*INTERN at THAKOON

Lee Anderson, Intern at Thakoon
There are certain things you can expect when interning at a fashion house. You will be surrounded by fabric, buttons, scissors, and all other necessary tools of the trade. Clothes will be scattered everywhere in various states of completion, and you will be called upon to help sew, press, fit, and tweak them until they reach a finished state. You will be asked to run pieces back and forth to factories, pack them into garment bags for shoots, and sort through them when they are returned. (Word to the wise: Wear flats!)
Something you might not expect, however: being summoned to try those clothes on for the editor in chief of Vogue. "It was one of the most nerve–racking experiences," says Parsons junior Lee Anderson, 21, who, just three months into her internship at Thakoon last year, found herself being zipped into a floor–length gown and presented to Anna Wintour herself. "She had come in to preview the spring collection a few days before the runway show," says Lee. "And she wanted to see the clothes on a body. I was running around pinning things behind the showroom wall when I heard Thakoon mention my name."
Lesson number one: Always be ready for a fashion emergency! "It's a small company, so anything and everything can come my way," says Lee. "There was one season where I had to bead an entire skirt by hand with Swarovski crystals. I really get to work directly with Thakoon."
One–on–one time with the boss might seem like a given, but more often than not it's the furthest thing from it. At some of the bigger houses, the design teams are so large that interns never even meet the person whose name appears on the label they're working for. "I like to be able to offer an apprenticeship,sort of the way designers worked back in the day," says Thakoon of his unique approach. "When you have one person you work closely with, you can give them a lot more because they understand your vision from the beginning."
And as an aspiring designer herself, seeing how a collection comes together—"from research to concept to runway show," says Lee—is her favorite part. "I'm still trying to figure out my own process, so it's been amazing to watch someone else go through that, and get to be a part of it."—JANE KELTNER