Busy Week at QVC

This past week started out pretty slow, but sure picked up by the end of the week. Last Thursday and Friday were absolutely packed with pitches, photo shoots and tracking coverage of media placements that we have gotten. Although it seems like Spring is a long way away, especially with this terrible weather we're having, the fact is that it will be here before we know it and that is why I have had to find products that we offer that match the colors of Pantone's Spring forecast.

The colors of Spring include a lot of blues and greens with some yellow, red and lilac thrown in. I have been looking at makeup, jewelry and fashion items that go along with those colors. Mostly I have found basic pieces along with some more elaborate ones that incorporate a few of the colors mentioned all together. Mostly the blues and greens were easiest to find. The hardest color to match was the lilac. It is still early for us to be stocking Spring items and that is one of the reasons that it was difficult.

Along with the color pitch, I got to help with a real photo shoot, it was with a person, not a mannequin! The person was none other than Josie Maran, a makeup designer that QVC carries. Josie is also a model and an actress as well as a mother. (Her four month old daughter was there on set during the shoot, she even got in some of the pictures!) The shoot was for Philly Style Magazine's Holiday cover. Because my department deals with beauty, we offered one of the studios for the magazine and photographer to use for the shoot. Although, I was not there for the entire thing, I got to see and touch the beautiful clothing that they had there for the shoot. There was a one of a kind Zac Posen dress that stood on its' own! (When they were putting it into a trunk to leave, it took two people to contain it!) Other breathtaking pieces that were there, include a dress created for the Met Gala that no one wore to it, Dolce & Gabbanna, Prada and Balenciaga dresses. The shoes ranged from Christian Louboutins to Jimmy Choos. To say that I never thought that I would come in contact with these items at QVC is an understatement! It was a rare and very welcome opportunity for me.

Another amazing event that I got to experience was hearing Mike George, the CEO of QVC, speak in front of the whole Studio Park campus. QVC has just expanded to China and to celebrate that endeavor, there was an event with dancers and a Chinese dragon like the ones at Chinese New Year. We all got red t-shirts to remember the event by as well as cupcakes and green tea. It was great to see so many people that work at QVC all joined together at once to support the most recent endeavor of the company. Mike George told us of the significance of red for the Chinese people and how the dragons are for luck. To have both of those things at the celebration was to show how excited we are for China to be involved with QVC and to wish luck for the future success of the business.

Overall, this week was full of new things that I welcome with much enthusiasm. I feel lucky to be able to experience these things that I would have otherwise not thought possible. I definitely feel like a real member of the working world and I am thankful that no one day is the same as the next. I get a great mix of different things in my daily work day and that's what keeps me wanting to go back for more! I never know what will be happening the following day, there may be designer clothing, a Chinese dragon or some other new adventure awaiting me.

Building the Polished Brand

     As the Digital Content Creation Intern for Polished for Pennies, it is important that everything I create be representative of the Polished brand that Vittoria has created and envisioned. Branding is so important in today's fashion industry for recognizability and loyalty, and in order to stay within the bounds of what is "Polished" has been an exciting challenge. In Drexel's Design and Merchandising program, we usually get to create completely original ideas based on our own creativity, so creating for someone else's vision is a drastic change. 

     In listening to Vittoria's aspirations for her brand, I tried to use the skills that Drexel has employed me with of identifying and catering to the target market. From everything I've seen and heard from Vittoria, Polished for Pennies' target market is the real, everyday woman who many not be in her ideal financial situation, but strives to make the most of what she has. She is resourceful, confident, and stylish, and social. She lives in or around Philadelphia and loves sharing her great deals with her close circle of friends. She enjoys standing out in a crowd and paying a compliment to a fellow gal pal. She is relatable, yet someone that other women aspire to be like. 

     From these traits, it is important that all content on the blog feel "real", not scripted or contrived. The "Polished Gal"can smell BS, and will call it out in a heartbeat. Furthermore, it is important to stay within a reasonable price range and to promote value. Any visual content on the blog must be modern and appealing, with a "Polished Pop" to engage the "Polished Gal". It must feel elegant, yet still approachable. It must be something that the "Polished Gal" aspires for, but does not feel too out of reach. 

     When creating the cover photo for the Polished for Pennies Facebook, I had to keep all of these things in mind, while sticking to Vittoria's visual tastes, and bringing in my own creativity. This is where another skill I have learned at Drexel came in, designing for a client. In Nick Cassway's Computer Design for Design and Merchandising, we created a website template for a real developing textile company. I found it so challenging to portray what the company wanted within my own designing style, but by the end of the term I felt I had accomplished just that. These compromising skills have really guided me through this internship. Vittoria and I have really fallen into synch with our ideas and styles and we've unconsciously developed a design process that upon reflection, is very efficient and promotes creativity. She will explain to me what she is looking for, I send her basic options that could all fit that description, she guides me towards which she likes the best, and I expand on that option with my own ideas and the traits of the "Polished Gal" in mind.

     Now that I can represent Vittoria's brand confidently with my design style, it is crucial that we make this brand into a business. Exciting developments are in the works with our professional web developers, and I can't wait to tell you all more about it! 

A Wish Come True- Swatch Magic!

Hello everyone! Week five has already passed and now week six starts tomorrow with a visit from Hurricane Sandy!

This past week felt like it flew by! I spent a lot of time finishing up the costing from the photo shoot. I actually finished it all on Thursday. I made labels and markers too.

Betsy, the head designer, asked me to swatch some custom orders. I had to go out into the factory and find several different fabrics and cut swatches from them. Some of the fabric rolls were all the way up on the very top shelves of the units. I climbed up the tallest ladder I could find and cut away. The first time, I had pretty dull scissors. That was horrible because I could not get the pieces to cut easily and I was pretty high up. Once I had my good fabric cutting scissors, I cut swatches in no time! I swatched a custom order for a woman in Australia who wanted a ballet style with a tulle skirt and a zsa zsa fabric bodice with sequin trim on both the skirt, arm poufs, and leotard. I had to go find the different sequins in all the correct colors. This was a scavenger hunt as well because there are a ton of different sequins such as #9000, #5146, #60, and etc. These numbers all separate the different types by how many individual sequins are on a strand or how thick the strand is. I had to find iridescent sequin that was in #9000 and #5146. This was difficult because for aqua and pink we have a large selection-- there is mint, regular aqua, clear aqua, light pink, candy pink, fuchsia. Luckily, my best judgement was correct and I found everything I needed to.

