Emily Weiss is not your average UW Madison student. She goes from strutting to class at UW with the hottest fashion to strutting the streets of NYC as an intern for one of the best department stores last summer and a fashion magazine this summer. Her infectious personality and hard work mentality makes her a quadruple threat: smart, fashionable, funny, and driven.
Name: Emily Weiss
Year: Sophomore
Major: Journalism – Strategic Communications
Hometown: Livingston, New Jersey
Involvement on Campus: Clothing chair for Sigma Delta Tau
How was your internship with Bergdorf Goodman?
Last summer I interned for Bergdorf Goodman’s PR Department. My first day there I got to sit in on a luncheon with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen from The Row with guests such as former Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley and Lynn Yaeger. During my time there, I mostly assisted in organizing Bergdorf’s annual Holiday merchandise preview called “Holiday in July.” This is where top magazines and publications are invited to preview holiday merchandise for their gift guides as magazines work 6 months in advance. I also assisted in editorial pulls with style editors for upcoming fashion shoots. Each morning I walked into the offices on 58th and Madison and I was more astonished than the next. Very casual that the same Chanel coat that Cara Delevigne wore in the AW 2014 runway show hung outside my cubicle… Not! It was an experience of a lifetime to work with such a gifted PR team and I learned so much about the industry I desire to be apart of.
Tell me a little about with your internship with ELLE Magazine this upcoming summer.
This upcoming summer I will be interning for ELLE Magazine as part of their publishing internship. I am very excited to be part of ELLE’s team as I have always been an avid fashion magazine reader. I believe some of my responsibilities include attending weekly sales and marketing meetings, assisting with advertorial photo shoots and coordinating events including their 30th anniversary.
Why did you want to intern for Elle and what are you most looking forward to?
I pursued an internship at ELLE to help diversify my resume. After last summer’s experience with in-house PR, I wanted to try another facet of the industry. Although, I do know that I want to work in Fashion PR, I did not want to limit myself to one category. I wanted to try them all while I still have the chance. I think I am most looking forward to working with the ingenious ELLE staff and really learning the business side of fashion.
I know you have a great sense of style, when did you start getting interested in fashion?
I realized at a young age that although I wanted to be the next Diane Von Furstenburg, I could not sew or even draw for the life of me. I decided to take my creativity in a new direction, which led me to fashion. I have always been into fashion for as long as I can remember. In fact, I went to Paris Fashion Week in 2007, which turned a hobby into a passion. Fashion is large part of my life and has been for a quite some time now.
What is your favorite item of clothing or accessory that you own?
My favorite accessory I own is my Helmut Lang Asymmetrical Leather Jacket. From Fall to Spring, I do not take that jacket off. Whether I’m going out for the night or for a stroll in the park, it is an essential in my wardrobe.
Who is your style inspiration?
My style inspiration is Olivia Palermo. I know it is a bit cliché, but her style can only be described as polished. Her style sensibility screams New York City and is always evolving with the newest trends.
How would you describe your style?
I think my style is bit all over the place. Some days I’m feeling very uptown chic with a broderie anglaise dress and fedora or other days I pretend I’m a Sex Pistol’s groupie in London in the 1980s in leather pants. However, each day I try to push the boundaries of conventional and emulate what’s happening in high fashion.
What is your dream job?
I would say my dream job is anything in Fashion PR. Whether that may be doing in-house PR for a designer or at a magazine or a PR agency, all I know is that it must be fashion related.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
What first comes to mind is winning the superlative “best dressed” in my high school. Yes, I still brag about it. In all seriousness, being accepted in the J-School as a freshman would have to be my greatest accomplishment.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years I see myself working in Fashion PR and living in New York City. Born and raised on the East Coast, I feel that Manhattan is the only city for me. With that mind, I also see myself using my shower as a clothing rack and the kitchen cabinets to store my shoes!
How do you feeling about being Campus Celebrity?
I am excited and honored to be Campus Celebrity. I am grateful to be recognized as someone who has good style and to share that with people. I love Her Campus and it really comes as a great surprise.
There is no doubt that Emily is one of the most fabulous people I know. Get her autograph now ladies and gents, this chick is going places.