Grace Coddington's Former Assistants Tell All

last updated 11 August 2016

Grace Coddington is one of fashion's greatest luminaries. She's won the industry over with creative vision and spellbinding work on Vogue editorials, her charming memoir, and, of course, her signature red mane. So what's it like to work with such a fashion powerhouse? Well, Teen Vogue turned to the people who would know the answer best: her former assistants.

For its September issue, Teen Vogue interviewed five of her former assistants about their experiences working under Coddington. The ladies started from the beginning, describing how they first landed the coveted gig and their nerve-wracking first days. They went on to reveal the major things they learned from her. "You taught me how to fight, you taught me how to tell a story, you taught me the importance of a good laugh," one assistant said. "I enjoyed every minute I got to stand next to you." Another one said that Coddington taught her to "value the people who are interesting beyond the noise."

Watch Teen Vogue's video below to learn what it's really like to work for Grace Coddington, according to her former assistants!

What's the most valuable thing you've learned from your own mentor? Tell us in the comments below, and to learn more about Coddington, buy Grace: A Memoir on Amazon!

Opening Image: Getty Images

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Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.