I had also swatched size sets last Friday for Stephanie. She was so happy with me and impressed with how well I had done! I did not ask for anyone's help swatching, nor did I make any mistakes or get any wrong fabrics--which, trust me, is not hard to do since so many with sequins or silver dots look the same. She and the other pattern makers discussed it and they decided to give me an award! The award is just a goofy little office thing that they give to the people who do something above and beyond: Lisa Randolph Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence. This really made my week!

If you see my name is now listed, along with the reasoning, "PPSS Swatch Magic".

This week is Halloween, so I have to finish my costume for Wednesday and hope that it works out! This storm could really put a damper on everything!

I hope everyone stays safe and dry during this storm!

Stay tuned for more after Frankenstorm!

-Victoria

Lake Tahoe

This week I went to Lake Tahoe for sales meetings for The North Face. We had meetings everyday from about 7:45am-5/6pm. It was absolutely beautiful there! I had never been to the west coast before. A portion of the meetings were with all of the agencies that represent The North Face (The West, The Rockies, The Atlantic, Canada, Latin America, The Midwest, The Northeast, The Southeast, Retail/E commerce, and Asia). In the meetings that included all of the agencies, the Fall 2013 samples would be modeled and explained (such as Action Sports, Youth, Footwear, etc). The other meetings were break-out sessions in which it would just be one region meeting with the specialists of one specific aspect of The North Face. For example, Tuesday the footwear Fall 2013 samples were explained and modeled in front of everyone, and in a breakout session on Thursday we (The Atlantic) met with the footwear department to discuss the upcoming line (colors, pricing, new items, etc.). It was very interesting to be there and really understand the depth that goes along with The North Face. Their professional athletes that test and help to improve their products were also at all of the meetings, and some even gave some speeches (Conrad Anker was one of them), which really makes you realize what an intimate process designing clothes can be (especially those for performance!). These are the same samples that I have been scanning, hanging, and organizing for the past few weeks so it was great to finally see the product being modeled, and then to be able to discuss it (Is the price point appropriate? Does the color combination work? How do we compare to our competition? and so forth). Learning about all of the various technologies that The North Face uses in their products (especially in comparison to their competition) was unbelievable. It was especially cool to learn about since I have a pretty good understanding of textiles, and learning the way they use and manipulate textiles to create a technology is astounding. My week of sales meetings was everything I could have hoped for and more, I had a great time and I can't even begin to explain the capacity of what I learned on this trip.

The Ordinary, the Glamorous, & Everything in Between

Just like the movies, working at a magazine has many glamorous aspects to it. Walking through swinging doors that say Philadelphia Magazine, seeing next month’s issue before it’s finalized and printed, and getting to meet the team behind the magazine are some of my favorite parts of working at my Co-Op. But of course no job is pure glamour and fun without some hard work and relatively dull tasks. To give you a better idea, I’ll tell you about a typical day as an intern at Philadelphia Magazine.

The day at the office starts at 8:45. When I arrive I check the intern email account, which is shared with four other interns, and catch up on what tasks were given earlier that week before my first day of the week on Wednesday. Once the other interns arrive, I ask them how Monday and Tuesday went to see if there is anything we need to finish first.

Throughout the day, I report to three marketing specialists above me and occasionally two marketing directors above them. If one of my bosses has not given me something to work on, I’ll ask them if there is anything I can do. Typically, one of the marketing specialists will send an email with an assignment to be completed by the end of the day but usually as soon as possible. One aspect of working that differs from being in classes is that assignments need to be completed almost immediately. If I need to come up with something creative, I cannot think about it for a day or bounce ideas off my friends. I need to not only to think on my feet, but finish the project swiftly and correctly.

Some of these tasks my boss give me are everything from cleaning out the magazine’s storage closest, editing pieces that are going in the magazine, updating the magazine’s social media outlets, creating PR lists of upcoming events, and many other tasks involved with event planning. So far, it has been a very diverse working experience with both some ordinariness and excitement. 

Almost at Production

This past week I have been working on creating Spring 2013 factory production schedule reports.  The reports will be sent to our overseas and domestic factories.  Each style has its own specific date and shows how many of each color is going to be produced.  The information is taken from the tracking report and relates to how much of each style has sold.  For some reason it's still such a surprise to me how little of each style is made as opposed to a company like QVC where things are mass produced.  It definitely makes Vera's clothes much more exclusive.

On Friday, the office was really excited for the design team sample sale.  There was a room full of finished and unfinished Vera clothing and shoes for pennies compared to their retail price.  It was pretty insane.  People were loading up on everything.  I unfortunately couldn't find anything in my style or was finished (I have no idea how to sew).  Apparently the sales team has sample sales as well with only finished products.  Hopefully there's one soon!

Why Work in New York City

Growing up in Connecticut just outside of Manhattan, I have always been a huge fan of the city. This is the second time I have interned in New York, and I always seem to be finding new reasons of why it is such a great place to work, specifically in the fashion industry.

At my first internship in the fashion closet at a Magazine, it quickly became clear that the location alone would provide an ideal experience. I had the opportunity to navigate through the city to various designer show rooms. It was a first hand look into the possibilities of a career in the New York fashion scene.

At my current internship in the P.R. office of the BCBGMAXAZRIA New York showroom, I have many similar experiences, however I am also seeing a whole new side of New York and what it is like to work there. Being in New York allows the ability of many celebrity stylists or people of importance in the fashion community to stop by the showroom. It is really interesting watching them work and seeing how my supervisors interact with them. We still also get the opportunity to make drop offs throughout the city and see various work environments.

Working in New York has given me the opportunity to see so much of the fashion world, and also the opportunity to network and meet many people in the same field. I still have several of my contacts from my first internship, and am continually gaining more at my current one. I keep finding new ways that prove New York is the capital of fashion in the United States. 

Lights, Cameras, Action!

Last week, I was given the task of styling a photo shoot on my own! Getting into Public Relations, I never thought that a photo shoot would be part of my job, but I really have gotten to experience new things that hadn't crossed my mind before. Each Wednesday, we have a scheduled time with a photographer in the studio to photograph whatever samples come in that week. We use the images from these shoots to send to editors who may potentially request those samples for an upcoming shoot of their own.

During my first week in September, I got to accompany one of the women I work with to the weekly photo shoot, but I was just a bystander. There also weren't too many samples to be shot so it was quick and just a glimpse of what really goes on. The following week, I didn't go to the shoot and then we didn't have one, but last week, I was sent there with tons of samples and got to conduct the whole thing on my own. There are so many things that can go wrong with a photo shoot, and all I'm working with is a mannequin, not even a live model!

