The only thing that’s more intimidating than a meeting with Anna
Wintour is a job interview with her. Even among staff members whom she
likes working with, the editor-in-chief of Vogue is notorious for
giving employees’ outfits a knowing once-over. So what happens when you
not only need to dress up (it’s an interview, after all), but also must
choose a look that convinces her you’re Vogue material? That’s
what we asked dozens of people who’ve been through the ringer in the
past few decades. Our thirteen favorite responses, full of Prada and
plenty of subpar handbags hidden under desks, are below.
1. The Woman Who Spent More Than $5,000.They surprised me
with scheduling my interview the very next day. Not having worked in
fashion, I didn't have anything nicer than J.Crew. So, after work, I
went to Barneys because it was the only store open until eight and I
could bang it out. I also found a nail salon nearby open until nine, and
got a blowout the next morning. I bought a silk Proenza tank dress,
Prada heels, and a Celine belt. It was like a supermarket sweep, and I
spent about $2,000. I didn't have a new bag, but then the receptionist
held my (now downmarket) Marc by Marc bag anyway. They made me come in
for another interview, which threw me. I started to really get into it
and money stopped becoming a problem. I got a shift dress at Prada from
the spring collection and then they sold me the blue patent shoes, and
it all looked so good. The dress needed tailoring, but it was going to
take a week and I needed it in a couple of days, so I name-dropped and
they did it fast. The dress actually was on sale but still more than I
ever paid for everything. I think that purchase must have been $3,500.
Got the job.
2. The Woman Who Was Told Not to CryI
didn’t spend much money at all, as I have a stash of vintage finds. I
wore a vintage, linen apricot dress with gold buttons and gold peep-toe
heels. I borrowed my friend’s Prada clutch to match, and wore some
jewelry from David Yurman, where my friend is a designer. Before the
interview, the managing editor asked if I’d ever cried on a job (I
hadn’t), because she and Anna “hated going into bathroom and fashion
closets and hearing girls sniffle and cry over the 'little things' that
go on throughout the day.”
When Anna opened my portfolio and saw my address, she said, "Ah,
okay. So you live in BROOK-lyn, huh?" She seemed put off by that, and
also asked what my parents did for a living. When I said that they used
to be teachers, she was not impressed.
No dice.
3. The Woman Who Went Back — Three TimesConsidering it
was, I believe, 1989, I'm guessing the ensemble probably involved a
teeny Betsey Johnson skirt, opaque black Donna Karan tights, and …cow
booties! I'm sure she shuddered. When I got rehired there the second
time, I was a bit savvier. I remember a simple black Calvin Klein
sheath. And when I was interviewing for my third time back (glutton for
punishment), I went to see a friend who was a personal shopper at
Bergdorf for a full wardrobe!
Got three different jobs.
4. The Woman Who Wore Doc MartensI didn't know I was going
to be interviewing with Anna that day, but even if I had known, I don't
think I would have chosen my outfit any differently. I was just
clueless enough to be unintimidated by the whole Vogue thing.
(And it was a features assistant job, not a fashion job.) I just wore
my favorite outfit from my post-college wardrobe: a dark gray Anna Sui
pleated skirt, black cardigan, black tights, and Doc Martens. This was
1993, what can I say?
Got the job.
5. The ManI got an e-mail on Thursday about meeting with
Anna on Monday. As soon as I hung up, I just went into preparation mode,
poring over every section of all the major international newspapers. I
scheduled a haircut for the following day. As for what I wore, I kept it
simple: a light gray Thom Browne suit, a white dress shirt with the top
button left unbuttoned, glossy dark brown leather Church's dress shoes
polished the day before (worn without socks, of course). The only
flourish was a white linen pocket square and a very simple Valextra
brief case. Before talking about the position, we talked about current
events and then tennis (I've been playing sporadically since being on my
high' school's team), which broke any ice. It wasn't scary. She was
really lovely, in fact.
Got the job.
6. The Woman Who Bought $1,000 ShoesI got a call about my
interview in the evening around 5 p.m. on a Monday night. “Can you meet
with Anna tomorrow at two?” I agreed, hung up the phone, and ran to my
closet. Nothing. I called a stylist friend, freaking out, who said,
"Calm down, she is a professional, she interviews people all the time.
