Arianne Atlan, our latest Mover of the Week, is rising through the ranks at Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book, and was just named market and accessories editor. With prior stints at WSJ, Marie Claire, Dior, and others, she dishes on her most memorable moments—from her 24-hour trip to Paris for a VIP delivery to playing fit model for Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele.
Where are you from, and how did you land in the NYC fashion/media scene?
I’m from Los Angeles, and I went to journalism school in Boston. Immediately after graduation, I drove down to New York City in a U-Haul with my college roommate. I knew I wanted to work in fashion, so upon arrival in NYC, I reached out to everyone I previously interned with. A close mentor from my very first internship at Elle opened the first doors for me.
What was your first taste of the fashion world?
Growing up, my whole family worked in fashion—my father in jean production, my mother in retail/buying, and my uncle in private label knitwear. I was always either in a factory or in a showroom as a kid, and I loved it.
You have experience at A.P.C.—is photography something you’re still pursuing?
I think every person in high school and college dabbles in photography, but unfortunately, A.P.C. is as far as my experience goes. My cameras haven’t seen the light of day, except at family gatherings. At A.P.C. I was helping out the photo department with look book shoots and still life shoots—never once behind the camera!
What were some of your responsibilities at WSJ?
At WSJ, I was doing the traditional fashion assistant duties—planning fashion month, sending out sample requests, logistics/sample traffic, packing trunks, etc. It was an extremely valuable experience and very hands on! A highlight was working on set with Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele and Carolyn Murphy. As she began planning looks, Carlyne used me as her fit model and had me try on what she was planning on putting on Carolyn. I wasn’t wearing the most flattering underwear that day…
You also worked at Dior and Marie Claire.
I was a PR assistant working on Dior Homme, fine jewelry, and VIP dressing accounts. I really valued what it was like to be on the other side of the industry. The amount of emails, phone calls, and logistics that go into confirming a sample for a magazine or VIP is unbelievable! At Marie Claire I worked for Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano, the market director at the time. Primarily, I worked on sample requests and fashion week planning—seems simple enough, but there was of course a lot more to it.
Now you’re at CR Fashion Book, and have just been promoted to market/accessories editor. What does that entail?
I’ve been working with the U.S. and British markets, but this season will be the first time I travel for London Fashion Week! I’m excited to finally meet press teams and designers that I’ve been working with for some time now. I’ve also done a little styling for online stories, and with a few successes under my belt, I’m eager to creatively contribute and style more fashion editorials for CRFashionBook.com. Overall I look forward to continuing to build relationships in my markets and with new or young designers.
What’s it like working with Carine?
Carine is an incredible person to work for. She is funny and charismatic, while being a great force and creative mind. I know that all my efforts go toward an incredible vision, and that makes it all worth it.
How often do you speak French in the office?
Not as often as you’d think! But I try to sneak it in here and there when there are French speakers around.
What’s an unknown perk of working there?
We are a very small team, so there is a lot of opportunity to dabble in things you wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to do at a different publication. I’ve been able to participate in production, work closely with outside stylists to execute their vision while keeping the CR atheistic, and overall, get to participate in every aspect of how a magazine is put together. Also, because of the talent associated with this publication, I’ve been able to work with many designers to create custom pieces for our shoots—the process is always quite remarkable, with some working through the night to make magic happen!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve been tasked with?
When I was at Dior, the atelier in Paris was working on a custom couture gown for a big event in NYC for a very lucky VIP. It took them a bit longer than anticipated to work on the piece, but it needed to be in NYC for that VIP’s fitting by Friday afternoon. Dior couldn’t wait or trust a regular courier to transport the gown, so when I walked into the office that Wednesday morning, I was immediately sent back home to gather a few toiletries and my passport and I was placed on a roundtrip flight to Paris. It was a total whirlwind! But I did get to visit the legendary couture atelier and see Raf Simons in action during a fitting, an experience I’ll never forget.
What are you currently working on?
We just wrapped issue 9, our September issue! It’s a very exciting issue—can’t wait for it to be out!
