"Teenage kicks, so hard to beat..."

Bonjour mes amies, hope you all had an amazing weekend. On Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the Teen Vogue Handbook UK Launch party, held at the Marc Jacobs store in London, with my two friends Barbara and Maya. To say it was 'interesting' would be an understatement.

I have never in my life been surrounded by so many giraffe tall, skeleton thin, stunningly beautiful, bitchy, conceited, arrogant, and though I hate to admit it, impeccably well dressed people. I have a strange sense of humour, I laugh at inappropriate moments and find things funny that most people really don't. Some bits were comical beyond belief; rail-thin models stuffing their faces with cupcakes (hmmm, that's all i'm going to say on that matter), people in sunglasses posing for the cameras like they were god's greatest gift to mankind...even after the cameras went down, and my personal favourite funny moment of the night, when designer Henry Holland, Teen Vogue editor Amy Astley and Pixie Geldof got sectioned off with chairs from the rest of the party in their important 'VIP' area for..3 people.

I'm the person least likely to be starstruck or impressed by 'celebrity' which just made it even funnier that they were separated from the rest of us 'commoners'. And if anyone has ever been to the London Marc by Marc Jacobs store (you should go it is incredibly cheap...seriously, like Topshop cheap) you will know that there is LITERALLY not enough room to swing a cat. People were packed like sardines into the narrow space, you could barely breathe (we had to leave several times just to get oxygen) so whatever bright spark thought a VIP area was a good idea deserves some sort of comedy award.

I'm sure it wasn't Pixie, Amy and Henry's idea (though who knows? it might have been...) and that they are probably really nice people, it just really made me laugh. So did all the people butt-kissing (I have a BS detector like you would not believe) Amy and Henry (once they were out of the VIP area). It seemed like people were only interested in talking to you if you could help them and if you couldn't you weren't worth their time. Don't get me wrong, I was incredibly grateful for the invite and did have a really good time; in many ways it didn't live up to some of my expectations, and in many ways it lived exactly up to all my expectations. Plus we got goody bags, so it wasn't all bad (copy of the latest Teen Vogue issue, sweets, finger puppet, nail polish, Marc Jacobs Umbrella).

I'm not at all surprised, don't get me wrong darlings. I'm not naive, I knew the fashion industry was like that but hearing about something and experiencing it first hand are two very different things. As I have been doing a lot recently, it made me question once again as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, whether this is the industry for me. Or whether I should just stick to normal print journalism. In the Teen Vogue Handbook (which is AMAZING for anyone who wants to break into the industry - I 100% recommend it) the wise legend that is Karl Lagerfeld made a point that has stuck with me for quite some time now and I keep asking myself, "Are you sure this world is for you? And are you sure you are the right person to survive in the world of fashion - a world with no rules, no laws? Answer that question honestly for yourself. Are you ready to accept injustice?".

Am I?

My morals and principles are incredibly important to me and I absolutely hate injustice, and cannot bear to sit back and say nothing. Whilst I still have a little while to think about it, it is something I definitely have to bear in mind. I love this industry with all my heart, it's what I think about from the second I wake to the moment I sleep, but there is a down side to it that I really, really do not like. But then again, I'm fully aware that it's the same with whatever industry you go into. There is pretention, injustice, and a whole lot of nepotism (doors opening just because of your family name) amongst writers, artists, musicians, business people, actors...; you just have to pick what you see as the lesser of the evils. If I have to put up with all of that, at least if I go into fashion i''ll put up with it whilst wearing gorgeous clothes.

I do know that I'm not a defeatist. I'm stubborn, ambitious and driven; I don't give up and I don't care what anyone thinks.If I don't go into fashion it's because it's not for me, not because other people have intimidated me into giving up my dream. In many ways, people's snobbish attitudes at the party only make me want to succeed more, prove them wrong and make them want to know me. I always remember Tom Ford went from barely noticeable assistant to fashion God without losing himself, or forgetting how rude the people who now worship him were, and I want to do the same. In many ways i'm determined to make the same people who looked down their noses at me be begging to be my best friend in a few years time.

On second thoughts darlings, maybe I am strong enough to survive in this industry after all.

Whatever industry you work in, what are your work horror stories darlings? Have any of you had encounters with scary 'fashion types'? I'm particularly interested to hear from those who currently work in the fashion industry - is it as bad as it seems or does the good outweigh it?

Have an immense week mes chéries,

English Rose x