Two Minutes with Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

© Bethan Holt

At London Fashion Weekend, our Editor Shaun Mooney had a chat with Bethan Holt, ‘Fashion Junior at Large’ of Grazia editor Melanie Rickey’s Fashion Editor at Large blog. She gave him some tips on cracking the notoriously tough world of fashion journalism.

So how did she do it? Securing a great role with a Grazia editor straight out of university is certainly no mean feat. According to Bethan, Twitter has a lot to thank for. As a complete fashion junkie, Bethan made sure she was following editors and journalists for tips and contacts. And sure enough, when she replied to a tweet from Melanie Rickey about an internship, she found herself on the first step of what is sure to be a great career.

Here are Bethan’s top tips for repeating her success:

1)      Read the greats. A true craft can only be learnt at a craftman’s knee, so make sure you’re reading the writing of editors whose footsteps you aspire to follow in. Bethan suggests Lisa Armstrong (The Telegraph), Suzy Menkes (International Herald Tribune) and Jess Cartner-Morley (The Guardian) as a good starting point.

2)      Apply for internships. Email the people you want to work with directly and show some imagination – and knowledge.

3)      Exploit your contacts. If your cousin’s boyfriend’s sister’s old babysitter works in the cafeteria at Vogue, get her number! Fashion is all about contacts so start as you mean to go on.

4)      Use social media. We have more access to the great and good of this world than ever before. Don’t hound your idols, but by keeping active on Twitter you may attract some good attention.

Shaun managed to hold on to Bethan long enough to get a few of her LFW faves. She told us to expect an Eastern influence for next season, with Mandarin collars and embroidered Cheomsang dresses much in evidence. Checks and tartan also made their seasonal entrance, particularly in Corrie Nielsen’s collection – unsurprising considering her background with Vivienne Westwood, but a lot more down-to-earth wearability-wise. I was most excited to hear that fur is still going strong for the winter, so don’t kiss a sad farewell to your (fake) leopard just yet. Bethan also commented that LFW showed a lot of amazing coats, so we can expect to be stylish AND snug this winter – hooray!

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Thank you Bethan for giving us an insider’s view…we’ll be watching you with great interest. Follow Bethan on Twitter to get more great insights, or read her daily updates on Fashion Editor at Large. She recently wrote a great piece about how to get a job in fashion, so go read it in her own words. Peace out.