R.I.P. Condé Nast Internship Programs

If you’ve been dreaming of an internship at Vogue, you can bid those dreams farewell. In a pretty surprising move, Condé Nast, one of the nation’s largest magazine publishers and home to Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Glamour, is eliminating the media conglomerates internship programs starting in 2014.

Two interns at W and The New Yorker sued Nast this past summer, claiming they were paid below minimum wage. Although the suit is still pending, WWD speculates this is the reason for the publisher’s decision to nix internships.

The decision brings up a lot of issues and questions. Will other companies follow Nast’s lead? Interns do a lot of lower level work at magazines (like handling samples – a disheartening, time-consuming, but important task), so who’s going to do it now?

Vogue’s decision could have much bigger implications for the industry in the long-term. Many leaders in the fashion industry parlayed their internships into amazing jobs – so, if the internship model disappears, will it be trickier to navigate the system and network? Time will tell… 

xoxo, 

pearls & spikes

Trick or Treat

Depending how “into” the holiday you are, preparing for this whole Halloween thing can be kind of overwhelming. On one end of the spectrum, you have committed types who live for concocting pop culture referential and cleverly punny DIY costume. And on the other end, you have the more passive participants who prefer last-minute all-black “sexy cat/witch/nurse” options. If you fall into the latter category, maybe consider these easy costume solutions that are both festive and low effort – and totally cool to wear the other 364 days of the year.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

xoxo, 

pearls & spikes

Karl Lagerfeld To Host Chanel Metiers d’Art Show In Dallas

Karl Lagerfeld to host Chanel Metiers d'Art Show in Dallas, TX.

Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld’s Metiers d’Art shows have become known for their extravagant settings in exotic locations – think Versailles, Paris, Venice, Moscow, and even the ruins of Lithlinglow Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland.

And what destination is next on this grand scale list? Dallas. As in Dallas, Texas. Reported by WWD and confirmed by Vogue, Chanel’s Dallas Metiers d’Art show will take place Tuesday, December 10, 2013 in Dallas.

Chanel's 2012 Metiers d'Art Show was presented within the walls of the majestic Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queens of Scots.

"To do the opposite, next time, I will go to Dallas," announced Lagerfeld. "You know why? First of all, I love Texas. I love Texans. There's another reason. When Chanel reopened, the French press was beyond nasty. The only press that understood it immediately was the American press - so I think it's a nice thing to go there." 

Launched as homage to the label's workshop, Chanel's 2011 Metiers d'Art Show in Paris featured a unique blend of Bombay-Paris theme in costume and ambience.

Explaining how he selects the locations for the extravagant shows, Lagerfeld said he tries to find a connection referencing a significant detail or geographic place in Chanel’s own histoire. Entitled The Return, the upcoming collection will be inspired by Coco Chanel’s US success in the 1950s.

In a way, Texas makes sense. Everything is bigger here, right? And no one does fashion bigger than Lagerfeld. Maybe we’ll finally get to see Chanel’s take on the cowboy boot and hat.

xoxo, 

pearls & spikes