#rachaelwang

[thestreetdeets-blog]

Rachael ~ by #AdamJames . . . @rachael.wang #RachaelWang #ParisFashionWeek #PFW #SS17 #Womenswear #WomensFashion #ModeAParis #Moda #Mode #StreetStyle #TheStreetDeets

[musenyc]

Zlata Semenko for Allure Magazine Photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg; Styled by Rachael Wang; Makeup by Frankie Boyd; Hair by Diego Da Silva.

[styledumonde]

#New on #STYLEDUMONDE http://www.styledumonde.com with @rachael.wang #RachaelWang at #newyork #fashionweek #nyfw #white #blouse #outfit #look #streetstyle #streetfashion #fashion #mode #style

[styledumonde]

#New on #STYLEDUMONDE http://www.styledumonde.com with @rachael.wang #RachaelWang at #milan #fashionweek #mfw #oriental #outfit #ootd #streetstyle #streetfashion #fashion #mode #style

[jeffthibodeauco]

with @heymichellelee and @rachael.wang ^ - #day9 #michellelee #rachaelwang outside #tuileriesgarden for #valentino show in #paris during #PFW #FW16 // #fashion #streetstyle #streetfashion #fashionweek #blogger #model #stylist // #streetstylevibes #JT_ARCHIVES by #jeffthibodeau (at Tuileries Garden)

[clover-letter-blog]

Introducing How to Make It, Clover's new career column. Here, some of the smartest, coolest, and most successful women we know share career tips, life advice, and other invaluable wisdom they've learned along the way. First up, Rachael Wang of Allure tells us how she went from punky high schooler to fashion director. What were you like as a teen? I was complicated. But I think being a teen is just complicated in general. It's a time where everything is up in the air and anything can happen. I cared a lot about school so I studied hard and got good grades but I expressed myself through my appearance in a really eccentric way, which caused teachers to underrate me sometimes. I think I always felt a bit outside of the standard groups, perhaps because I had so many diverse interests (sports, theater, art, science) that it made it hard for me to stick with any one group. Music became really important to me because at a time when it felt really hard to "fit in," I found acceptance in the punk scene. As an adult, what do you wish you could tell your teenage self now? I would love to share the hard-earned wisdom that perfection does not exist and it's damaging to spend all of one's energy trying constantly to be perfect. Also, don't take yourself so seriously. It's OK to be a kid! How exactly did you get to where you are now, professionally? I started off as an intern in the W fashion closet getting coffee, making photo copies, checking in, and returning samples. From there I was able to land my first paid job in fashion as a sittings assistant at Self magazine, where I packed and unpacked trunks of workout gear and swimwear in the most lovely beach destinations around the world. After about a year, I decided to try my luck as a freelance stylist assistant so that I could work with a range of stylists and brands and really expand my fashion experience. I took every single gig that came my way, which included assisting J. Crew shoots to working with stylists like Camilla Nickerson, Alex White, Bruce Pask, Havana Laffitte, and Joe Zee. I often worked 20 hour days, 7 days a week checking in clothes and accessories, packing trunks, unpacking trunks, dressing models, and keeping track of credits but eventually landed a full-time position assisting top stylist Edward Enninful. Edward really taught me the ropes of styling for editorial and advertising clients, and it was only after working with him that I went on to hold a junior level styling position at Glamour where I really honed the craft. After about 3 years at Glamour, I was offered the position of Market Director at NYLON, which was a tremendous break. At NYLONI was able to work closely with other departments like art and photo for the first time, which helped me to really learn how a magazine worked top to bottom.

After about a year at NYLON, Nicole Phelps reached out to me about the Market Director position at Style.com which I absolutely jumped at. Style.com was the first website I worked for, and I had to learn how to operate at a completely different pace. I had only been there about 8 months when Conde Nast decided to evolve Style.com into an e-commerce platform and thus let the majority of our team go. Michelle Lee, whom I had worked under for a short period at NYLON, reached out to me about the Fashion Director role at Allure and her timing couldn't have been more perfect. I started in this role in January and have been loving every minute. What's one thing you wish had known then that you know now about having a career? I wish that I had spent a bit more time gaining life experience before charging single-mindedly down my career path. I wish I had known that it wouldn't have hurt me to take some fun electives in college, travel, and perhaps live in another city. I was always extremely driven, which has absolutely helped me along my journey, but I firmly believe that I still would have gotten to where I am had I taken 6 months to backpack through India or spent a year living in Tokyo and teaching English. The thing is, once you get momentum going on a career path, you don't want to stop, so it's easier to take time to learn as much as you can about yourself before seriously committing to your path. What work advice do you have for teens or for young people just starting out? Show up on time, eager to work, and with gratitude for the opportunity which could have been given to someone else. Take pride in your work, do the best that you can do, and be open to constructive criticism but take nothing personally.

[styledumonde]

#New on #STYLEDUMONDE http://www.styledumonde.com with @rachael.wang #RachaelWang at #paris #fashionweek #pfw #outfit #ootd #streetstyle #streetfashion #streetchic #streetsnaps #fashion #mode #style

[onthemasthead]

Rachael Wang, Style.com

Fashion Market Director

What attracted you to covering fashion? Oh boy, I think I just always loved fashion. I was really into getting myself dressed starting around age 3.

Take us through what’s it’s like producing a shoot, from concept to print. I would imagine it’s different for every editor but for me, the Cliff’s Notes version goes like this:

Get inspired by… a fashion show, an art opening, a photo book, a trip to Nepal, a person on the subway, anything…!

Formulate a shoot concept around this inspiration by choosing what clothing/accessories/model/hair/makeup/location best expresses the idea. Determine what photographer will best capture the mood. Create “mood boards” or collages of all these ideas in order to articulate the shoot concept through images to others.

Pitch this story, via mood boards and verbal explanation, to my editors.

Once the story is approved, I notify the photo editor who will book the photographer, hair and makeup, the model editor who will book the model, and I get busy requesting all the clothes and accessories I need to bring the fantasy alive.

On shoot day, I will work closely with the photographer, model, and hair and makeup artists to create the desired mood. Literally, I put together the looks for the model and help her get dressed, creative direct the image by determining poses, specific locations, add in props, etc.

After the shoot, I wait a few days for the photographer to process the images and send her edit, which is a selection of her favorite images. From there I will work with my editor’s to decide which images we like best and want to use in the story.

Our art department sizes the images and creates the layout for the website. I make sure all the clothing is credited properly.

Celebrate the day the story goes live!

What are fundamental habits and skills should every fashion editor should have? Optimism, curiosity, creativity, unrelenting work ethic, pride, a sense of humor and grit.

What steps should someone take if they want to be a fashion editor; what if internships aren’t an option? I think it’s helpful for someone to pinpoint the companies she feels most connected to and to do everything in her power to get an interview and ultimately a job at one of those companies. It could be doing anything. You can work your way up from the bottom.

What is a favorite published piece that you’ve written/contributed to? I’m incredibly inspired by the lives and careers of Kim Peers and Hari Nef and was very lucky to get to work with each of them recently.

What can you not work/live without? Balance.

What is an industry pet peeve of yours? Tardiness.

Twitter or Instagram? Snapchat!

Do you have any advice for people trying to break into publishing? Listen well and have a thick skin.

What word/phrase/motto do you live by? Don’t ask, don’t get.

Photographed by Sandra Semberg.