I had to style the clothing items on the mannequin to make sure that there were no wrinkles or oddities that would cause the garment to come out less than perfect in the photo. The photographer I worked with is actually a Drexel grad and it was fun to hear about her co-op when she did it at a photo studio in Center City. One major problem that we ran into a few times was with the color of the item. We had a neon yellow crossbody bag that looked awesome in person, but then on the computer screen, it looked like a pastel yellow Easter egg!

I don't know about you, but I really never questioned how items look the way they do on shopping websites. If it is a handbag, how do you think the handles stand up? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret...I had to use fishing line to tie the handles and then there was a rod lowered to the height of the handles where I tied the fishing line. It is quite clever, but also pretty tedious. The other issue was with getting the bags to stand up. I stuffed them with paper to make them look fuller, but that did not always keep them standing. There was a rounded hobo like bag that just would not cooperate. We got a stand to go behind it and even used a tape dispenser to prop it up. (Hey, whatever works, right?)

Other than clothing items and bags, we also had shoes. There was a pair of metallic ballet flats that were metallic and those caused all kinds of problems with the lighting and reflection. The photographer was holding up white boards and even used some white board contraption with a hole in it for the camera lens to fit through in order to get a result that wasn't blurry or too reflective. Seeing how hard it is just to photography a product really makes me appreciate looking at online shopping sites! The other thing that takes time is editing the photos on Photoshop. Luckily, I get to be creative and put my extensive Photoshop skills from my classes to work and edit/retouch the images before they are saved and sent out.

The office has been pretty quiet the past few days because of the FFANY Shoes on Sale event that I mentioned in my last post. The Fashion Footwear Association of New York that teams with QVC to raise money for breast cancer had their event last night in NY at the Waldorf Astoria, so a lot of people were there, leaving the office pretty empty. The show airs tomorrow at 5pm on QVC and you can purchase designer shoes for half the price and the proceeds go to benefit breast cancer! Some celebs that were out to show their support last night include Kristin Cavallari, Katrina Bowden and this years PSA, Nicole Richie. I have been hearing about this event since I started and it is the 19th Annual one, so it is rewarding to see the good turn out and hear the positive things about the event that the people in this office have been working so hard to promote. I'm sure that in the next few days, I will have a lot of coverage to track and record in the monthly excel sheet about this event!

Contacts & Connections

It has been drilled into your mind from professors, parents, co-workers, and peers. It is not something we all look forward to and sometimes it is straining. It can be done almost anywhere with just about anyone. This “it” that I am referring to is networking.

Networking is the key to having job opportunities. Unfortunately I have learned that it is not always about how hard you worked in school or even what spectacular skills you possess; without the right contacts you won't go far at all. I know this to be true because every job or career opportunity I have ever had arose from networking. It didn't matter that I had a LinkedIn account, that I endlessly emailed and called people (I emailed and called one woman 14 times and never heard a response), or that I applied to jobs online. It took a very personal connection to get my foot in the door.

Take for example my first job as a sales associate at Nordstrom. The fashion industry prefers people with a background in retail so I knew I had to get some experience in customer service working at a store. I wanted a job that would be a great learning experience, preferably something that paid more than minimum wage, and a brand that I was proud of so I could easily sell the merchandise. Fortunately, one of my sorority sisters was working at Nordstrom and offered to put me in contact with her boss, as well as putting in a few good words for me. After getting the job, I learned that Nordstrom never hires someone without prior retail experience (like myself) and it was because of my connection that I got the position.

My second working experience, my internship at Philadelphia Magazine, also came about through a connection. The position was listed in Drexel's database for Co-Op job listings but I feel that I received the great opportunity because of a connection with another sorority sister that previously worked here. It is nice to think that a diverse resume and an enjoyable interview is enough to get you the job, but I strongly believe that the recommendation of this sister went a long way.

Finally, my other part time internship with the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce came about because of yet again, another sorority sister. I reached out to the International President of my sorority, who happens to be the head of human resources at the Chamber, in hopes that something was available in the office. I figured it could not hurt to ask and to my benefit, asking was all it took!

Going on about the importance of reaching out to people, networking, and taking chances might seem a bit dull but it has been my key to gaining opportunities. And even now, I currently have my eye on a few opportunities that I hope to make happen in the near future. May the odds, and contacts I hope to make, be in my favor!

Polished for Pennies on Talk Philly

     This past Friday, Polished for Pennies was featured on CBS's Talk Philly! Vittoria and the P4P crew styled four looks highlighting fall trends for this season. And every look is under $100 head-to-toe! Although I wasn't involved in producing or styling the segment, I was extremely excited to get a behind-the-scenes look at the television world. 

     I modeled the "printed jeans" trend. Alongside me were Kim in the "Peter Pan collar", Shannon in the "equestrian" look, and Melanie in the "brocade" trend. It was eye-opening to see the long and laboring process that Vittoria went through to reach such an amazing outcome! I came into the process when I began trying on printed jean looks from a great assortment of bright and colorful fall garments. Even though I tried on a few different looks, we ended up choosing the first outfit I tried on, the "rocker" look. I felt extremely confident in these printed skinny jeans, flowy metallic top, statement necklace and killer booties. I loved the way this outfit made me feel powerful and comfortable in my own skin. 

     A few weeks after we tried on our looks, the P4P crew and models headed to CBS studios in Philadelphia to film the segment. I got an inside look at how the studio ran, and got to meet some of the producers, directors, and the on-air talent that interviewed Vittoria! When we finally got to film, all of our cues went smoothly, and we only had to do one take. Apparently, this is extremely rare for fashion segments, and we all felt so proud of the efficiency of P4P. This was definitely an experience I'll never forget. 

     If you missed the segment on Talk Philly, you can catch it here! And check out this awesome photo of the models, Vittoria and Talk Philly's Katie Fehlinger!

A Wish Come True- These Weeks Are Flying!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week! I know I enjoyed mine.

Week four started out the same as any other, with invoices, samples, and filing. I did a lot of markers and costing this week as well. The Chicago show went really well for those who went. I was told that certain styles were raved about! This means there will be a lot of orders coming in!

The one thing I find I really enjoy about my job is that I can wear jeans one day and a dress the next. I can still wear my own personal style. This is just a perk that I have come to appreciate!

My boss, Erika, left early Tuesday because she got married yesterday. This pushed down the chain of command slightly, and so I did more markers and size-sets in order to help out the other women. I am really becoming a pro at yields!

