Day 4

Today I arrived at 8.20 to the office. I had been told to get there for 8.30 but had been overzealous with my timing. I buzzed at the door with dread, knowing I was the bringer of bad news for those poor unsuspecting cleaners. When a dark haired lady poked her head around the door looking scared, I explained in the nicest way that I had been sent to tell them that sadly they couldn’t keep the clothes until we had checked with the returns manager. I thought I had successfully completed my mission, until she said ‘no-one from MM is here’. Great she didn’t understand me! After a few minutes I managed to convince her I ‘worked’ for MM and she let me in. I made my way to the kitchen downstairs where the clothes had been and I saw they had taken them all! I somehow made them understand I needed to get them all back or I’d be in trouble. I felt awful, but I somehow managed to pacify them and they then offered me a seat. After a latte and a breakfast pot from Pret, I was almost conscious enough to start the day.

When my contemporaries came in I was busy surfing the internet at the reception desk and they would never have known I had been there for 40 minutes had I not milked it for what it was worth hehe. It was a slow start to the day but I took advantage of my worldly wise interns and found out about some really interesting boutiques in central London and the best places to go for drinks. The telephone intercom sounded; ‘Can I have Dan please to Weekend’. I couldn’t believe it. Had I just been asked for by name? I felt the other interns eyes on me as I walked up the red carpeted stairs -oh so proud. I had actually been summoned to resend a fax for the brand manager, I had sent the day before and the day before that. But still I felt good and when I got back the other interns were really curious as to why it had been me she wanted.

I received a very upsetting phone call this morning. My choice of the seared sirloin steak salad had been discontinued. How could they do this to me? I had been looking forward to this tasty treat for over a day! And before you label me shallow or frivolous, I’m not working for money ok? lol. In the end I ordered a dish called ‘health and happiness’. It turned out to be industrial amounts of raw fish on a bed of seaweed. I’ll leave choosing my food until on-the-day now to avoid disappointment.

I know it’s a cliché, but an errand given to me today really reminded me of the impossible tasks given to Andrea in ‘The Devil Wear’s Prada’. Another intern and I were given a list of about 30 garments and were told to go into the stock room. Our task was to write down the washing instructions for each one. A simple task? Right, now let me tell you how many clothes are in this stockroom. I’d estimate it at about 2000. It’s probably a lot more. There are racks and racks of clothes, on every wall with barely enough space to walk between, them reaching to the ceiling. We had to find these clothes based on their randomly computer generated style names, armed only with small pictures of their style. Only line drawings in black and white with the colour named by the side, I’d like to add! Describing it as searching for a needle in a hay stack would be an understatement. We eventually found 6 of the items and wrote down their washing instructions in meticulous detail. After reading out the name of a pearl gray suit to the other intern and realising this was the third time we had come to it we eventually felt we had to give up. It was 5.50. We had been given this task at 3.20. You do the maths. When we finally escaped from that storeroom devoid of natural light, the Manager who had issued us that task had gone home!

It was the head intern’s last day today before she went on holiday. So the day finished nicely with drinks in Mayfair. The most expensive drink on the wine list was £8800 for a bottle of champagne. I would spend that money on clothes if I had it.

XxX

Day 3

Today I was early as I promised. And no one turned up until 9.25! How rude lol. When someone eventually turned up, I was the one to get to light the scented candle in the clients bathroom. How lucky am I? Lol. The head intern, who had asked me to be early due to her appointed shopping trip had forgotten her credit card anyway and so it was all in vain.

Looking at the sacred list of Client meetings, always to be on the reception desk and the kitchen wall, it was a very busy day. The list was endless. I arranged to sit in on another buyer’s meeting- this time with a younger and trendier company brand. However after time passed it was evident that the clients were not going to show up. Even after phone calls to mobile and shop it appeared obvious they didn’t want to be contacted. So much for me organising my own development lol.

The food at lunchtime is divine. Just had to digress for a few minutes. We get to choose from three menu’s and so are spoilt for choice. One place is an Italian take away, one an Italian gourmet restaurant, and the other is a sushi take away. I have sampled all three and I must say I have an expensive taste. The grilled salmon and vegetables and salmon sushi were definitely my favourite. I am looking forward to sampling more luxurious food at the expense of my generous company during the following days.

I was sitting in the kitchen waiting desperately for an errand (how sad lol) when someone came in with a bag of clothes. These I found out, were clothes that had been returned from customers due to damage and so were seconds. Apparently staff and interns (more likely for obvious reasons) are allowed to take them providing they ask the returns manager. The girls went crazy and started to paw through the bag looking an easily fixable bargain. I wanted to pick out something for my sisters but they were either horrible or the wrong size. I even tried on some hemp trousers in the hope I could carry them off as men’s but although they fit around the waist and legs, they were too tight in the wrong places giving me a lady’s bottom and I’ll say no more!