Stop making such a big deal about it," before adding, "but whatever you
do, don't wear last season's anything." I had time to go to Soho for a
pair of shoes and was waiting outside when Kirna Zabete opened. Somehow I
decided that my best option was a pair of Proenza open-toed, stacked
heels, despite the rain. I justified the $1K price tag and ran back home
to get dressed. I paired them with 3.1 Philip Lim high-waisted, silk
pants and a black Celine tote I borrowed from my stylist friend, with a
belted coat by Apiece Apart. Everything else I kept super simple: little
to no makeup, straight brushed hair, and a wedding ring. By God, no
fragrance.
Got the job.
7. The Woman With a MohawkThis was almost ten years ago,
back when Anna Wintour didn’t have to interview everyone applying for a
job on staff. I was in the art department, and I tried to push the limit
a little by wearing neck ties as belts or going so far as to actually
shave my hair into a mohawk. That never got more out of Anna than a look
and a smirk.
Got the job.
8. The Woman Who Didn’t Know Enough to Be NervousIt was
1996. I wore some kind of black wool shift/schoolgirl dress (I want to
say it was J.Crew or similar) over a white button-down buttoned all the
way up and these cheetah-print YSL shoes that I thought were the best
thing ever and I still have even though they have bald spots and don't
really fit. I did not know enough to be worried that the look was
probably not so great. I thought $300 for the shoes was pretty insane at
the time and I definitely did not have Prada, Celine, or even Marc by
Marc Jacobs.
Got the job.
9. The Woman Who Was Told to Get a BlowoutAnna was my ninth and final interview at Vogue.
I luckily borrowed a friend's forest green Helmut Lang dress, which I
wore with black tights from Alter and black Dolce Vita wedges. It was
recommended by a Vogue staffer that I get a blowout for the
meeting, and, reluctantly, I paid $30 to have my hair blow-dried for the
first time ever at a Polish place in Greenpoint. Anna was to the point
and all business, and the entire interview lasted under five minutes.
Got the job.
10. The Woman Who Had No MoneyHR called me and I had one
day to prep. First was the interview with HR, who then rushed me down to
meet with Virginia [Smith], then Jessica [Sailer], and then Meredith
[Melling-Burke] one after the other. The next day, HR called and said
they wanted me to come in again and meet with Anna. So I have one day to
prep before my interview with Anna. I was never someone who agonized
over outfits and I didn't buy anything for it. I was literally right out
of college, so I had no money. I didn't realize people borrowed
clothes; I didn't know that was a thing. I wore a J.Crew gold sequin
skirt, Mulberry doctor bag, and white silk Equipment blouse buttoned up
all the way to the top with a Robert Rodriguez blazer over it. My black
heels must have been Zara or Dolce Vita because, like I said, no
money. I quickly realized I would never wear anything like that again at
Vogue, once I saw everyone was actually wearing clothes off the runway.
I think I spent about three hours doing my hair. I ended up sleeking
it back with a high pony at the crown of my head so I couldn't fidget
with it. I couldn't twirl my hair in front of Anna.
Got the job.
11. The Woman Who Asked Anna to WaitDuring my final weeks before graduating from college, I got a phone call from a Vogue
editor offering an opportunity to interview for a position. In my
thesis-writing delirium, I thought it was some kind of dream or hoax. I
asked if they could wait till after graduation, and they said they
would. Right after my graduation ceremony, I took a red-eye flight to
begin preliminary interviews. After meeting with four different
people, I met AW wearing a black crepe wool Balenciaga dress from the
latest collection (all of my graduation money combined put a slight dent
in its purchase, but I don't regret it as it's a favorite in my
closet), a white dress shirt underneath with a crisp collar and cuffs, a
simple-but-interesting pave pendulum necklace, and black Prada banana
heels that were all the rage at the time.
Got the job.
12. The Woman Who Went VintageSo I was maybe 21, at my
first job out of college, when I interviewed with her. At that time, I
had no money and figured if I wasn't wearing high-end designer, I would
do vintage. So I wore a very classic outfit with a vintage winter white
pencil skirt, and a blouse that I don't remember. I had new accessories,
like designer boots and a bag by Marc Jacobs. Vintage coat. I didn’t
end up getting the job, but it was last minute anyway and they had
someone in mind already.
No dice.
13. The Woman Who Wore the Vogue UniformI was a rover at Condé Nast at the time — it was early days at Vogue
when black leggings, a Brooks Brothers boys department button-down, and
a sweater wrapped around your waist was an adopted uniform on the
editorial side. I wore a black pleated Agnes B. skirt, a black V-neck
sweater from Charivari, black tights, and black pointy but squared-off
Barneys loafers. Because I was already at 350 Madison that day, I left
my black, pleather Ann Taylor tote bag under my desk.
Got the job.
