Fashion editor at a major fashion magazine: the truth behind the job

Anna Wintour, Alexandra Shulman, Emmanuele Alt and Anna Dello Russo are all amazing, powerful and well-respected woman who are now editor in chief of major fashion magazines. Alexandra Shulman might no longer work at the British Vogue, but she is still recognized as the woman who brought the magazine to a higher level.

All of them seem to have a fabulous and glamourous lifestyle: wearing designers such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Balmain, travelling between New York, London, Milan and Paris for fashion week and being invited to all the relevant fashion events. They appear to have it all.

Hard work and devotion

Behind their successful careers lays very hard work and complete devotion to their careers. It’s not a job that they got overnight, all reputable fashion editors started out as interns and assistants. Over the years they acquire skills and experience and only the best will make it to the top and end where they always dreamt of being.

Let’s start off by saying that it takes a certain type of person to become a good fashion editor: exceptional writing skills, super organized and an eye for detail. It’s not a regular 9 to 5 job, you’ll probably be working way more then most of your friends, and being able to travel at short notice is unavoidable. Stress and pressure is a daily thing when working in fashion so you certainly cannot be affected by it, on the contrary, it should get you even more motivated to work well and fast. Last but definitely not least – an editor needs a great sense of fashion and needs to be aware all of the current trends.

A typical day?

Are you wondering what a typical day looks like for a fashion editor? Well, there isn’t, each day is different. New deadlines and urgent tasks might come up and they need to deal with it, fast! But one thing factor is consistent throughout the career of a fashion editor: hard work.

Their day usually starts with administration tasks such as replying to emails, planning, going to meetings and drafting a clear to do for the day. Be prepared to receive tons of daily emails and phone calls from PR people and agencies wanting to know your editorial calendar or pitching you new collections and brands.

Editors never stop researching and gathering inspiration to write their next articles. Reading other fashion magazines and online sites is a task they need to fit into their already packed day, as well as browsing on the internet looking for cool blogs and influencers on Instagram. Visiting PR people and press offices is necessary to keep updated with the brands and perhaps they will bump into a cool new and upcoming brand they choose to support by writing about it.

Writing articles, conducting interviews and sometimes planning shoots are fun parts of the job, most editors love this because it’s quite a creative and out-of-the-box thing to do. Some magazines allow more senior editors to completely organize the shoot, from choosing the model, clothes and the setting to writing the accompanying article. These are usually called “magazine spreads”, and take up to 4 months get ready to place in a magazine.

An editor’s desk, generally reflects the chaotic work schedule and is full of papers, notes and layouts for the next issues. 

Major Satisfaction

Despite their busy job and full agenda, editors feel their job is very satisfying, especially when they see the results of their hard work. Some say the best feeling they have is when friends or acquaintances send them a message when they saw an amazing article in a magazine or online and they saw the editor’s name at the bottom.

Editors get to meet and work with amazing people such as established or upcoming designers, great photographers, PR people, and other contributors. They say their job is perfect for networking and meeting people in the industry, which sometimes can lead to new opportunities.

Let’s not forget the fact that good editors get to go to fashion week and travel to different places. Although fashion week is super busy, running from one show to the other, trying to take notes of the mesmerizing looks and look good at the same time, it’s fascinating and exciting to be part of it. Fashion month is also the time you can use your editor position to ask designer to use clothes to wear – they get to wear new and trendy clothes while the brands get free exposure.

Many editors choose to work a few days a month from home to be alone and concentrate on writing the entire day and work on finishing articles before the deadline.

Do you want to become a fashion editor? With the right skills and motivation, it is certainly possible. Don’t forget it’s not easy and quite a complicated path to get to the top, but nothing is impossible! You should definitely go all-in if you’re fascinated and extremely motivated, don’t start if you’re just interested in the glamorous life because that’s only a small part of the job.

Featured pic @jessicadiner