My Internship Diary - Week 3

I'm not going to beat around the bush, this week has been great! Super busy, but great! 

I've been working hard in the office dealing with returns from two shoots, call ins for two shoots and finding credits for two shoots so it's safe to say I've had a lot on my plate. We had our new intern start on Monday as well. There is a constant stream of interns leaving and new ones starting so I will have worked with four different girls in my time at InStyle and they have all been lovely. It's nice to sit and compare past internships and after spending many hours in a fashion cupboard with them, you get to know each other pretty well. The new girl is from Chester, not too far from my home town so it's nice to talk about home comforts together. 

There is an upcoming issue that is completely dedicated to denim which I am so excited for so the cupboard is looking very navy at the moment... 

It is torture looking at this amount of shoes all day! I just want to take them all home with me. 

I'm still so in love with my Zara coat from last winter I can't bring myself to abandon it just yet! The white top I'm wearing here has a section around the neck decorated with silver beads which I love because no necklace is necessary! It just adds that little bit extra to plain black jeans and white top. 

I am SO on board with the new trend for roll necks! This black one from Topshop could be my favourite item right now. I wore it under my floral playsuit from summer with black tights to keep me warm on a chilly, Autumn Friday. It's a great way to keep wearing some summer items for a little bit longer! 

My lovely boyfriend Mike came to stay this weekend too which was great. On Friday night I met him straight from work at The Diner on Carnaby Street where we ate hotdogs and some AMAZING sweet potato fries. We did a little bit of shopping and then just headed to my flat to chill out, watch a film and catch up. 

On Saturday of course we went to the gym (yes we are a couple that works out together) then spent the afternoon catching up with work. In the evening we dressed up and went to Paramount, a bar based in Soho on the 32nd floor. Although the cocktails were expensive they tasted insane and my Marshmellow Sling came complete with a Marshmellow on top! The views were also incredible and it was a lovely place to sit and have relaxing drinks and nice chat. 

Mike doesn't like pictures so will probably kill me for including this but I loved his outfit so much a couldn't resist. He had a black roll neck jumper on with his new leather jacket from Zara, the fur around the collar is so soft and shiny I couldn't stop touching it! 

I usually avoid bodycons at all costs but I bought this one from River Island a while ago and have barely worn it so I decided to just go with it. It's black and pale blue and I think the plain black panels and white sleeves give it a sporty look! I will try and get more wear out of it. 

Today we got the tube to Canary Wharf and walked around the shopping centre before going into a lovely pub, the Cat & Canary to watch the football. As I have grown up in a house of avid Manchester United supporters I am actually a football fan. It's always better watching a game in a bar as you soak up the atmosphere full of tension and when they score it's hilarious watching fully grown men hugging and clapping as if it's the best moment of their lives. We then strolled along West India Quay before travelling home, it was the perfect Sunday. 

I'm ready for my fourth and final week as the InStyle fashion intern, let see what's in store.

Yours Fashionably

Sarah Victoria 

My Internship Diary - Week 2

Im Half way there! I am officially half way through my internship at InStyle magazine. If the past two weeks are anything to go by, it will all be over before I know it. 

The second week was a lot busier for me as I was given much more responsibility. Plus, we did so many returns last week we barely had anything left in the cupboard that wasn't being used for Arabella Greenhill's denim shoot or Robyn Kotze resort story. 

I love how fast paced it can be, having to send urgent bikes with very expensive items to the photoshoots to make sure it arrives in time is weirdly thrilling. 

A few of the fun projects I've had this week have been:

Going on Style.com to get the exact look number from the catwalk to then call them in from the PRs. It was a good way to check out all the latest ready to wear collections. I had to get it right otherwise they would call in the wrong look and we would have the wrong clothing for the shoot.

I have also been in charge of calling in products for the knitwear feature for the January issue. I don't want to give too much away about what's in the upcoming magazines but it's a nice feeling when you get to help out with what is being put on the page. 

I have also been in charge of calling in all the credits for the items that were used in a shoot two days ago. This is so the reader can see where it's from, how much it costs and where they can get it. 

Then today, I've been rushed off my feet as Arabella, the fashion director has been away shooting her denim story. Back in the office I have had to take the deliveries that were late and organise them to be taken straight to the shoot. It's safe to say I am looking forward to the weekend. 

I have been up for the gym everyday to workout at 6am, mainly because when I finish work at 6 the last thing I want to do is go to the gym. I have discovered that the Virgin Active I have been going to have sleeping pods. Can you believe it? That's actually a thing. I went and had a little look and it's basically a reclining chair in a dark room that has a dome around it for complete privacy. There is a little light so you can read and a slot for you headphones if you want to listen to music. It's actually a really good idea. I bet some people nip there in their lunch hour for a little nap! London is very hectic I suppose. 

I managed to get some more pictures than last week luckily: 

This is my new grey top from Topshop that my mum surprised me with. She knows me so well that she can do that and be fairly confident I will love it. As you can see it's high neck and I love the colour so much. But the main reason I love it is because it's cropped enough to wear with high waisted jeans but it is long enough that it doesn't show any stomach. I hate having my midriff out in the daytime but I love wearing high waisted jeans and skirts so this solves all my problems! 

Apologies for the toilet selfies however there is no other mirror that is suitable. As you can see I have been keeping quite casual. Being a fashion intern isn't as glamorous as Anna Hathaway makes it seem in the Devil Wears Prada. It involves a lot of running around and sitting on the floor organising paperwork and items for returns or photoshoots. 

As a random evening out me and one of the girls I live with, Joey who is also one of best friends and her friend Katie went to watch the recording of the famous TV show Family Fortunes. The tickets were free so we thought, why the hell not? It was actually so much fun and Vernon Kay was hilarious. I will try and watch them when they air on TV to see what they edit out. I have tickets to see Alan Carr Chatty Man soon so that should be fun! 

