Everyone's had some sort of camping experience in their time. Be it a school camp, Brownie camp or just a weekend at a festival, we've all been there. Tents, bbq's and mud- right? Lovely.
Well, though I may not strike you as a massively outdoorsy person (because I am, quite frankly the opposite) even I have been to a camp. Two, at that! One was a P7 school trip to Lagganlia- a bit of a cheat given that we stayed in dorms- where we spent a week doing a multitude of "fun" activities like mountain biking and archery (I got a special badge for "effort"in archery, I write that off as pity...). The other was a Brownie camp which I remember very little about- but I presume it wasn't exactly a defining moment of my childhood!
Instead, I spent summers doing what me and the rest of the Wallaces do best- eating, sleeping and shopping. We just vary the location. However, I have recently become aware- via the Grazia website- of the latest trend in the crazy US world of summer camps (fat camp, anyone?). While we may have the phenomenon of "glamping" (sorry, the addition of cushions and hair straighteners is not going to make me put up with more than one night in a tent!), the Americans have taken it up a notch with the New York based 'Fashion Camp NYC'.
Are you between 14 and 18 and have a "passion for fashion"? Well Fashion Camp NYC is the place for you! You really could not make this stuff up... The website details the camp as:
Right, so i'm a little bit jealous. The only summer camps i've heard of over here are PGL and the lark- nothing even remotely fashionable! But still, these days while our fashion icons are getting younger and younger (Haillee Steinfeld- case in point.) and pre-teens are suddenly able to have such an impact on the industry (Tavi Gevinson- looking at you!), is it really fair to pump them up with even more knowledge on how to get their Louboutin-clad foot in the viciously competitive fashion door?
I guess it's not a world of difference from my upcoming Fashion Journalism studies at LCF (did I mention I met my conditions?... no biggy!) Both my course and the "fashion camp" offer an insight into the fashion world- though, given that the latter is five days compared to my three years, I hope mine is a little more in depth! They are basically just variations of fashion education, but the big difference is that i'm 17 and have had to put in a lot of work to secure my place. It's not just a case of my parents forking out $1200 and packing me off to New York for a few days to get lectured by someone from Marc Jacobs or take day trips to Macy's! Can you detect a hint of the green eyed monster?... I think i'll stop my rant here.
Still, what seems to be concerning most of the journalists who have written about this little craze is that these girls and boys will be headed straight for their jobs- and what fashion lover can handle competition from someone younger/prettier/skinnier? Er... certainly not me! Stick to PGL, kids. Fashion is just too good for children, okay?
(This article in the NY Times is fantastic- definitely worth a read!)
