WWDetails on my internship!

Greetings on a quiet Monday afternoon at the WWD London office. As I kick off the third week at my internship, I’m feeling productive, confident in my duties, and ready for whatever the new week may bring!

(By the way, this post has taken me a while to submit because, “Snappy Tim” as he likes to be called, keeps interrupting me. Tim Jenkins, who I interviewed last week, is a freelance photographer working in the office. I was lucky enough to receive a tea-making lesson from this true, jolly Englishman!)

So far, I’ve established (and mastered) my morning routine. As soon as I get into the office, I sort through the daily newspapers in search of articles which Sam or Nina could possibly report on in an issue of WWD. (Samantha Conti and Nina Jones are the publication’s contributors here in the London office.) Once I’ve flagged, photocopied, and organized the stories, I submit them for review and move onto my next task; the WWD London archives.

Quite like scrapbooking, I find each new article that Sam or Nina have written (either published in a WWD issue, online at wwd.com, or in Footwear News) and archive them into a huge collection. I always take a few extra minutes to read through their WWD articles from prior issues. It’s been a great way to study Sam and Nina’s writing styles and also, it's helpful in recognizing what exactly WWD looks for in a contributor.

And from that point on, my tasks vary. My most challenging duty thus far has been transcribing an interviewwith author, Hugo Vickers, conducted by Samantha. They discussed the later years of the Duchess of Windsor- a rather tragic story. While the interview was loaded with interesting details, it took quite some time, loads of concentration, and a couple cups of tea in order to fully transcribe. All I can say is, that English accent is a little harder to understand than I anticipated!

In the midst of answering phone calls, trying to fix broken office equipment, and running errands in the neighborhood, I find time to familiarize myself with the London culture through speaking with the staff here. Tim and Catherine, the Editorial Coordinator, are always giving me new places to go for the best shopping, dining, dancing, and sight-seeing. And when I’m not learning how to make the perfect cup of tea, I’m certainly learning what it takes to make it as a successful fashion journalist.

Cheers. xo.

KT (and my leopard pants)