A Day In The Life Of A Fashion Intern By The Numbers
September 8, 2015
In honor of New York Fashion Week, Alanna shares a day in her life by the numbers, serving as a digital editorial intern for Harper’s Bazaar and contributor for Olivia Palermo. This is what it’s like to intern in the fashion industry during its prime time.
7:00 AM My alarm goes off. I groan in disbelief and attempt to open my eyes. I roll over and hit the snooze once. 7:10 AM my second alarm goes off. I don’t have much of a choice this time. I yawn, begin to stretch, and hop out of my lofted bed on the 10th floor of McMahon. I grab my towel and four shower products I simply cannot live without, hair shampoo and conditioner by Bumble+Bumble, a St. Ives Brown Sugar body wash, and Skintimate Shaving Gel. 7:20 AM I step out of the shower, brush my teeth, and wash my face with First Aid Beauty’s Repair Wash. I enter my bedroom, get dressed, and begin my makeup routine. 7:34 AM By now I’m lining my eyes with a gel liner. I prefer Bobbi Brown’s formula the best. I use a very thin angled brush to get the wing I like. Mascara, bronzer, blush, lip product and setting spray. I fill in my lips two times: once with liner, then lipstick over top. 7:56 AM I’ve blown my hair out and am putting on my shoes, spritzing my perfume of the day, and grabbing my purse. 8:05 AM I’m out the Lowenstein front door, and I begin to head right down Ninth Avenue. 8:10 AM I’m in Dunkin Donuts, grabbing one caramel iced coffee and an everything bagel with cream cheese. 8:24 AM I enter Hearst Corporation on 57th and 8th, swipe my Intern ID, and head up to the 19th Floor, where all of the Hearst Digital Magazines have their offices. 8:39 AM: I have already put down my bag at my BAZAAR.com desk, and am making my way to the mailroom to pick up editor’s mail. Since it is fashion week, many press kits and last-minute invitations are in their mailboxes. 8:50 AM I have finished opening their mail and have placed it on their desks. I am eating my bagel, and I begin to start scheduling Pinterest posts for Harper’s Bazaar throughout the day. 10:00 AM All of the editors have finally arrived, and I begin building a few galleries and articles that will be published that afternoon, mainly Bazaar’s Style Secret and Beauty Secret. 11:40 AM I start copying in-book pieces, and I begin building articles for them. Often, these galleries are at minimum, made up of six items of makeup, shoes, or garments. 12:30 PM I get an email to cover a show within 24 hours for OliviaPalermo.com. I quickly look up the runway and write away. 1:30 PM I finally get some lunch. I always go to this little French sandwich place on 8th avenue, right by Juice Generation and Dunkin. I like to get a mozzarella- tomato caprese sandwich, with sea salt and vinegar chips. I also always get one Fiji water. 3:00 PM I have just sent in the finished piece for Olivia, and I am working on more article builds for Bazaar. 4:30 PM The editors send me to Balducci’s to pick up: 2 boxes of watermelon cubes, 1 banana, 1 iced coffee with almond milk, 1 black iced coffee, and 1 iced coffee with soy milk. 5:50 PM I send my last few emails of the day, and sip the last of my Fiji water. 6:20 PM I’m finally home, and I begin to get ready for a fashion show for NYFW that I’m covering that evening. 7:00 PM I quickly make and eat one can of soup, and I add the last finishing touches to my outfit and makeup: deep lipstick, strappy sandals, and a neon clutch to die for. 7:30 PM I’m in a cab heading downtown, carrying my DSLR and updating my Twitter. 8:26 PM The show begins. I snap away with my camera and take notes rapidly. 8:45 PM The final walk is finishing, and the designer comes out to take a bow. Everyone is clapping. 8:50 PM I peruse backstage to snap some behind the scenes photos of the models and garments. 9:40 PM I finally leave the venue, goodie bag in hand. 10:20 PM I meet up with some friends and we attend a Fashion Week party. We order 3 mocktails, and fraternize with designers, press agents, and models around us. Some are very kind and happy to chat. Some are not. 11:00 PM We dance, and about 20 different colored lights hit us in all directions on the dance floor. Some are strobing, others are simply flashing different colors. 11:15 PM We make it over to the photo booth, recording the night with silly props and a disposable camera. 11:30 PM I leave to go home, it’s been a long day. 12:00 AM I am taking off my makeup and I hop into bed. 12:05 AM I think to myself, “I can’t wait to do this again tomorrow.”