Vanessa Powell
Hometown: Cromwell, CT
Major: Public Relations
Graduation Year: May 2015
Clubs/Involvement at Hofstra: Her Campus, College Fashionista, Club Soccer
Current Position: Associate Fashion Editor at PeopleStyle
Did you go into college with a media related major declared, if so how confident were you in that choice and if not, what made you change?
Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a fashion editor. I read Teen Vogue, Teen People, everything. I would always read the masthead and say I want my name here. I wasn’t that passionate about writing so as ridiculous as it sounds I took the College Board major matchmaker and I got PR so I went with it and I really enjoyed it.
What advantages, if any, do you feel you had by going to Hofstra?
The biggest advantage was being close to Manhattan. I started interning my second semester at Hofstra and tried out a lot of different places.
How did you establish your sense of style?
By following things that I liked, I would take pictures of anything I thought was pretty and made bulletin inspiration boards. I was able to figure out what photographs well and worked for certain things.
How many internships did you have during college and what were your greatest lessons from those?
I had nine, everything from Redbook to the MobWives Styling Department to StyleWatch. The biggest thing I learned is no task is too small, be willing to work hard, stay curious, ask questions and be really, really engaged in everything you do.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self regarding your major?
Don’t be afraid to state your opinion and speak up.
What was your first job out of college?
I was a freelance assistant. I was a hustler on so many different projects and worked with many stylists. My first on-staff job was as a credits editor with Style Watch.
Can you go through a description of what it’s like leading up to print?
For the September issue, we attend February Fashion Week, we go to ALL of the shows, we visually take notes of what’s trending, and then over a month, those styles start to trickle down to lower tier fashion aka the stores we shop at. From there we go to show rooms and visit different designers, I take pictures of everything and upload them to map out the stories for the season, observe trends, patterns, etc. and pitch those stories.
After that we pitch the stories, I go to the publicists and brands to request physical samples, we lay down the white boards to style outfits and we really focus on what’s special – Each piece has to have a friend. We have a variety of brands and we never repeat within the issue than most importantly everything has to be available at the time of print.
We lastly present this all to the Editor-in-Chief, photo team, all of the fashion editors – it’s a lot of opinions. We have an in-house photo studio that shoots all photos and the art team lays it out like the magazine. Once we get the layout the local file system gets passed to the entire staff, through a cycle and back again to make sure all key details from designers to layout are correct. Once the story is finished it goes on the wall outside.
Our September issue is the biggest, December is big for holiday gift-giving and then March. All J-months (January, June, July) are the smallest.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Feminine, free-spirited and sparkly, I love accessories – I don’t think any outfit is complete without accessories.
Can you sum up your career right now in 3 hashtags?
#EverydayImHustlin #DoItForTheInsta #WorkHardPlayHard
What has been one of your most memorable moments thus far in your career?
Getting a promotion to Associate Fashion Editor. I had to ask for it and really convince them I deserved it – it’s a dream come true.
What role does social media have in your personal and professional life?
It plays the role of networking. I’ve connected with so many people by sliding into their DM’s. It’s a good conversation starter, we’re so lucky to have it and it’s fun!
What makes a cover letter or resume stand out to you?
How it looks, the edit meaning the vocabulary used and it’s not so much but boils down to importance. I like to see personal.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in editorial fashion work?
Explore all opportunities. If someone wants to collaborate with you those little opportunities can lead to something big and can lead to your career. I never said no early in my career.
For your future goals, what’s next?
I want to go digital and try out video production. Who knows, maybe even another city.