Get Smart.

I’ve been a bit quiet for the past week mostly because I haven’t been up to interesting things like, say, Fashion Week like the lovely Linda. Instead, I’ve been studying. What, you ask? The shows of course! I thought it was the appropriate time to share with you some of the many media outlets I live vicariously through and tie it into something educational. Ready? Here goes.

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Going blindly into the industry of your choice is never a smart idea. I would hope no aspiring quantum physicists actually believe string theory involves spools of thread. So you can imagine my genuine shock at the not-so-smart implications of fellow fashion majors and the authority with which they are made.

A classmate once gave a presentation about trends in which she referred to origami silhouettes in sorbet colors as “whatever that means” and called the authority on fashion that made the comment “weird.” Clearly, she’s unfamiliar with the direction of fashion in general. Then again, this is the same girl who thought that wearing an oversized Santa Clause-esque belt around her jersey knit tank top was a wise fashion choice. I was left to wonder how she landed an internship at a fairly avant garde, one-letter magazine; a question I will likely have to resort to throwing into the pile of Life’s Unanswerable Questions.

But my blatant bitchiness aside, being knowledgeable about the career you hope to break into is pertinent to your success. After all, lifeguards should probably know something about swimming.

Here is some recommended reading for those of you hoping to work in fashion (as I am rather useless concerning trying to get a job in anything else, ha!).

The Cut Blog
Maddeningly funny and equally informative, the lovely people behind The Cut gather all of the important bits of fashion news into one place for your reading pleasure. No really, pleasure.

Women’s Wear Daily
A notorious authority on the industry, WWD is required reading for anyone hoping to gain insight on industry trends. More than just pretty pictures, WWD let’s us in on the business side as well.

Fashion Blogs
To be knowledgeable about fashion, one must develop a personal aesthetic. Accumulating a variety of reading material is an integral part of that development. It’s important to know what you like, because you will be asked. I was once asked in an interview what sorts of things I read to gain a sense of trends in fashion. If I were an interviewer, it would be refreshing to hear someone say they were inspired by something other than like, IDK, magazines and stuff.

NYMag.com, Style.com, WWD.com
All three websites are great sources for brushing up on the latest lines and now is the perfect time to start (Fashion Weeks, duhhh). Get familiar with designer trademarks, signatures and key seasonal pieces as well. When they send you into the closet to grab the Margiela wigged coat, you better know what they’re talking about. The last thing you want is to be the intern that calls the Emilio Pucci two-piece bathing suit “the ugly blue one.” Yes, that quote does happen to come from the same girl with the titillating ideas about silhouettes and color. She’s awesome.

Connie & Marcus: How to Pronounce Fashion Designers
I’m fairly convinced Connie, Marcus & that creepy wooden hand need to get together to craft a sequel to this hilariously informative vlog because the last thing you want to do is pronounce Hermès like it’s a certain unpleasant genital virus. People that do this exist, and they are my classmates.

At the end of the day, you should always possess some semblance of passion for whatever job you hope to spend your life doing. A thirst for knowledge should always exist regardless of the subject. If you find that spending time learning through these or other sources bores you, then perhaps fashion isn’t for you.