I have also noticed that when it comes to working with older women, there is a lot to learn from them. Sometimes, I feel so young around them! Especially when they begin speaking about how long they have been working there. This one woman has been a marker maker for 17 years! But their experience has really given them patience with me and allowed them to understand that I began four weeks ago and they have been working there for years!

A job just opened up in the marker department though. So if anyone is interested in working with the markers and enjoys math and computers, they should contact A Wish Come True!

I still am enjoying my job, and I really like the people that I work with!

Read more next week!
-Victoria

From West Chester to Lake Tahoe

This week at Full Circle Group LLC/The North Face I worked with the Fall 2013 samples all week again. Now that we have received a majority of the Fall 2013 samples, I was able to begin organizing the samples. The North Face creates workbooks for each season that show illustrator images and descriptions of each item. There are different Fall 2013 workbooks for each category of The North Face products (Example: Women's Outdoor, Youth, Men's Action Sports, etc). I organized the order of the clothing according to the way the workbooks are done. Next week I am traveling to Lake Tahoe for a week of sales meetings for The North Face and I can't wait! I'm looking very forward to learning more about The North Face and their goals, technology, innovations, and so forth. Hopefully I will have lots more to fill you in on next week!

Inside Fit Meetings

What I love the most about working on the production team is being able to collaborate with the other teams as well.  A few times a week we will have fit meetings that include production, design, pattern makers and the sales team.  Each style has at max a total of 4 fittings: adoption, 1st, 2nd and PPS (pre-production sample).  Adoption fittings will be with the original sample from the runway show.  There, new materials will be discussed as well as cost and slight changes to make the style more salable.  The 1st fit is an entirely new sample created by one of the pattern makers in the sample size 6.  Usually things are not perfect at this time, so notes must be taken and then printed off for the pattern makers.  Skipping to the PPS fit, the garment should be perfect and ready to be sent to the correct factory to get produced and then shipped to retail stores.

Fit meetings take place in the production manager's office and includes a lot of people.  The space gets a little cramped sometimes!  The fit model will model the the styles and all of the teams will comment on whether or not the fit is correct.  Things to keep in mind are shorter women, movability, comfort and design.  The production manager and pattern makers will pin where corrections need to be made.  I assist with pins and am responsible for taking pictures of the front, side and back views of each of the styles and then updating the fit information and handing them off to the pattern makers to correct.

Here are some 1st fit photos I took for the Spring 2013 collection.

An embroidery closeup from one of my favorite looks

In my last post I mentioned that the Bridal show was last week in the showroom.  I unfortunately couldn't go, but I think only a select few people at the office were allowed to go anyways.  Vera's Fall 2013 collection was devoid of color and went back to the traditional white and creme colors.  The amount of layers and tulle and detail was incredible!  She's definitely a master at what she does.  Here are a few of my favorites:

What To Wear To Work

Many people would probably think as fashion majors, we would know exactly what to wear while interning within our industry. This is my second internship in the world of fashion, and I think many would agree that dressing for the job is not so simple. As an intern at BCBGMAXAZRIA, I was told on the first day that all interns must wear all black. Many people probably would also assume that this could only make it even simpler to dress for work. However in reality, it has proved quite a challenge.

On the first day when dress code was explained, the interns were told to wear all black, however we still must appear fashionable, and put together. It is expected that we represent the brand, and have a professional appearance with hair fixed and make up done. I have learned through interning that this is very important not only to the company, but also to the intern. I work in the Public Relations department of the BCBGMAXAZRIA New York show room, and there is not a day that goes by in which a stylist, editor, or other fashion VIP does not enter the showroom while the interns are working around them. Aside from these guests, there are employees of the company coming in and out, all of which are people whom we ultimately want to impress. It is a given that one extremely efficient way of doing this is by appearing fashionable and professional.

As I mentioned, having an all black dress code can definitely make it challenging at times to feel that you are being fashion forward. Many people may find this creatively restrictive, or challenging to come up with different outfits within such a limited color range. I have found some ways to work around this. Often times I will repeat the same basic pieces, such as leather leggings or a chunky black sweater, with completely different pieces than I normally would. I will wear the leather leggings and sweater once, and then wear the same sweater a few days later with a long maxi dress underneath it. Nobody has ever noticed that I am repeating pieces so often, as I am pairing them so differently each time. Another simple way to keep things fashionable with a strict dress codes it through accessories. I always try to incorporate color or multi-tonal accessories. Some emerald green earrings or a metallic gold belt can completely change the look of the same black outfit I wore a week ago.

So far I seem to have been successful with the all black dress code, and have learned to enjoy it. It is a new way to find creativity within my wardrobe. It was an ultimate compliment when the Vice President of P.R. told me how she adored my emerald green vintage inspired costume earrings, which I doubt she would have noticed if I was not put together in an all black outfit that really made them pop. As interns, it is our job to learn and prosper in a professional setting. I think now is the perfect time to learn to cope with office dress code, and to learn the best ways to adhere our personal styles in a professional and put together manner which reflects who we are and what we do. 

Why Being D&M Sets Us Apart

Being a Design and Merchandising major, I have not yet had the opportunity to work within a department such as Public Relations with any of my jobs or internships thus far. Now that I am interning in the BCBGMAXAZRIA P.R. department, it has really opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of the fashion world. I have come to realize that within the fashion industry, several other skill sets and business related backgrounds are completely intertwined with what we do.

I had initially thought as a Design major I would struggle within the P.R. department because I have never worked in that segment of the industry before or been trained to do so. However, over time my skills as a designer and merchandiser have helped me succeed in several tasks and be recognized by my supervisors for excelling in these areas.

One of the most interesting and successful projects I recently worked on was a massive donation to a charity which holds fashion auctions to raise funds for those affected by HIV/AIDS. Our P.R. department had agreed to donate five hundred pieces to the cause. Initially I had just been asked to lay out what seemed like endless boxes of jewelry onto the table in an organized manner and to take a count of it all. Because of my background in merchandising, I naturally laid out the jewelry by category, and then arranged it by color and then size. About half-way into it, the Vice President of P.R. told me she was thrilled with the way I had laid things out, and I was given the responsibility of the entire project.

Over the next few days I counted, merchandised, and packed up all of the jewelry. Since then, my supervisors have utilized my skills in visuals and given me several more opportunities. I was asked to merchandise the accessories wall in the showroom, including the handbags and jewelry displays. I also was given the opportunity to work with the visual team in the show rooms yesterday, as today was our big press preview. Overall, I feel that working in the P.R. department has not only taught me a whole another side of the industry, it has also given me the chance to utilize and be recognized for my unique skill set. 

