5 Years From Now

“Mona, call Marc Jacobs we need to redo the shoot for the Make your Marc article.”
It is 9AM in Los Angeles, and my day is already in full swing. I hang up the phone in my quaint corner office, which has the perfect view of the Christmas decorations accumulating in the downtown area, but I am hardly ever at my desk to enjoy it. My office is quiet so that I can work efficiently, but right outside, there is the sound of business and everyone is talking about tonight’s big event. Perfectly pressed in my winter-white Chanel power suit, jacket fitted at the waist and cropped just above the hips, I am feeling confident and classy as always. I am already leaving the office on my way to the next photo shoot. I grab my white fedora propped on my glass top desk and head quickly to Starbucks to meet Mona, the lead fashion director at my company. It is going to be a long but exciting day.
“Marc wants to know why you feel it should be redone?”- Mona asks over two caramel macchiatos.
“It’s a bit muppety.” I reply with confidence.
My position as creative director of ZINK Magazine is to oversee photo shoots and assist with the research and styling of fashion features. I am flying the following week to New York to help with the large-and-in-charge January issue, coordinating outfits for the glamorous Romanticism feature and two weeks from now I will be going to India to do a segment on Bali-wood inspiration. For today, Mona and I are just taking in the crisp morning air as we pop off to the destination of today’s job.
“I am not sure about the Dior ensemble we chose for the Plaid Feature.”
“Would you call it muppety?” Mona snickers, playfully bashing my deranged vocabulary. The atmosphere at ZINK is professional, and competition is inevitable, however the witty humor and friendliness between the co-workers surpasses the need to be petty or superficial to get ahead professionally. It is unlike the cold catty mood surrounding the workplace of other major fashion publications due to the magazine’s edgy nature and slightly smaller popularity.
We arrive at the Paramount Pictures grounds where the studio has graciously allowed us to rent out the space for our Roaring Twenties fashion editorial. Our models are dressed in modern depictions of the flapper dresses, men’s sportswear, plunging back- lines, peacock feather fans, fun headdresses, and fabulous fur coats (say that fast three times). The scene combines the look of a gangster club setting with a more illustrious Great Gatsby style. In the center sits Natalie Portman, the perfect body type for the job and all the right attitude for the look. Hair and make- up assistants are hurried out of harms way as six photographers begin shooting the first of five sets for the editorial.
“What are you wearing to the Rock your Vote show next week?” I ask.
“I was thinking I would wear that little red plaid number! I love that we are encouraging social obligation through fashion,” Mona replies.
At 12:30, we part ways, Mona remaining at the photo shoot so that I can meet my sister for a quick bite to eat, then I head back to the office to make some more calls in deciphering who will be featured in our next Of the Moment- Designer piece. My money is on a losing contestant from the 15th Project Runway season, who made it to the fourth round but lost in the “Create Your Dress from Wheat Grass” challenge.
In my spare time, I am working on a long-term project to present for consideration to the editor-in-chief. The idea is to produce our own installation for an art show, set to take place at MOCA. The idea for the show is to depict fashion as a form of social, political, or artistic expression. I have already encouraged Imitations of Christ, a long lost edgy designer, and Vivienne Westwood to collaborate on the project. The installation not only encourages fashion as an art form, it allows ZINK the opportunity to spread their brand name to a different demographic and uphold the fresh and creative image of the publication.
At 7PM, the photo shoot has finally come to a close (we have our work cut out for us tomorrow in choosing the best photographs to present for the lead fashion editorial) and Mona returns to the office where our private company car picks us up and we must rush home to prepare for the 20th annual promotion party thrown by ZINK at the Grafton on Sunset. Of course, because I am a long time friend of Betsy Johnson, she has designed my outfit for me. Although the party is a lot of work, mingling, and promoting for us, Mona and I look forward to it every year. It is not unusual for employees at ZINK to be invited to several events a week, but sometimes we look forward to just heading home to unwind after a long work day. We work long days, however, we are at liberty to make personal errands during the day as long as we get our work done.