Looks can be deceiving as the busiest day on paper, turned into the slowest and most uneventful. We were actually sent home at 5 which was lovely due to the sunshine. Inside we were oblivious to it due to air conditioning and small windows.

I have just been having a texted conversation with the head intern. I was asked to make a sign and leave it on the left over clothes; a message to the cleaners saying they could help themselves. She texted me at 9.45pm saying; ‘you didn’t put the message on the clothes did you? As permission needs to be given first’. I was told to, so of course I did! Well I have now agreed to go in at 8.30 tomorrow to wrestle the clothes from the cleaner’s firm grip. Above and beyond the call of duty. Happy times!

xXx

Today I was 3 minutes late. Mostly due to the fact that I remembered at the last minute that I needed to get a 2 week pass on my oyster card, paid for by the company. When I was buzzed in and the heavy wooden door was swung open, I was met with a flurry of activity. No less than 5 interns were there today, not including me! As soon as I had put my bag down I was given a job; to sort out magazines of each brand to be sent to a store across the country. When I asked if we had enough, the answer was we could get plenty more directly from Italy, the mother country if necessary.

I realised today that the honeymoon period of being able to constantly ask for directions to places in the building would come to an end soon. Before you guffaw at me, you must realise this place is a maze! There are five floors including the ground floor and basement. The frequent requests from above are given with minimal details; ‘tea and water to studio’; ‘two interns to weekend’; ‘can someone come an put the Pianoforte collection back in order?’. I came to the conclusion the only answer was to draw an extensive map linking people, brands and floors together.

Some details you are supposed to know through osmosis apparently. I was told by another intern (the glass smashing, cake skidding one) that I was supposed to be sitting in on a buyers meeting at 10.30 this morning. The head intern had checked with the buyer first thing that morning if it would be ok but overlooked telling me. It was an interesting experience though. A buyer’s meeting is where the main brand manager/s meet with a client (a shop of some kind) to choose a collection or an aspect of it. This meeting was about stock for February/march next year. So yes I know what people will be wearing next year. The downside is that the brand I sat in on is aimed at 50-70 year olds. So I know what’s available for your parents and grandparents if that helps.

When I entered the room the brand manager and the client (a department store from Leicester) were exchanging funny stories about the tube. My addition to the conversation was the fact a woman had been painting her nails on the tube that morning. This would seem doable under normal circumstances, but consider everyone was packed in like sardines as it was rush-hour and if she had jolted she would have got the orange liquid on my black shirt!

The collection of each brand is organised into ‘windows’ of colours and each piece is numbered (they go up to a hundred in black, then again in white). The brand manager took the buyer and me past each rail, describing the cut, colour options and fabric for each piece. After the rails were exhausted, the buyer told the brand manager how much she had to spend (a ‘small’ amount even though it was a four figure sum!) and then a window was chosen to focus on and a model was called in. This was today’s surreal experience; a model modelling the clothes and walking up and down as if on a mini catwalk- and only three people watching! After viewing a collection of over a hundred pieces, this buyer’s budget only allowed her to buy 9 pieces for her shop, once all the sizes had been allowed for.

If anyone one calls down for a cappuccino I will tell them the machine is broken-whether it is or not! I came down to the kitchen and saw two other interns had experimented by making a cappuccino for themselves from the ‘Italian’ quality machine. I asked if I could make myself one and I was told I had to turn the handle that held the coffee grounds in place in order to change them. I turned it and after an almighty bang, the wall, the table, the machine and I were covered in coffee grounds. As luck would have it, it just happened to be at crotch height- all over my grey trousers. Of course this kept everyone entertained all day, especially after I had cleaned everything thoroughly including my trousers, resulting in me looking like I hadn’t reached the toilet in time. Needless to say I avoided doing any errands until I had dried!

A limitation of having 6 interns means eventually as the day winds down you are forced to sit waiting for the phone to dictate your next moves. This can be dull but of course we filled the silences with interesting facts about our lives. It’s amazing how much you can learn about each other in such a small amount of time. I feel truly humbled by some of the internships these individuals have already had. One intern has exclusively interned for countless luxury brands and PR companies including a 6 week French speaking placement in Paris. Other interns have done degrees in fashion and even after various internships have not got jobs. One sensibly plans to save up and travel until the recession has lost its grip on the fashion industry. I feel like these people are my old friends when I have literally only known them for two days.