Pitch Perfect...

This past week I have been working on a lot of pitches. We are working on long lead Winter items, meaning we pitch ideas to places like Magazines which are considered monthly publications and they need to know about items in advance. I have become quite familiar with the QVC website, so now when an editor requests something, I know exactly what brand to go to in order to find something. It's funny because I don't want to keep pitching the same things, but the fact of the matter is that what's in is in so there is no way to pitch different things to everyone.

Most recently, I have been working on finding "kitchen trends." Never did I think that I would enjoy doing things other than fashion, but I think it's great that even the kitchen needs to stay on trend with the colors and tools in it. The trends that I am matching now have to do with a lot of natural colors and materials. I have been looking for things made of bamboo, birch and oak to name a few. The colors and textures right now are earthy and on the cooler side, so blue and green are the big colors. The appliance that I came across, that I wasn't even aware existed is a toaster that also has a coffee maker attached. That is something that I could totally see in my own kitchen because it is so convenient to be able to toast a bagel or something while making coffee at the same time in the morning. That would definitely save at least a few minutes and we all know that I can use all the minutes I can get with that long commute I have to endure daily!

The other people in my office are working on the Halloween episode that is to air tomorrow. The reason that it is being aired a so far in advance is so people can plan to execute a successful Halloween. They were even talking about having little trick or treaters make an appearance on the show! There are decorations and all kinds of recipes that will be showcased and it really does make sense to show it tomorrow so that people will buy everything that they think that they need. It's weird to me to be working with these people who have children and real grown up lives. They all love cooking/baking. Today the woman on the other side of my cubicle brought in cake pops and last week it was pumpkin risotto!

Today when I walked in, I was handed a card to mark my calendar for all of the Christmas shows! I'm always one to look forward to the Holiday season, but it's not even Halloween yet! Today marks the "Holiday Kickoff" and if you go to the site, you will see that it is plastered with the tagline "All of the Joy, None of the Craziness." One reason that I believe that line is so popular is because it applies to QVC on Black Friday. People can have the comfort of shopping for great deals in their own home rather than having to go out and put up with the craziness.

What is Digital Content Creation?

As the Digital Content Creation Intern for the blog Polished for Pennies, I get to work on both the creative and technical sides of website development. I had never taken a class on, or even played around with website creation before this internship. So when Vittoria gave me the challenge of implementing our creative plan onto her WordPress site through coding and plug-ins, I was extremely nervous, yet excited to make our vision into a reality.
     During my first few weeks at Polished for Pennies, I studied Vittoria's brand closely and listened to the goals she had for her new website. I articulated Vittoria's vision for Polished for Pennies into a cohesive, creative website layout using Photoshop and InDesign. We met each week to tweak, improve, and push the boundaries on these designs and finally reached a place where we felt we could start implementing these designs onto the website.
     Extremely intimidated by its complexity and unfamiliarity, I tiptoed into the WordPress world. I was afraid to change anything, as I thought it would ruin it forever. However, knowing that the site wasn't live yet finally got me to start playing around with fonts, layout, styling, and content. I scoured YouTube and Google for tutorials and tips, and quickly began making progress. After weeks of work, the site was finally starting to slightly resemble our vision for it. I was so proud of accomplishing something that I never dreamed I could do, yet was still frustrated that things weren't exactly how I saw them in my head. I didn't know how to finesse the finer details as a professional would.
     Vittoria could sense my frustration with the technical side of my job. She began assigning me more creative projects as I was working on the site to keep the left side of my brain active. I got to create a cover photo for the Polished for Pennies Facebook page. I loved experimenting with this project and got great feedback from Vittoria. Better yet, Vittoria recently informed me that we will be getting professional help with the website! Not only will we get to learn from the best, but I'll also get to focus more on the design of the website, without having to worry about how to make it possible. Without the limitations of my knowledge of technology, we can push Polished for Pennies to be a dynamic and engaging blog that lives up to and enhances the inspiring content that Vittoria displays on it.
     I'm so excited to be sharing this journey with D&M@Work, so make sure you follow along with me at Polished for Pennies! And look out for the new cover photo that I designed on the P4P Facebook!
   

A Wish Come True-Photo Shoots and Markers: Week Three

Week four is already starting tomorrow! This entire experience is moving along very quickly for me! Last week, I was asking for work and trying to find work in whichever department had something for me to do! But there were also new things to learn in the design department!

One of my co-workers, Shyla, a pattern maker taught me how to do markers. I had to search the style given to me and look at the breakdown of the components. Then I had to take each component number and look up the fabric and find out where it is located in the factory and the width at which it can be cut. From there I entered in all the numbers into the marker program and took the pattern pieces and efficiently placed them as tightly as possible. I had to write specific directions into the markers; for example, if it was a velour fabric, I had to specify the nap direction. From there I printed the markers, swatched each fabric component and stapled everything together, including the sketches for the style. For some reason, I have decided that I need to explain everything -- sorry if you already know, but I feel like some people who may read this, might not exactly know this jargon!

Besides markers, I experienced my first photo shoot! It was a Team dance wear shoot with models who were in high school or older. All of the models were really nice, and very cooperative! There were ten of them, and most of them were returning models that the company hired for past photo shoots. My job was to get the shoes ready for each model-- character shoes, tan or black gores, pedinis, etc. Another task that I had was to collect each outfit after it was photographed and tag it with a white card that noted its style number. This is important for costing and the various steps along the way, also so we do not lose it!

I spent a lot of the day on my feet and waiting on each model to get their hair and makeup done, but I really cannot complain! It was much more exciting than spreadsheets and definitely more entertaining to watch as Lisa, the designer, directed each model to do specific dancer poses. The one model is even a dancer for the Knicks dance team!

This is one of our models being adjusted in a pom style dress.

The rest of the week went well. Friday, there were only three other people in my department because every one else went to Chicago for the vendor show! I was kept really busy, running around dressing forms and pinning straps on styles that still needed strap placements so they could be sewn, and even making green cards for each style so they could be signed off. I even had to find out where a large number of styles were located on the floor to make sure they were moving along in production.

Week four should be very busy since I will be doing costing for all the costumes used in the photo shoot. I am sure I will learn something new, as well!