Anybody would think I'm a tourist, but I had to show you the view I had whilst eating my lunch this afternoon. A close up shot of The Shard. My view whilst I walked home wasn't too shabby either. Across Southwark bridge to the right is The Shard and Tower Bridge in the distance alone with the Gherkin and all the other lovely buildings around Liverpool Street station. Then to the left is the Soutbank, London Eye, Royal Albert hall and a distant view of Somerset house. It really makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live in London when I take the time to look what's around me. 

 

Finally, my two pictures from Borough market which didn't even require a filter. I had to use every ounce of will power not to buy everything. Any kind of fruit or veg you could want, freshly baked bread with a range of interesting flavours to freshly made, chilled fruit juices sold for half the price of Pret next door. It's open most days so if you are around London you must go and check it out! It's huge! 

A bit of a long post I know, I just wanted to share everything from this week! Hope you've all had an amazing week and I can't wait to see what week 3 has in store. 

Yours Fashionably

Sarah Victoria 

My Internship Diary - Week 1

Last week I had some extremely amazing (last minute) luck. My lovely friend Alice, who is in her third year at LCF studying fashion journalism has spent her summer interning at the most incredible places; Armani, Stylist, Harpers Bazaar and InStyle not forgetting the many offers she had to turn down. As a fashion student it is SO important to bulk up your CV with work experience. It's an industry, like many, where who you know will get you much further than what you know. 

I got chatting to a lovely woman in Mason House, a lovely club in Mayfair last week and she was a designer for a new brand in London. She was telling me how she graduated with a 2:2 but walked out of uni into a job because of someone she met during an internship compared to people who had gained a first but not gained any experience along the way are three years out of uni and still looking for a job.

So last week was Alice's last week as fashion intern at InStyle magazine and on Thursday I had an email from her to say she was passing on my details and CV to  Lulu on the fashion team and should look out for an email. I was then offered a four week internship starting Monday. Very last minute but I was over the moon. 

So this week I started my first internship at a monthly magazine. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Heat and Closer but I felt ready to move on to a fashion magazine. I also wanted to compare the pace of a monthly in comparison to a weekly as I love everything to be fast paced and wasn't sure a monthly would be for me. That's another reason why work experience is so important, you can eliminate the areas of the industry you know you don't like and don't want to work in. Try a number of things and find what you like best. 

Many people will have read or at least seen InStyle on the shelves. It's the perfect mix of high fashion and wearable so the fashion cupboard is huge mix of the two. On the same rail you will find a Burberry coat, Chanel shoes, Whistles jumpers and a Misguided two piece. 

As an intern our main job is to keep all deliveries tracked as there is SO many in one day and keep all the items in the fashion cupboard in the right place. We also call in products for photoshoots and find the credits for the magazine afterwards. The fashion team also try and get us on to a shoot in the time we are there which is very exciting. 

The team are all great and all though it's been a busy week I have loved it and can't wait to continue for the next three. I have earned a relaxing weekend after getting up at 6am every morning for my work out before work and then being kept most nights until after 6. I am looking forward to chilling out before it all starts again on Monday. Oh, I should probably catch up on my uni work too.

I didn't manage to snap many pictures this week as I barely had a minute to spare but I will try much harder next week: 

Bring on next week! 

Yours Fashionably

Sarah Victoria 

Work For What You Want

Every body that knows me, knows that I work really hard in the gym. I've gradually built up my motivation and enjoyment at the gym and now I can definitely say it is a lifestyle. Going to the gym is just a part of my day now and whenever people say I'm crazy for waking up at 6am for an early morning work out I don't really understand why they think that, but that's because I enjoy it so much. 

I recently took part in the Summer Sweat Challenge with the Wedges&Weights blog. It's a fitness page with posts about nutrition and fitness and it's perfect for anybody who wants to get started in the gym. It also includes some amazing workouts for people who already know what they are doing so it's suitable for all abilities and it's written by the lovely Hannah Mills. If her positive attitude can't get you going then nothing can. 

Check out her blog: http://www.wedgesandweights.com/

And follow her on twitter @RealHannahMills

So I basically had to complete a challenge every single day of the month and tweet my challenge response with #summersweatchallenge. These challenges ranged from extremely tough HIIT circuits to making smoothies to tweeting a picture of our favourite gym gear. It was so much fun and I loved seeing what all the other women that took part were doing too! It's so friendly in the fitness world and everyone wants to help each other, it's so refreshing. 

Here are some of my pictures: 

And can you believe it... I won!! I literally never win anything so I was so excited. I won loads of fitness prizes including; a months supply of Total Greek yogurt, protein powder, Quest bars, Bouce protein balls, a £50 voucher for active in style and some skin care treatments, and that's not all! 

 

People can say what they want about my dedication to working out and keeping fit and healthy but there is a thousand reasons that I go to the gym. It puts you in the best frame of mind and I always say 'sweat your stress away', it works everytime for me. I've made the greatest friends through fitness too and it's nice to be around people that want you to succeed. Of course it's an added extra that I have lost a stone and dropped 2 dress sizes in less than a year, it's also quite an achievement that I can lift way over my body weight and can no longer imagine a life without weights. But I can honestly say it's my mental attitude that has improved the most. 

I'm not saying everybody should get up and go to the gym right this second because I understand that some people just don't enjoy it and you should never force yourself to do it. I do think everybody should find something that makes them feel positive, where they can set themselves personal goals and feel great when they achieve them. 

Who cares what anybody else thinks?! 

Do a few squats and forget about your problems. 

Sarah Victoria