Tea, Taylor Swift, and other #FashionInternProblems

Chloe Wynne tells us writing for the Boar helped her land an internship at clothing brand Miss Patina…

After producing a feature for the very section that you are reading now, Boar Lifestyle, I was offered a fashion-based internship for a slice of my summer at London-based and vintage-inspired label Miss Patina.

Although a job description was never formally attached to my summer role, I dreamed up visions of adopting the life of Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port, when they embarked on their sassy adventure as fashion interns on The Hills all those years ago. Instead what presented itself to me was a real mind boggle; my first bit of labour as helper was to think up over 150 quaint – if not a tad pretentious – product names and descriptions for the upcoming AW14 collection. Primarily petrified at the possibility of writer’s block, and then even more terrified at the prospect of having to immediately recognise and understand all of the collection’s inspirations, patterns, trends and looks, I dove straight in.

Five days, countless on-the-go cookies, and at least 20 cups of pompously infused tea later, and I had before me a complete portfolio of writing.

The term ‘vintage’ seems to denote an air of knowledge, a cool vibe and a certain streak of exclusivity. As such, the task of labelling ‘vintage-inspired’ clothing seemed even more daunting as I strived to make my descriptions ‘fit in’ with the trendy, accepted norms, as such.

Five days, countless on-the-go cookies, and at least 20 cups of pompously infused tea later, and I had before me a complete portfolio of writing. Now up on their website for everybody to see I feel that the names, ranging from ‘Space Oddity Jumper’ to ‘Jacqueline Dress’ and ‘Cavalry Charge Shirt’, are justified by the charming designs and quirks of the collection.

What’s more, throughout the brand’s history a fair share of famous faces have been spotted sporting their designs, and this week was the turn of Taylor Swift who was seen out and about in the ‘Space Oddity’ two piece! To see someone so globally recognised and idolised in the material that you scrutinised and scratched your head over for a good portion of a day is simply amazing.

After the major stockpile of my work was complete, the rest of the internship was spent doing those girly tasks that I had imagined: styling outfits for instagram, blogging fashion news, writing DIY guides on quirky accessories, and steam ironing a few bits and pieces.

On the whole the experience confirmed to me that fashion isn’t the route I will pursue after Warwick. I had a hoot, but it doesn’t suit. Yet, in affirming my writing ambitions, it still provided me with a gleaming showcase of work, a few more connections, and a new gifted coat. Get in.