Hope everyone has a great week!
-Victoria

Week 3 of my Co-op Experience

This week at Full Circle Group was VERY busy and I really began to see the amount of work that needs to be done for the fall/winter seasons for a company like The North Face. In the beginning of the week, I learned how to place orders. As you all probably know, everything in the fashion industry works at least a year ahead of time, so the orders I was placing were for Fall Transition 2013 (they will be shipped out sometime in late June). Some of the accounts do their own orders, while some of the accounts will write their orders and fax it to us for us to place the orders for them. When placing orders everything has to be done PERFECTLY, so it's very important to recheck everything. There were times I couldn't read the quantity, or the style code or color code was incorrect so I would have to call the store and speak to their buyer to get the order straightened out. The rest of the week I continued to unpack, scan, and organize Fall 2013 samples for the sales reps. There were some days where we would receive upwards of 50 boxes so the company brought in 2 of their old interns to help me work with the samples so we could get the boxes completed by the end of the week. It was very nice to work with the old interns because they had a lot of advice to tell me not only about the upcoming months at my job, but also were able to help me with any questions about Drexel's D&M program or even life after graduating from Drexel. This week was very very busy, but the work is very rewarding and something I enjoy doing (even if it can be repetitive at times).

Reports, reports & more reports!

Last week was actually the slowest week so far for me, I even got a chance to work on homework!  The reason for this is that it was Golden Week in China and workers there receive the full week off.  Also, the Spring 2013 collection was in Europe for Market, so there wasn't a ton to do.  However, even though the new collection wasn't currently in the office, the Production team works on multiple collections at a time.

This week I have been working on creating new reports from scratch.  It's a little nerve wracking since it really is just me responsible for them.  I just finished creating an IMU report for Pre-Fall 2012.  An IMU report is basically a variance analysis report.  It compares projective costs to actual costs of each specific style and includes the reason why there is a difference in cost.  This report is created after the collection has already gone into production.  Usually the main cause for differences is the cost of fabric and yield amount or whether or not production has switched from overseas to domestic.  Cost of labor is sometimes a factor as well.  I will most likely have to create new IMU reports for the following seasons too.

Along with creating reports, I am currently working on creating a Final Cost book for Fall 2012.  This is conducted after all costs have been finalized.  I just need to put this book together for our records.  I just began a new project where I must input all of the style data for Spring 2013 into A2000.  A2000 is the program we use to compile data on every single style from every single season.  We can create P.O.s, look at cost and track production samples to name a few things.  That being said, it is extremely important to double and even triple check all work.  Even though I'm just an intern, I actually am responsible for a lot and I know people rely on what I do.

Tomorrow is the Fall 2013 Bridal show, and I'm hoping I can go to that show as well.  However, I have a feeling I probably won't be able to since I don't work in Bridal.  It's incredible to see the pattern makers working on the multitude of gowns in the office though.  They definitely have a lot of patience!

Until next time,
Anna

QVC and Me!

I'm going to be honest, I was terrified to go on co-op. Although I scored the job that I wanted, I couldn't help but feel like I was going to be overly stressed and worn out from work. QVC is in West Chester, PA and I have about an hour and a half commute from Drexel's campus. Not only was I worried about the commute, but I was worried about the people that I was going to be working with. I have had two other internships where I felt insignificant and I was not ready for that to happen again.

To my surprise, I arrived at QVC and all of my worries vanished. Even the commute isn't AS BAD as I expected. I catch up on listening to the radio which I really haven't done since I used to drive around in High School and the ride seems to fly by on certain days. I will admit that there are those days that I feel like I am never going to get to work or get home, but I really do believe that if you love where you work, it is completely worth it! The people here are pretty much the nicest people I've ever met/worked with in my life! They are appreciative for the work that I do and they are willing to help. Both of those things mean so much to me, especially after experiencing work atmospheres that made me want to cry.I am all for the hard work and long hours as well as criticism, after all, it is the fashion industry! (But there is a time when the stress gets to people and I am so thankful not to have to deal with that here.)

On my first day, I was introduced to all of the people that I would be working with. I work in the Public Relations department where we deal with getting placements for our products, whether it is in Monthly Magazines or Daily News, even a mention on the Radio is something that we work to make happen. I love that it combines my two passions: Fashion and Writing! I get to be creative and pick out items to send for certain stories as well as collaborate on Press Releases. Last week, I even got to help on a photo shoot! I feel like so many doors have been opened for me here, and it has only been two weeks!

Our big event that is going on right now is FFANY (Fashion Footwear Association of New York). QVC partners with FFANY and has a half-off designer shoe of the day every weekday in October and the net proceeds benefit breast cancer research and education. Next Monday is the FFANY Shoes on Sale event in NY where this years' PSA spokesperson, Nicole Richie, will be supporting the cause. In preparation for this event, I have gotten to see the shoes that will be going on sale as well as tracking any coverage that has been publicized. I love that I get to see things before they are made public and the fact that I am already working on pitches to go in Magazines in February and March.


Another interesting thing for me is that I am not only working with fashion. I am also working with beauty, home and electronics! I hear a lot of people in the office talking about different recipes. I like learning about the different features of PR and seeing the result of how very important it is to have for a company. Everything from press releases to book signings (currently there is a chef with a new cookbook and that is all anyone is talking about here) is under the realm of PR and I am happy to be a part of it!

How I Became Polished Mollie

     The road to becoming Polished Mollie started on an ordinary day in the retail world. As I laid on the floor of the store, clumsily trying to maneuver an electric drill to fasten shelves into the wall, I overheard my coworkers talking to a client about her fashion blog. Vittoria, the founder of the lifestyle confidence blog Polished for Pennies, exuded such a confidence that made everyone in the store want to interact with her. After we all complemented her hair, makeup, style, and general loveliness, she asked to take our photo. My two coworkers and I were slightly hesitant, and asked why Vittoria wanted our picture.

     Vittoria then went on to explain the concept behind the Give-a-Penny feature on her blog. She believes that confidence is contagious, so when someone compliments her, she takes their photo and compliments them back on her blog. I was immediately excited about this idea. The more I learned about this blog, the more I was intrigued. This seemed to be more than just your average street-style blog. Polished for Pennies is about empowering women with the confidence to appreciate other powerful women. It's about making the best of your financial situation. It's about camaraderie amongst women and our strive to look and feel our best. In a nutshell, Polished for Pennies is about "looking, feeling, and living like a million bucks on a few shiny pennies". 

     I responded very strongly to what Polished for Pennies is promoting, and couldn't let Vittoria leave the store without asking to be a part of it. I expressed my interest in interning for her blog, and we exchanged information. When we met up shortly after for my interview, I was happy to hear that she loved my forwardness. As most people in the fashion industry know, it's not what you know but who you know. Vittoria explained that she has made it to where she is today mostly not only because of her talent, ambition, and drive, but because she goes after what she wants and is constantly seeking out opportunities. It's ironic, because that is exactly what I did in order to land this internship with her. 

