A Day in the Life of a London Fashion Week Intern
Models getting ready for the Charlotte Olympia Show
London Fashion Week was a dream not only because I was immersed into the British fashion world but because I represented the most glamorous brand there is. This past summer I worked for Charlotte Olympia in New York City during Market week and was honored to assist the sales team along side buyers from Harrods, Saks, Bloomingdales, Barney's New York and Nordstrom. Charlotte Olympia, inspired by the bygone era of Hollywood Glamour, creates fabulous designs with a modern silhouette. The luxury accessories brand creates iconic styles such as the Dolly with its signature ‘island’ platform, the distinctive Kitty flats and perspex Pandora clutch box are in keeping with the brand's feminine and playful design philosophy. I followed the company across the atlantic to the headquarters in West London, United Kingdom right in time for fashion week. I worked in the press office as the fashion week intern, working directly with the Global PR manager and PR assistant. We dressed celebrities, did model castings, helped style looks and talked to a million editors before the show. The week of the show was chaotic and I was completely emerged into the world of Charlotte. The team at Charlotte Olympia amazed me. Their respect, loyalty to the brand, and dedication to the product inspired me. Too often luxury brand employees get caught up in petty drama within the office and I was impressed to experience a corporate culture where the goal was lift each other's spirits. The company's vibrant culture comes from the top, Charlotte Dellal herself and the CEO, Bonnie Takhar create a symbolic environment that motivates all the employees, including interns to be 200% loyal to the brand.
Above: The mastermind behind the company, Charlotte Olympia Dellal, Creative Director of Charlotte Olympia. The collection was beyond fabulous, phenomenal, & an experience of a lifetime.
The showroom debuts collections for the past decade, debuting vintage looks and the most popular styles Charlotte has designed. The signature dolly heals are shown above. I was obsessed with the showroom and tried every pair when I first started my job! Every detail is intricate and unique to each pair of shoe.
London Fashion Week: Spring/Summer 17' LETS GO BANANAS!!
For Spring Summer 17, Charlotte Olympia was inspired by the lady in the tutti frutti hat, Carmen Miranda, with a performance reminiscent of a 1940's Technicolor musical, starring Brazilian songbird Bebel Gilberto. The show started at 8pm and I arrived at 10:00am. I was more than a public relations intern, I was in charge of helping and assisting with every task to make the show go smoothly. Dress code was all black and I was filled with excitement when I walked into the Sheraton in Mayfair. I checked in, got my wrist band and went back stage. Trying to find my supervisor was almost impossible so I literally went to every department and asked if they needed help, makeup, design, production, back-stage, press and I assisted every department until showtime. I ran through three rehearsals and made sure the run-of-the-show was spotless. During the rehearsals we practiced quick changes with the models because the show debuted more than a simple runway presentation it was a full on show with dancing fruit, a famous singer and a cabaret. When the clock struck 8:00 the bloggers, socialites, celebrities, and buyers were seated and the lights turned off and out came Bebel Gilberto to pump up the vibe in the venue. I was backstage preparing all the looks and models with Charlotte herself. When everything came together I couldn't help but feel so proud for being apart of such a phenomenal production. I will forever be Charlotte Olympia's #1 fan and a spokesperson for the outstanding brand.