Realities of the fashion business

FASHION:Midnight oil, 14-hour shoots and 7am starts: ROSEMARY MACCABEasks three women about the not quite razzle-dazzle reality of working in fashion

Ruth Griffin, Model

“I’VE BEEN modelling for 13 years. I started off doing wedding shows, then I joined an agency. In the beginning, I was juggling it with college and other part-time jobs.

“I always did a bit of everything – fashion shows, press work, editorial work, commercial work, PR work . . . you can’t pick and choose. Dublin’s not a fashion capital, so you have to be able to do a little bit of everything.

“I get up at 7am regardless, because my little boy is up, so I do the school run with him. There’s never a typical day or typical week. It’s not nine-to-five, Monday to Friday. That’s a real downside, especially since becoming a parent. This week, I’m doing three shows . . . On Wednesday I leave at 2pm and I won’t be back until after midnight. You have to be super flexible and be able to drop things and just go to the job.

“A model is only one part of a big unit, made up of all of the behind-the-scenes people, and you may be the most focused-on person, but actually you’re the most powerless. Your agent takes the booking, they tell you where to go; the make-up artist decides your look; the hair stylist decides your hair; the photographer and the stylist make the decisions about the vibe of the shoot. The end result is quite glamorous, but a model is at the bottom of the food chain.

“Sometimes, with press calls, it can be freezing. You could be in a teeny little summer dress. They’re quick, so you’re done within the hour, but you’re wearing these short little dresses in the freezing cold. It’s a small complaint, but that can be a struggle.

“It is a tough industry – if you’re not very emotionally strong, or very confident, I would think long and hard about it. And a lot of modelling jobs have become overtly sexual. That’s changed within my career span. If I had a young girl who was looking to get into modelling, I might think twice about it.”

Jessie Collins, editor of Irish Tatler

“I WENT straight from doing a postgrad in journalism to working in Village magazine for free and just taking everything I could. From there I got a job editing a fashion trade magazine . . . There was a lot of work around, so I kind of hopped that way and ended up in Harmonia.

“My day starts off the same as anyone else’s: trawling through emails and catching up. I usually have a long list from the day before to get sorted. A lot of what I do is administrative: organising shoots, organising people, organising editorial [content]. And there are no assistants.

“I eat lunch at my desk. I hit the internet and catch up on what’s happening that day, and in other magazines . . . You really have to keep your eyes open.

“I have a big bunch of writing I do every month as well . . . It’s just myself and two other people putting out a 176-page magazine each month, the equivalent of what some UK magazines do with a team of 40.

“I work late in the evenings because that’s when I can write: when the phones have stopped. I work maybe 45 to 50 hours a week, depending on what’s going on. It would change in press week, where we burn the midnight oil to get the magazine out.

“There are lots of great parts of the job, but people have a perception of glamour – in certain territories it might be different, but I don’t get given any clothes or anything, nothing like that.

“I think the way it exposes you to things you’d never see normally is one of the brilliant things about the job. I ended up working on this women’s fund committee, helping women’s refuges, and last year I had a trip to Guinea de Salas on a reportage thing. But it can be difficult, depending on what resources and what time you have, because you want to be proud of everything you do.”

Ann-Marie O'Connor, writer, stylist

"I USED to work in radio, in London, and I freelanced at the same time, and when I moved home to Ireland I realised writing was what I really wanted to do. I fell into styling sort of by accident: when I was offered a styling job I thought, why not? I think when someone offers you an opportunity outside of your comfort zone, you should try it. Styling ties in with writing: you can only look at flat photographs for so long before you need to see the clothes, feel them, look at them on a real body. You become better informed.

"The average week revolves around a minimum of two articles that need to be written, a show or workshop that needs to be styled, TV and radio that need to be done. At the moment, I'm working on the Today Show with RTÉ. I have my fashion pages [for the Irish Examiner] to write, and another feature on top of that. So there are a load of things happening at once. It's a bit like a game of Jenga: if you don't see what's coming ahead, it'll all fall apart.