     Stay tuned to hear about what I've been doing in my role as Digital Content Creator of Polished for Pennies! In the meantime, check out Polished for Pennies! 

A Wish Come True- Week Two!

Hey guys!

It has already been two weeks! I cannot believe how quickly they went by already!

Week two at A Wish Come True was not as busy as I had thought it would be! In fact, I found myself practically begging for work! I finished up putting every size label from the 2013 collection into the care label spreadsheet, which was expected to take me much longer than it did. I worked on the rest of the yields and costing on the rack that Rachael, one of my co-workers and cube-mate, had for me. I also helped out Stephanie, a Drexel alum and former co-op in 2004, with finding the accessories and appliques to add to the almost finished costumes before they could be signed off and ready for stock. I filed samples, sketches, and paperwork. But the issue seems to be that I work too quickly! For me, once I get the hang of doing something correctly, it takes no time at all! No one had much for me to do this week so I was sent to Customer Service to do filing and then onto the floor to cut flowers for barrettes and tiaras. I enjoyed this because I felt as though I really was taking part in the production. I even was allowed to listen to music while doing this task!

The rest of the week consisted of me completing my tasks and learning how to pace myself rather than speed through things. I realized that I was allowed to take my time, and sometimes quadruple check my work. I even was given a task of deleting certain codes from the website if we no longer had the items in stock! That was a lot of responsibility! But I am hoping that I can prove that I can handle a lot of responsibility carefully! 

One of the fun discussions that I had with my co-workers is about Halloween! It is a huge deal in the office and everyone is encouraged to dress up that day for work. I mean, we are a costume company! I looked at some photos from past years and realized everyone goes all out! I really need to come up with an awesome costume this year for work. The only problem is that I have not decided yet. Along with dressing up, we will have a mini photo shoot and a pot luck lunch! I am really excited for Halloween now!

This weekend, a few of the designers and pattern makers flew to Atlanta for a trade show. They explained to me that they get the opportunity to actually meet their customers in person and find out people's feedback. I am interested in hearing about how the trade show went tomorrow! I am sure I will learn a lot about how this affects the company and if they acquired new clients!

Everyone is still very kind, so it was not just a first week impression! I feel really comfortable in my little cube and cannot wait to learn more about the costume industry. Perhaps, it could inspire a career?

We will see. 

Check out the blog every Sunday for more A Wish Come True updates! I will take a few pictures this week because these costumes really are magnificent!

Enjoy your week!

Victoria

My First Two Weeks of Co-op @ The North Face/Full Circle Group, LLC.

  Hello everyone,

My name is Leanna Schwartz and I am currently a junior D&M Major working at Full Circle Group, LLC in West Chester, PA doing fashion merchandising. Full Circle Group, LLC is an agency that represents the mid-Atlantic region for The North Face. The owner, Bill Brown, bought a house for the company (about 12 people) a couple of years ago, so it’s definitely a very cool and comfortable environment to work in. Not all 12 employees are here everyday since many of them are traveling Reps for the company, but there are usually four other employees here including Bill everyday. So to get to understand what I am doing a little better, here is a little log of what I am doing each day at Full Circle Group LLC.

Monday (9/24/2012): My first day on the job I filled out paperwork for the job, and met with a few of my co-workers and the owner of Full Circle Group LLC, Bill Brown. Many of my co-workers are reps that travel with sample items of The North Face products for each season. The samples for each season are scanned (using a scanner and Microsoft Excel) and separated by rep and type of clothing (ex: men’s outdoor, youth girls, equipment, etc), and once done, the reps travel to their respective accounts to showcase the latest North Face options. Once the next season is available for showing, the previous seasons samples are brought back here (to West Chester), scanned once again, and then packaged to return to The North Face corporate headquarters in California.  In short, the samples start here and end back here and the beginning processes are reversed once the samples are showcased by the reps. So the samples I was scanning and boxing were Spring samples (which were being sent back to California to be sold).

Tuesday (9/25/2012): My second day at work I met the rest of the team and we continued working with the Spring and Transition samples. First I worked on organizing, scanning, and boxing Spring footwear samples with 3 other people. Then about 10 of us worked on scanning and boxing all of the Spring and Transition samples and getting them ready to be shipped back to The North Face. We also received the Fall 2013 samples for each Rep.

Wednesday (9/26/2012): The entire team organized the hangers by size and type to prepare for the mass amount Fall samples that will be coming in this week (The North Face does 85% of their business in the fall/winter seasons!). I then got to sit in on a GTM (Go-To-Market) meeting with the team. In the meeting, Bill and the team discussed various things such as our overarching responsibilities as being employees of Full Circle Group, LLC and also our responsibilities to The North Face. So Bill first talked to us about what is going well, what is expected to change from last year to this year, and the things we should all be focusing on. He then went on to discuss the latest updates with The North Face such as the company’s newest technologies and innovations and how we currently compare to our competition. This meeting was also a time for Full Circle Group employees to give their feedback and discuss whatever matters were at hand.

Thursday (9/27/2012): I scanned and hung up the fall samples that we have received so far this year for each Rep. After that, I did some projects for Eileen (one of the lovely women I work with) that helped to familiarize myself with The North Face products and the advanced technology built into them. I was given an excel spreadsheet of about 30 of our apparel products and worked to fill in The North Face technologies that each garment has. I also was given a product list, and was assigned to find the current image of that product on The North Face image database. Liz (the business manager at Full Circle Group, LLC) also ordered my ticket for the sales meeting in Lake Tahoe ticket (the sales meeting is in October).

Friday (9/28/2012) I scanned and hung up fall samples again in the morning (we receive new shipments everyday). I also ordered some North Face clothes for the company sales meeting next month in Lake Tahoe so I would have the appropriate attire for the meetings. I then created vouchers to be placed on each seat for a speaker series event that is this Tuesday October 2^nd, 2012 in Washington DC. Each voucher was a different color, which corresponded to a different gift that that person would receive. So I created 4 different double-sided vouchers in Photoshop using The North Face images, logos, and fonts. (http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/get-outdoors/view_all_speaker_series_events/)

Monday (10/1/2012):  I finished the vouchers that I started on Friday. I then worked on organizing some more fall samples.

Tuesday (10/2/2012) I continued to work on unpacking fall samples.

