...two days after LFW madness had ended and a weekend before my internship at COSMOPOLITAN was due to begin, I casually logged into my emails on a Thursday afternoon to check if I had received ticket confirmation for a movie I had booked. Little did I know sitting in
my inbox would be an email from...VOGUE...my heart stopped slightly and when I opened the email it read as follows - Dear Denis, Thank you for contact Vogue regarding an internship, please contact us to organise an interview - before I could even contemplate excitement,
I immediately dialled the number provided and before I knew it an interview was scheduled for me the following Friday at 3.30pm. I hung up the phone and let out an overwhelming squeal and yelped "Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my - effing - god". I immediately called my Mum , oblivious to the fact that it was 3am Australia time she was clearly asleep when she answered the phone. "Hello..." , "Mum, are you with Dad, put me on speakerphone"..."You're on speaker"...."Ok, guess who your son has an interview with next week", "Who?"..."Vogue guys, Vogue. Dad all those years I spent spending my wages on buying Vogue every month and now I have an interview with them"..."Deni we're so proud of you" , and as I hung up the phone I got a little choked up. Who would've thought that just two days prior I'd have introduced myself to the Editor and that the following week I'd have an interview with fashion's equivalent to the Bible. Before I knew it Monday rolled along and my first day at Cosmopolitan Magazine was before me. I stood before my wardrobe wondering what to wear. Cosmo is fun, sexy, flirty with a dash of playfulness , so I knew that leopard print, sequins and slogan tee's wouldn't be a problem. However for the first day I decided to embrace my smart sensibility - check G-Star shirt & vintage bow tie!
As I made my way in to meet the team , who through working in PR I already kind of knew , it was apparent that this was very much a close-knit team who I would have no problem getting along with. Almost instantly It felt like I had stepped into a little family. By my second day I had already been given opportunities to help out on pages, put together product to be styled according to various themes. There was more to this internship than just sending and receiving samples and my voice and opinion was really taken into consideration. By Day 3 I was thinking
"I could get used to Cosmo..." - Cosmopolitan , has the hightest readership of any consumer publication in the UK. Not specifically a 'fashion' magazine it combines celebrity, gossip, sex, fashion and pop culture to provide for fun reading and can be found in the handbags and dressing tables of most young women. My earliest memories of Cosmo was reading my girlfriends copies in high school aged 15 , sneakily peaking at the sealed section of the gorgeous men! It was surreal to think that I was now at Cosmo HQ assisting the Fashion team. Every day was an exciting challenge, calling in product for a Neon trend page, to hunting down the hottest Gold accessories
for the season - when a sequined 4,000Grand Chanel bag arrived at my desk it drove the entire team into ooh's and aah's of excitement and to the Fashion Editor's delight she was very impressed by all the product I called in for these pages. By Day 4 I sat down with the Fashion Director to discuss becoming a possible permanent member of the team and was offered a 9 month permanent contract as an official member of the Fashion team to start in July. Knowing that I had my Vogue interview on Friday she gave me the green flag to do my time at Vogue (if the opportunity came up) and then return to Cosmo permanently. I accepted, pinching myself on the inside, for the fact that suddenly it was all coming together. Before I knew it Friday arrived and alas, the Vogue interview. Perfectly planning my ensemble the night before I decided to take my cue from Celine (the fashion house, not the Titanic singer) and opt for a classic combo.
It described who I am perfectly, a mixture of high street, vintage and designer. High Street - being my Zara Blazer, trousers, shoes and bag. Designer - my Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo shirt and vintage - my vintage Loewe white leather bag strap. Feeling ready for Vogue 3pm came along & I was on my way to Vogue house based at Hanover Square , a mere 5 minute walk from Cosmo.
My heart couldn't have been beating any faster. I breathed in and out as the sun shone across the concrete jungle of London , I now call home. When I arrived to Vogue House (15minutes early) I took a moment to reflect. In June of last year I posted on the time I went to Vogue to host a sample sale when I was interning at Goodley, at the end of the post I said that I had a feeling one day I'd be returning to the house of Vogue for a more important meeting - fast
forward exactly 9 months later and here I was , Vogue House - for that important meeting. It was too surreal. As I walked through the revolving doors and up to reception "I have an interview at half 3" - "take a seat young man someone will be with you shortly". I smiled and sat down. The one thing I remembered about Vogue was the charming man at reception. His silver gray hair and warm smile , he felt like the familiar older uncle you'd turn to for advice. As I paced the reception nervously he smiled at me and said "Take a seat good chap, you'll be fine" - so sat I did. Breathing in and out. His phone rang and he gave me the nod of approval. "Up to the 5th floor and turn left young man" , "Thank you". As I got into the lift , fixing my hair and playing with my blazer, 'buttoned up or un-buttoned' , I decided on buttoned up on arrival and un-buttoned as I sit down. The doors opened , I was welcomed and walked through the halls to
the office of the Managing Director. I looked towards the two tall bar-stool style seats by the window , sun shining through. "Take a seat..." , un-buttoning my blazer I placed my portfolio down and did just that. "So, you want to work at Vogue, tell me a bit about why that is..." - before I knew it the next 4-8minutes went by in some ways as a blur and in other ways a moment i'll remember every second of , "You're in luck, our whole year of internships are all
booked and confirmed however there is a space now available as someone has just cancelled, you'd be due to start on the 21st of March, and I'd love to offer it to you" before I could even realise it I was being offered an internship at Vogue , which I obviously accepted. As I walk back out of those revolving doors, knowing I'd be returning for the chance I've wanted from the age of 11 - to work at VOGUE - I started to smile and cry simultaneously. I walked back into Cosmopolitan to congratulations, hugs and kisses. "Well we're glad you get to have your opportunity at Vogue and happy to have you back in July". The next 2 weeks of my internship were probably the most fun I've ever had at work. The team had become like my family, going from lusting over product together, assisting on photo shoots, after work drinks and lunch time yoga sessions. The girls were becoming great friends and coming to Camp Cosmo was a joy every day and the pics below display perfectly the joy that has been my time at COSMOPOLITAN...
...so with tomorrow being my first day at VOGUE (an experience I'm sure I will never forget) and July marks a new beginning at Cosmopolitan...and suddenly I see this is where i'm supposed to be! xoxo Deni
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