Intern Essentials - Part One

Yesterday I finished my last day of my internship. I have spent the past 5 months interning in London for the fantastic designer Osman in his Waterloo based studio. It has been the most stressful, tiring and overwhelming experience of my life - but my God has its been worth it! I have learnt so so much, grown in confidence and made some great connections! Interning is a must for anyone wishing to climb the fashion ladder, no matter what area or department.

Here is Part One of my "10 Intern Essentials"

1. City Mapper
As a fashion intern you will without a doubt be running errands! Be it collecting fabric, dropping off Manolos to hottest socialites or delivering invites for Fashion Week. Which is why City Mapper is an absolute must-have! City Mapper is basically an app similar to Google Maps but a million times better. If I didn't have this app I 100% wouldn't be able to live in London. I have relied on it more than anything and it has been the biggest life saver ever! Plus its free! The app takes your current/ starting location, and tells you how to get to your chosen destination and the time it will take. It shows you the best routes to take whether its by foot, tube, bus, rail, taxi etc as well as keeping you up to date with live departures. I could do a whole post on how incredible and useful this app is (and probably will do in the future) because I owe so much to it. Make it your best friend!

2. Comfy Shoes
As an intern its unlikely you are going to have your own desk where you can sit down. Instead, you're going to be on your feet the majority of the day. You basically have to accept that as an intern whatever you do it will be on your feet and at high speed; so make this fact slightly less painful for yourself by wearing something comfortable. But remember comfy doesn't have to be ugly, just whatever you know you can last the day in. I opted for some simple black chelsea boots for winter and some tanned loafers in the summer as these were both flat and so easy to style in the morning. Theres nothing worse than hobbling down Oxford Street on a lunch time - the crowds of people are painful enough.

3. Plasters
If your haven't listened to my previous advice or maybe you're just breaking in your new soles -plasters will be your saviour! You would be surprised how many people don't carry them around. On my third day in the studio the operations manager went round asking everyone if they had any plasters and was getting incredibly annoyed  as no one had any. When I finally grew some balls and chirped up (she's quite intimidating) you'd have thought Id given her a winning lottery ticket! It made me come across as organised and prepared - two features you need in an intern. Keep them in your purse so you don't loose them. You don't know when you, or someone else may need some!

4. Canvas bag
When running around (blisterless) on your errands you will come across some irritating obsticles. I was sent out a couple of weeks ago to collect some things from Matches Fashion after an event. I wasn't told what I was collecting, I was just sent out. When I arrived I was presented with 8 pairs of Manolos and 3 items of clothing. "Shit, how am I meant to carry all of this on the tube!" Then I remembered my trusty canvas bag that I keep in my handbag at all times. Its lightweight and takes up no space at all plus it calms your nerves when you face a huge pile of shoe boxes that you, by no means would have been able to carry by yourself! Remember - Be prepared!

5. Oyster Card
I have seen more of London out running errands than I have on my weekends. Im not complaining at all, I love seeing London and going to places I wouldn't usually have planned to see and its all thanks to my Oyster card. If you don't know what an Oyster card is, then you have obviously never been to the capital. It is a small card that you can top up that pays to get you all around London on various methods of transport. Its great! Its light, small and means that your purse doesn't have to be weighed down with coins! In the coming months there will be no cash accepted on buses so seriously look into getting one if you're heading to London. There are a variety of ways to save money with the card whether its day passes, a student oyster or linking it with your rail card like I have done. I also went to Paperchase to get myself a cute little oyster case so that I don't loose it (plus look super chic at the same time!)

Check back for Part 2 of my 10 Intern Essentials!

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