MEET AN INTERN: ANNE SUN

Anne Sun originally thought she was better suited for power walking on Wall Street than climbing stepladders in W’s fashion closet, but in the end the allure of those Manolo four-inchers was unrelenting. Say hello to the 21-year-old economics major at the University of Virginia.

Don’t you look nice My motto is “If you’re going to look like you’re never getting out of bed, then don’t get out of bed”—as spoken by the great Tim Gunn, of course. Today I’m wearing a Zara top layered over an American Apparel skirt, and then—for the kill—Manolo stilettos.

From there to here I was born in China and moved to Missouri when I was four, and then to Iowa. I call myself a late bloomer to the field of fashion—I hated shopping when I was younger, but sophomore year in high school changed everything. My best friend brought a copy of Teen Vogue to physics class, and I was instantly fascinated with flipping through the pages and discovering all these new designers.

A change of heart I thought the fashion obsession would be transient, but then I realized how the industry is constantly renewing itself—it’s never boring. This internship is so different from my first, which was in the finance department at Barclays. People there would ask me to draw up charts and pivot tables—and I had no idea what they were talking about! At W, things are much more intuitive. When editors ask me to pull a Sergio Rossi or a Louboutin, I know exactly what they’re talking about.

In a day’s work I make sure everything that was borrowed from designers or PR firms for photo shoots gets back to them. If there’s a shoot going on, I help pull various accessories for the editors or run to showrooms to pick up items and then drop them off at the set. That’s always fun, because I can catch a glimpse of the sets, and maybe even the models! Definitely beats sitting at a desk all day.

Current inspirations This is my first time living in New York City. I get so much inspiration just from wandering around New York and discovering all the hidden treasures, like small boutiques and coffee shops—and I especially love making the trek up to Central Park.

All that drive and somewhere to go Last year, I attended a Parsons program called Fashion Campus NYC and was introduced to the public relations and buying side of fashion. That’s what I would love to do – either be an assistant buyer for a big department store or segue into fashion PR.

Photo: Jeanine Celeste Pang