Wednesday (10/3/2012) I continued to work on unpacking fall samples. I also started working on two ads, a men’s ad and women’s ad for a store called Tony Walker & Co. which is one of the companies we supply to. So again, I worked in Photoshop using images and products from The North Face database to customize an ad that suits both The North Face image as well as Tony Walker & Co. image.

Thursday (10/4/2012) I continued to work on the ads for Tony Walker & Co. I also went out to lunch with my co-worker, Eileen and a man who is in charge of coordinating a run that The North Face is sponsoring this upcoming weekend in the Philadelphia area to discuss the schedule of events for the upcoming race.

Friday (10/5/2012) I worked on unpacking LOTS of fall samples for the reps again today. It can be very tedious, but it is very interesting to see the spectrum of products that The North Face puts out every season, and the immense amount of technology that goes into a majority of the products.

“You speak softly and carry a loud bag.”- This phrase is apart of J.Crew’s fall ad campaign that was seen in September issues across the country. It is also hanging on my wall because I feel it expresses how I am feeling about my Co-op right now.

I am a creative girl, a design and merchandising major, so what am I doing interning in a corporate world? My Co-op consists of an unpaid, part time internship in the marketing department of Philadelphia Magazine. And since it is unpaid, I had to get another job to support myself, which is why I have my second job: a paid internship in the communications department of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Now, back to the quote I mentioned before. It has definitely been an interesting two weeks working in a world that is so different from the life of a student in a creative study. However, I am learning more than I could have imagined and it is only week two of the six month long experience. The way I am personalizing this experience is by being the more serious, refined, and business oriented young woman (referring to the speaking softly) but expressing myself through simple things (like carrying a loud bag). My outfits, choice of nail polish, my Breakfast at Tiffany’s notebook, and other small details are my greatest means of expression right now so I take pride in them. Today I even wore an animal print cardigan to work! Pushing the boundaries a bit, but I have just got to be me. It is a difficult task, fitting into a corporate world full of strangers but also still being yourself.

So why Philadelphia magazine and why the Chamber of Commerce you may ask? It is my dream to start my own fashion magazine one day, so why not learn from the best? Philadelphia magazine is a well-established and renowned magazine full of learning opportunities for a creative and eager young writer. And in regards to the Chamber of Commerce, I am in a 5-year program in which I’ll receive my M.B.A when I graduate. Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial to have some background in business. And thankfully, I’m in the communications department so it involves some creativity and writing.

In the coming weeks I know I’ll be learning about business, commerce, communications, and marketing. But I also know I will be mastering my Excel skills, perfecting the packed lunch, discovering exactly what animal prints are office appropriate, as well as learning even more about my hometown- Philadelphia. 

Hanging with the #VeraWangGang

Hey, guys!  If you don’t already know me, my name is Anna and I’m a senior that hasn’t actually gone on co-op yet!  Weird, I know.  I transferred, but that’s a long story.  Prior to my current internship with Vera Wang I interned at QVC from January to May as a Design & Development intern and at a startup over the summer, Stone & Strand, which is a Wharton MBA luxury e-commerce jewelry company.  I was in charge of social media and I created graphics as well.  All of my internships thus far have been conducted while in full time classes.  It’s definitely a huge commitment and requires a lot of time management skills, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

At Vera Wang I work in the Ready-to-Wear Production department three days a week in the Flatiron District of New York City.  As of right now I am in my fifth week of my internship.  The time has definitely flown by!  The first couple of weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind what with New York Fashion Week and then Market week.  And if you’re wondering, I did get to go to the show, and no, I didn’t have to work it!  It was a pretty incredible experience though, I even saw a Jonas brother!  Below are pictures from MBFW and a poor quality video (thanks iPhone) of the Spring 2013 collection finale:

Outside of MBFW at Lincoln Center

Right before the show

   

You’re probably wondering how I intern in NYC and still have classes in Philly.  I’m going to be honest with you, it’s not easy at all, but the best things in life are challenging.  My time management skills have skyrocketed since I started my first internship, but even more so now that I’m taking 20 credits!  The first thing I did when I started interning in NYC over the summer was sign up for Bolt Bus.  Besides being able to board before most people, every eighth trip you get a free trip!  I try to plan out all of my trips weeks in advance so I can get the best possible deal.  I typically spend $8 to $15 on a one way ticket depending on when I buy it.  I’m also lucky to be able to spend one or two nights a week in Brooklyn with a friend to cut down on some costs.  However, most days I wake up at 4:45AM because I’m one of those people that loves long showers and never knows what to wear in the morning.  I’ll leave my apartment at the latest around 6:10AM to catch a 6:30AM bus.  It’s great that I don’t need to be at the office until 9:30AM, so I definitely have time to grab breakfast and a coffee after the bus.  Also, I definitely recommend spending the $104 a month on the unlimited ride MTA subway pass.  It’s worth it.

So what exactly does a production intern do?  I’m sure a lot of you won’t like this answer, but if you are at all interested in production or sourcing, be prepared to be intimately acquainted with Excel.  Besides small office tasks and dressing six feet tall models, I eat, sleep and breathe (only at work!) Excel spreadsheets.  The production team works with the design and sourcing teams as well as the pattern makers to successfully adopt Vera’s collections into products sellable at a wholesale and retail level.  The wholesale price is a markup of how much a garment costs to make.  Included in the cost are fabrics, embroideries/embellishments, cost of labor, freight charges, etc.  The retail price is simply the wholesale price marked up.  There is a typical markup percentage that is used throughout, however, sometimes this has to be disregarded because a garment will sometimes be entirely way too expensive and will obviously not end up selling.  When this happens, the wholesale and retail prices are marked down to a price close to what is normal for Vera’s RTW collections.  As an intern, my job is to input data into the costing sheets, fit note sheets, tracking reports, create new reports and process purchase orders (P.O.s) and also help out anyone that needs any extra help.

What surprised me the most about interning at Vera Wang is how nice everyone is.  Trust me, I was a nervous wreck about starting here and I had serious doubts about whether or not I had made the right choice in companies.  But everyone is extremely friendly and patient about teaching me.  I am actually the only intern that works in RTW Production and I have very little interaction with interns in the other departments.  This was a huge deciding factor in my decision.  It’s definitely a great opportunity to shine.

The office itself is pretty casual.  We’re supposed to wear all black, but no one enforces this rule.  I usually wear black jeans or leggings and a black or grey top.  I’ve noticed the girls in PR like getting dressed up, but everyone else, not so much.

This probably doesn’t give my first four weeks of interning much justice, but it gives you a taste of what it’s like hanging with the gang.

Until next time,

Anna