The head intern is going to Selfridge’s tomorrow morning to buy company essentials so I have agreed to be solely responsible for early morning duties at 9. Check me out on my third day. Check out blog to see how I got on tomorrow.

Thanks for your encouraging responses to my blog!

XxX

My first day as an Intern

What can I say? LOVED IT! It was crazy, full on, intense, and surreal but I loved it. My day started when I got to the steps of MM’s head office at 8.50 and I was pretty pleased with myself for being early. I had been told to arrive by 9.00 so at 9.05 I was getting worried. Was I at the right place? Had I got the right day? The right time? A man approached me with some boxes. Could I sign? My first responsibility of the day; it may not have seemed like a big deal but I signed for MM! MM bin bags haha. Anyway at 9.10 the ‘head’ intern arrived and we found out that there was no-one to let us in. The accountant was next to arrive. She didn’t have a key! Another intern arrived and the four of us must have looked a sight, all filling the steps of MM. Ludicrously rich people looked disapprovingly as they passed by with their Gucci shopping bags. A lady passed by with a bunch of peacock feathers (what’s with that? I saw someone else the other day on Oxford Street carrying a bunch of peacock feathers!). Finally a rather serious looking lady arrived and she unlocked the door. The building is a beautiful listed building, with high ceilings and the type of lights used to light a stage. The reception desk is the only thing in the first room (more like a hall) before entering an area with sofa’s for clients to sit on while they’re waiting. An amazing red carpeted staircase is the main feature in this room, having those metal batons across each stair. It’s the type of staircase you can imagine a lady in a ball gown floating down (although I was to HATE it later when I had to go up it the gerzillionth time lol). I had been shown around the previous day briefly and been completely overloaded with information. Today I was going to be overloaded again -just with more detail. I found out Interns have the responsibility of manning the reception desk, solving problems, ordering and organising any communication between the ten or so staff in the building. They also need to be available to fulfil the whim of any of the staff at anytime, from providing refreshment to presenting collections to the buyers (more about this later! J). Huge responsibility considering that interns are unpaid! I found out the first thing interns have to do in the morning is switch the answer machine off then light the candle in the toilet (uh? My reaction too) and then check the diary. I was told this would be my responsibility which of course scared me slightly considering it has 6 brands across a double page spread, is split into 5 minute time slots and most of which are full and then it has to be transferred onto an electronic copy. This updated version then has to replace the main copy of the diary on the reception computer. Bear in mind this has to be done every time clients cancel or postpone their slot. I’ll be fine lol. You have to pick things up fast! ‘If someone asks to speak to someone press the transfer button once then dial the correct extension number for the person you need then if they answer and want to speak to the person put the phone down or if they don’t press the flashing green light and speak to the client and take a message’. Whimper! What if I press the transfer button twice? What if I put the wrong extention in? I didn’t! By the end of the day I was MM personified; ‘Hello MM, how can I help you?’ hehe. Any form of tea MUST be served in a pot. Nothing by halves; bowl of sugar cubes, jug of milk, matching teapot and cup WITH saucers. Don’t forget the spoon. And a biscuit for each client (Waitrose!). And no, I didn’t smash anything! Another intern acted out my worst scenario’s for me; she smashed a glass tumbler and a glass jug as well as narrowly saving a piece of chocolate cake that went skimming across the floor. She went home very quickly after that, whether by choice I don’t know! Between 11-11.30 all lunch orders for all staff have to be made. A perk of being an intern is having lunch and transport paid for by the company. The allowance for lunch is up to £10. And it’s gourmet food from a selection of four restaurants that do a exclusive take away service for MM. The reason the food needs to be such high quality is that clients meet with brand managers each day and lunch is provided for them too. But putting all this information together for a whole company and sending to the right restaurant is no easy task. Especially as you have late orders and changes constantly! All names and prices have to be written down carefully as these all needed to be added up, which will again be done by interns, in order to send to the company accountant. The basement kitchen, the residence for interns in MM has its own phone and extension and as you can imagine rings frequently. ‘Ring, ring’ ‘Can I have a mint tea and 2 glasses of water?’ Again? There are four floors. My forehead glistens as I make my way up the stairs again. Will this person acknowledge me? Or should I not expect too much of them. Yes you get your Miranda Priestley’s alright, but there are some people who chat to you on the same level which was unexpected but nice. Talking about unexpected: I’ve heard people make out that model’s are air headed and never eat. The MM in-house models were all doing crosswords when I came in from The Times! And when we took their lunch orders it was all burgers and cheese! I thought I was being good having the smoked salmon pasta dish. They were intelligent, normal and still sexy! Lunchtime was unbelievably stressful! One of the restaurants expects you to collect the order from them on a trolley you literally have to wheel down the street. The others do delivery. As interns you are also expected to be delivery people, waiters and chefs! Each meal to be taken to the show room has to be presented on a plate and given with cutlery, salt and pepper grinders and napkins. However if it’s a salad then olive oil and balsamic vinegar must be served with it as well. I had set up the trays for the people I was serving when the girl who had gone to collect the takeaways came back empty handed. They were not ready. Great! My people had ordered different items from the different restaurants. They had already called to say could we give their meals ASAP as they are in a rush! Eventually it came and I was on my way. Upstairs, down stairs, up stairs, down stairs, upstairs, downstairs. Still I enjoyed the experience crazy or not. Eventually I got to eat my dinner, although barely having finished I had to get up to help collect plates and replenish water. ‘Can we have an intern up to weekend (MM Brand)’. Not one of the 4 of us moved. We looked at each other. I got up and went as I realised I was bottom of the ladder lol. None other than buyers for a certain Knightsbridge Department store were in a meeting with two MM Weekend Brand managers. I had been told I was probably going to have to put the collection away in number order by the other interns. However one of the brand managers told me I would need to be free for half an hour. She then briefly showed me I was to present each piece of the collection to the certain knightsbridge department store’s buyers and tell them the individual item name’s if necessary. I was overwhelmed I was getting so much responsibility so soon but I just did what I was told. I struck what I thought a modellish pose would be as I held each piece for them to see as I felt I was like one of those people on a tv shopping channel. I was doing fine until I was asked to read the name of an item. At first I read the wrong word on the label (bianco- just Italian for white) and then when I found the correct word I mispronounced it completely. There’s nothing worse than saying a word incorrectly to someone and then they say it in their next sentence the correct way. It makes you feel tiny. ‘What is this piece called?’ ‘Clooney’ ‘Aagh yes this is Cluny and it comes in 3 different shades’ haha. Oh well it was the first of many mispronunciations. My Italian is quite rusty and I knew MM was Italian but who knew I’d need to speak it? I made them smile when I said Alkeda instead of Alcceda, but I had been wondering why they’d call an item of clothing something so controversial. After 45 minutes of doing this I was actually pleased when after a failed attempt on the phone to call an additional intern for tea, I was sent instead. When I got back it felt surreal about the fact I was standing in the corner of a white high ceilinged room with all 4 walls covered with racks of clothes and harshly bright spot lights and five people sitting around an expensive desk sipping the tea I had just made them. Who knew people worked like this? After this I took my turn at reception. I had to quickly familiarise myself with Mac computers. After all I had to be familiar with sending emails, checking stock, finding contacts and referring to the diary. There is NO room for mistakes in these places. Messages were sent straight to the person concerned by email which was quick and effective. I had a list of the people that worked in the building with their role and extension numbers. Still when a magazine editor phoned to speak with PR I didn’t have a clue. He wouldn’t let me take a message so in the end I just told him I’d call him back. It amazes me that MM and other huge companys have no full time paid receptionist other than interns. Would you want unqualified, inexperienced young people being the face of your company? They are the people who speak to clients and anyone in fact who calls the company. Such a responsibility! After making a few mistakes (most cringe worthy was taking someone’s first name and no contact number or shop and then being questioned about it) I decided I would get ahead of the game. ‘Can you print two copies of Mondays diary off please? One for the reception desk and one for the kitchen’ ‘I’ve already done it’ ‘But I’ve updated it’ ‘ I’ve downloaded and saved over the old diary with your amendments and printed it off again’ That’ll do it J. So yes 9-6 and so many responsibilities. But as one girl said after a week she feels like she’s been there for months. The style of job forces you to act on your feet and force yourself up a steep learning curve. That can only be a good thing. Woo bring on Tuesday!!

For those of you who don't know I have just got an internship at MM which I'm really excited about! I am going to try to use this blog as a bit of a diary, logging what happened each day and how I felt about it. Obviously this could be boring but I'm I think it could also be good.
Well I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with you all.
Tomorrow at 9! Eek what will I wear? As of yet I don't know but I'll be fine. Just got to go with a positive attitude!

So excited!!!

TheFashionFlirt xx

Hey to everyone checking this blog out. The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts and inspirations from current fashion. It is also to log my experiences gained from courses and internships. Please enjoy and leave me feedback if its positive ;)Dan xx