To make it in the fashion industry, you have to have a thick skin — a really thick skin, or so I’ve been told. If you’ve ever seen the “Devil Wears Prada,” you get where I’m coming from. For many, this job description of being under constant stress and responsibility is not their cup of tea. But one Texas Tech alumna is taking the heat, and it seems to be paying off.
Meet Ellie Gilchrist, the stylish Texan who is now a New Yorker.
Photos taken by Gilchrist during NYFW.
Ellie Gilchrist was an apparel design major at Texas Tech and now she works for Thakoon as the design intern. She’s also worked at Harper’s Bazzaar (she really has lived every fashion lover’s dream, but Gilchrist will tell you she’s always known this would be the path she would take.)
Gilchrist is a part of the Malouf heritage and she said she would definitely say that her passion for the fashion industry started there.
“My ancestors were ancient Phoenician sea merchants. Most of my family are entrepreneurs,” she said. “It was inevitable for me to be in a creative and crafty field. My aunts, uncles, parents, and grandfathers have all been encouraging and supportive of my designing dreams. Since I was a little girl, I’d visit my grandfather’s clothing store and marvel at all of the designer labels, dreaming of the day I’d design my own.”
Gilchrist said she is proud to be a Tech alumna. She said after living in New York and having friends who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons, she has found that Tech has a quality program in comparison to the the top fashion schools in New York.
So how did this fashionista get to Thakoon? Glichrist said it was not an overnight process. She said her interest in the designer started at a young age. Gilchrist said Thakoon has been one of her favorite designers since 2006. In high school she said she attended the Fashion U event by Teen Vogue and had a chance to hear the designer speak at that event. Gilchrist said she loves that Thankoon also worked at Harper’s Bazaar before becoming a designer.
Gilchrist said she would describe New York Fashion Week as eccentric, bold and expensive. She said she truly loves everything about the fashionable week. Gilchrist said NYFW is exhausting, which is what she would consider the only downside. She said her favorite things are people watching and trend spotting.
Photos taken by Gilchrist during NYFW.
Photos taken by Gilchrist during NYFW.
Lindsay Viola-Vu, a senior design and manufacturing major, is not a stranger to NYFW either. Viola-Vu has attended the designer-infused week for two years now, and she said there is nothing like it. Viola-Vu has also interned in New York for Yigal Azrouël, and she said she enjoyed her time there and learned a lot. Viola-Vu said a typical day in the fashion world is never the same, and Gilchrist said she would also attest to that.
“There is no such thing as a typical day in New York City,” Gilchrist said. “What we might consider typical is far from normal. Work wise, I come into the office between 9:30 and 10 a.m. There’s always something happening, whether it is an immediate sample pick-up in the Garment District or cutting a new pattern to be sewn for a model fitting. After Fashion Week, design slows down as we wind down from the previous season and begin inspiration and vision for the next season.”
This year, Gilchrist said she worked three shows. She said she worked a menswear presentation for Timo Weiland, she worked the Thakoon show, and finally the women’s runway show for Timo Weiland. She said she enjoyed them equally because of the different locations and varied aesthetics. She said she loved being a part of those shows because she got amazing experience.
Photos taken by Gilchrist during NYFW.
Speaking of experiences, Gilchrist said she’s also worked Paris Fashion Week when she studied there in 2011. She said she would go again in a heartbeat, but she is also interested in London Fashion Week and Australia Fashion Week.
Before NYFW went off with a bang, E! News came into Thakoon’s studio to get a behind the scenes look at his collection before it hit the runway, and guess who was in the background? Ellie Gilchrist of course. Gilchrist said it’s funny because she hasn’t even seen the clip yet (And no wonder, I can’t even find it online. I had to watch it while it was live.)
Gilchrist said she definitely misses the ease of life in West Texas, but she loves New York. She said she simply can’t get over the pace, the scene, the energy, and the diversity of the city. Gilchrist said she discovers something new every day.
Gilchrist said if she could give anyone advice for this industry she said they should start interning immediately in a big city. She said students can start interning their freshman year they should definitely take advantage of it. She said she would also encourage students to travel abroad and travel somewhere or get an internship that stretches their boundaries.
“Go somewhere that you might never envision yourself going and seek new experiences,” Gilchrist said. “There is so much this world has to offer and it’s very easy to access if you apply yourself. If any Red Raider needs someone to call in New York City, I’m your girl.”
About Lauren Estlinbaum
