Trapped in the Closet – Life in the “Fashion Closet “

Chanel,D&G,Miu Miu ,Prada,KCG, Missoni ,Showroom Seven,C&M Media ,Calvin Klein ,PR Consulting ,just to name a few, are the places that many people in the fashion closet make pick- ups  and drop- offs to on the daily .Glamorous Right?not so much, even through rain, sleet ,snow or shine it has to be done. Picture it ,having to run to the  Michael Kors  showroom and you have three large garment bags and three shopping bags of shoes waiting for you .How I am supposed to carry all of this ?that is what you are thinking ,as you see the PR girl looking at you with amazement, like how are  you suppose to get on the subway with all those pieces ,wiping her forehead and saying “Thank GOD ” it is not me.Once you get back with all of the pieces you are required to check every piece in. Hoping there is an invoice in the bag to make your life easier , sometimes PR has to pack things quickly. Opps! no invoice . So this means you have to make one of your own. So Judith Ripka sent you more than 25 pieces of jewelry that you have to create your on invoice for , after that you must  describe each every piece with detail, next you have to photograph each and every piece ,hoping there is a digital camera available. Technology has helped in this instance because you can take pictures on your phone and send it to the fashion closet email . Next you have to find a space on the check -in rack if checking – in garments , and shoes or find jewelry trays if your checking -in accessories or shades . Jewelry trays can be hard to find due to so many check- ins at times . So now we get creative ,while I’m thinking of what to do, everyone is scattered around asking questions ,where are those  Louboutins ? they were right here , the fashion assistant is yelling to the top of her voice because the messenger is there  to pick them up and hall them to the shoot. Someone finds an empty Tom Ford shoe box so you can use  the top of shoe box  as a jewelry tray so you can complete the Ripka check -in. Things calm down its only 3pm, lunch time. You been there since 9am and your day is still going strong . You run to the lunch area and grab a 30min lunch break, but that’s if your lucky. Sometimes you have to grab a quick snack and eat on the subway to or from a pick-up on an a busy day.So you think there is nothing to do “WRONG” now its time to clear out pieces that are not being use. Time to do returns, sometimes it  can be smooth but the majority of the times it’s not. Now I have to go through so many files trying to find the original  invoice .If I find it I can pack the piece up,staple the invoice to the bag, and then wait for the fashion assistant to check it to make sure it is correct . After a 45min search trying to find a non existing invoice I must create one but in the middle of that I have an urgent pick-up at Hermes that’s pressing , so I drop what I’m doing and back to the subway I go, I rush back to find out they are not using but 13 of the 25 Ripka pieces so now after I finish checking in the Hermes pieces , I have to send back half of the Ripka pieces that I picked up this morning and finish packing up the previous return I was working on before I was sent back out. A photo- graphic memory ,attention to detail , and multitasking skills are very important in this job other than tough skin. It’s 9pm. the fashion assistant asks you to put together many looks from Style.com as the other half of the room is packing for a shoot in Paris for the May issue.  Still a long night . Here comes the Market Assistant ,she tells the people packing for the shoot  that they  must separate the pieces by fabric ,and color . There is more than 30 looks. Oh yes, while you at it we can’t take certain accessories over seas ,such as snake-skin, and certain metals , so you have unpack all the accessories ,remove the pieces, and  put them on the return side of the room.So much to do so little time, its way after 11pm now and we are still here. In comes the trunks and we finally begin to pack. This is a typical life of one “Trapped in the closet “.