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I always knew I wanted to be a fashion merchandising major, however, I did not always know I wanted to attend the University of Delaware. Yet, that all changed when I came to the UD for accepted student’s day. I will never forget where I was sitting and what I was wearing when my life changed. A panel of students and professors were sitting in front of a classroom full of nervous students casually explaining the Paris Fashion Week study abroad program. Me, being a senior in high school, but more importantly a diehard Devil Wears Prada fan, thought there was nothing more glamorous than going to Paris Fashion Week. (Now going through Fashion Week glamorous may not be the first word that comes to mind). However, at that moment I knew I had to attend to the University of Delaware strictly so I could live my dream of being Andy Sachs, from Devil Wears Prada for at least a month.
By the time junior year came around, I honestly could say I was living my dream. I was able to see the Eiffel Tower with my own two eyes. Smell the aroma of fresh pain au chocolats being baked in corner bakeries. Explore side streets of Paris that belonged on postcards. I really never thought my time could have gotten any better in Paris, until I was hired to be a styling and visual merchandising intern for Elie Saab, Haute Couture. As I said before, glamorous is not the first word that comes to mind when I think about my time in Paris. Unless you think jamming models toes into shoes two sizes too small, getting blisters from zipping thousands of dresses, or getting your daily workout in from rushing a fifty pound dress up to the atelier as glamourous, then it was glamourous. But needless to say, even if it was not as glamorous as my naive eighteen-year-old self-thought it would be, it was better than I could have ever imagined. Although, it was not glamorous, it was utterly enchanting working for Elie Saab. I will never forget my first day, the hustle and bustle in the atelier. The excitement and nerves. I remember unpacking the collection, wondering how they would ever trust, a 20-year-old girl from Wilton, CT to handle all these amazing gowns. Yet, after a few seconds I looked around at the crystal chandelier, mirrored doors and thought of my eighteen-year-old self. This is when I knew my life was not going to be the same and I was able to say I had the most enchanting internship.
I was responsible, with five other interns in assisting the stylist during fittings, this included dressing the models, making sure they had the correct jewelry and shoes. But most importantly to make sure each model had the signature belt around their torso every time they went to walk for Mr. Saab himself. We had to bring the dresses up to atelier after the fittings with the corrections made by Mr. Saab. We were also responsible for making the posters for the dressers for the day of the show, so they could understand how the dress and accessories needed to look. Lastly, after the show was over I was able to assist with visual merchandising team to set up for the after party. The most rewarding part of the internship was watching the runway show from backstage, seeing models walk down the runway with shoes or accessories picked out by you, a 20-year-old girl from Wilton, CT. The internship was truly an enchanting experience, one I would never trade for the world. One I will never forget and will never want to forget.
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