When I first saw the advertisement for Nina Garcia’s upcoming show Running In Heels, to be honest, I didn’t really get it. “Why ruin a great pair of heels like that,” was my thought, but after interning at a fashion PR firm for almost a month, I completely understand.
Having never truly worked in fashion, not even in retail, I was as disillusioned as most young girls about the industry and footwear for that matter.
As much as I love The Devil Wears Prada and guilty pleasure shows like The Hills and The City, but those shows give girls this air of fantasy in terms of the fashion industry. I work twice a week, and every single time I work there seems to be a new intern. It isn’t that the PR girls are mean or off-putting— actually the opposite is true— but the girls don’t realize that working in PR is hard work and long hours even as an intern.
Bringing me to the shoe debacle. The beginning of The Devil Wears Prada depicts multiple gorgeous model-esque assistants wearing 4-5” heels, and the girls of The Hills and The City wear their skyscrapers while proudly pretending to work. However, any intern/assistant will tell you wearing any heels over a couple of inches will ruin you because you’re on your feet for hours and running around the city picking-up and dropping-off who knows what.
Though I’m sure the notches in the heel are supposed to represent the higher runs on the well styled ladder, it also sort of represents the height of heel you can wear. When you’re an intern, running around like crazy you wear flats, and when you’re the Editor-In-Chief you wear the highest loubs you can find.
So please, Miss Whitney Port, please stop saying you’re an assistant or intern or whatever you’re claiming to be at DVF because we all know if you worked as much as you lunched, you wouldn’t be able to party that much and you’re feet would be killing you.
Girls looking to get into the fashion industry, be prepared to practically give up your life, at least at first, or don’t waste other people’s time. Here’s some great advice from Taylor Tomasi, Accessories Director at Teen Vogue:
“My best tip for jump-starting a career in fashion is to take an internship very seriously—and if you love where you are working, try to stay there as long as possible. Showing initiative may lead to something more. Working in fashion, however, is not always as glamorous as what you see on television. It’s a very demanding, high-stress environment—but if you thrive under pressure, it may be the perfect fit for you.”
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