Appointments With PRs

Rails at the PR, all set up ready for appointments.

If you prefer to see and select actual garments from a PR, you will need to make an appointment with the relevant PR to pull the items of clothing. If your job is for a fashion editorial and the magazine is new, always bring a copy of the magazine along to the appointment so that the PR can see the magazine, who its advertisers are, what the articles are about and gauge its general style and feel. Don’t forget to take a copy of your commissioning letter from the magazine’s editor.

Go to the appointment knowing in advance which items you want. Don’t select dozens of pieces – if it’s a small shoot, choose a limited selection of pieces, then do the same at the next PR appointment. If you have explained to the PR that the shoot is a big one, then pull as much as seems fit.

The PR agent will set up a rail for you. Once you have gone through all the samples you are allowed to choose from, edit your rail. When this is done you will need to fill out a form about the shoot: its story, where the samples should be sent and delivery time, when the shoot is, when the samples will be returned and your contact details.

You will then be on your way to the next appointment. Plan your appointments carefully so that you allow plenty of time to pull in all the clothes you need for a shoot, and consider the PRs’ locations relative to each other – it is not physically possible to go to one appointment, choose all your looks, then get across town by underground or bus to the next in 30 minutes.