"Styling is definitely the least glamorous aspect of the job. People look at TV, at Rachel Zoe, and think that's the reality, but unless you're at that point in your career, you rock up to a shoot in a pair of Converse and leggings and a sweatshirt, and work for 12 to 14 hours. The days leading up to that are pulling clothes, carrying things, doing inventory, and there's a huge level of responsibility. No one sees the practical considerations with a shoot, they just see the finished product. But the glamorous side is seeing it [published] and being happy with your work."

I have broad feet and chubby ankles - any tips?

I have broad, flat feet, fallen arches and chubby ankles – and I love shoes. Unfortunately, most shoes I buy are for the slimmer foot, and I can only wear them for an hour or so. I have bought some FitFlops and find them great, but I would love a Mary Jane style. I have a budget of up to €150 and take a size 7.

Maeve, by email

There is nothing worse than attempting to endure the intense, mind-numbing pain brought on by badly fitting shoes, and so I am truly sympathetic to your plight. The unfortunate truth is that there is no easy solution: most shoes are made in a standard width, and this width seems, in my experience, to be limiting.

With regards to width, your best bet is to find shoes that are made specifically with the wider foot in mind. Marks Spencer does a range of shoes called Footglove, which are created for the wider foot with a technology that claims to take the pressure off your toes and allow for better spine alignment. Its Dolly Shoes are a Mary Jane style with a low, block heel, and a cinch at €40.

You could go one step further and log on to shoesofprey.com, where you can have shoes specifically made for your measurements. The shoes take four weeks to make, but can be altered or amended free of charge and have a money-back guarantee. Depending on the materials and design you choose, you may go well above your budget. These lemon yellow shoes are €165.

Clarks is a household name perhaps better known for school shoes than anything else, but it has come on in leaps and bounds in the past few seasons, and has a great selection of cute, comfortable shoes. The best news is that it offers a variety of widths on certain styles – D (standard), E (wide) and EE (extra wide). Your best bet is to pop into your nearest shop and chat to a sales adviser about what will work for you, and you’ll have change from your €150

What should a working woman wear on Fridays?

I have lots of dressy clothes and dresses for serious client meetings, as well as lots of working-at-home (read: semi-slob) gear, but nothing in between. What’s a 45+ PR gal to wear on casual Fridays or for Friday-evening supper?

Deborah, via Twitter

You’re not alone in finding that it’s a lot easier to dress when one has a uniform of sorts. It’s when we don’t have any rules that everything falls apart, and wearing your tracksuit bottoms everywhere seems okay. And although a life without rules may seem liberating, they come in handy when it comes to making ourselves presentable. So I’ve compiled a handy list of rules to guide you through the mists of the quasi-casual down-time.

1 Always dry your hair. Estée Lauder said wet hair was one of the surest signs of disorganisation, and a quick look around only confirms her suspicions. You don’t have to spend hours with the GHD, but it’s worth putting in a bit of effort if you’re leaving the house.

2 Never wear anything outdoors that could be mistaken for pyjamas. PJs are indoor items, where you are safe from judgment and disparaging looks. This category also rules out slogan T-shirts, your boyfriend’s hoody, jersey shorts and oversized sweatshirts.

3 Sportswear is for sports. That rule is non-negotiable, although, as a nation, we seem to struggle with the concept something terrible. Runners are for running, tracksuits are for running track, as our American cousins would say, and sweats are for sweating in.

4 If your outfit would cause embarrassment in the event of running into an ex, avoid. This may seem like a convoluted hypothetical, but this is Ireland, and you have as high a chance of bumping into an ex while wearing your decade-old college sweater as you have of being caught smoking by your mother at Christmas.

In short, your weekend wardrobe should contain: straight legged jeans, knits (both chunky and light), shirts, ankle boots, printed dresses, a pair of flat, biker boots and a selection of thick tights. Check out House of Fraser’s A/W lookbook for inspiration.