybe one week for me to discover the internship program at Canada's FASHION Magazine and three for me to work up the courage to apply. Sure enough the following day I got a call from Sarah Casselman asking me to come in for an interview. I started shortly thereafter Fall 07. While a lot of the responsibilities took place in house, such as calling in samples, credit info, lunch runs, we got to attend many cover and island shoots to assist the stylists. I even got to attend fashion week and market visits with the editors.

However, what frustrated me more than anything was sitting in the editorial department rather than the art. There was such a division between the two. Moreover, all the work in the art department was done digitally. The editors were graphic designers. At the time I had no experience whatsoever in this arena and all I wanted to do was draw what the magazine was producing. Four months, four days a week unpaid, and it was time to wrap up the internship. At this point I didn't think I would ever fit in fashion and that I should probably apply to work at an art gallery. The day I finished I attended a Chuck Close opening at Nicholas Metivier and was approached by a model with a prospect.

To be continued...