Trendsetters at Work: Pret-a-Reporter

We caught up with senior style writer Merle Ginsberg

By Emily Popp Sep 15, 2014 10:56 PMTags
Trendsetters at Work, Merle GinsbergMara Soldinger/E! Entertainment

Merle Ginsberg is the senior style writer at The Hollywood Reporter and Pret-a-Reporter, THR's online destination for all things fashion and beauty. Curious to find out how Merle landed her super sweet gig?

We caught up with Merle, and she gave us the scoop on everything from how she got started in fashion journalism to her sage career advice—plus, find out all of Merle's favorite places to shop. 

Keep reading for Merle's inside dish!

What was your very first job?  
I had a lot of college jobs—working hotel front desks, modeling, cocktail waitress—but my first journalism job was at a cool New York weekly arts paper called Soho Weekly News. I also wrote rock criticism for the Village Voice, and was a theater critic for something called The Villager—all at once!

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Who are some of your career heroes?  
I have always been inspired by Susan Sontag—a deep philosophical thinker who analyzes contemporary culture in a high-brow but palatable way. Malcolm Gladwell has done something amazing—made pop culture crossed with great ideas into a book market. I love what he does. John Seabrook, a New Yorker writer, penned the story "Lo-Brow" about high and low cultures crossed, making both an anomaly. Kennedy Fraser was an amazing fashion critic (The New Yorker). I have also enjoyed Cathy Horyn's work at the New York Times and will miss her writing greatly. And Bridget Foley at WWD is one of the great fashion writers of all time. She makes fashion philosophic and funny. Patrick McCarthy, who hired me at W and WWD in 1992, and was editorial director there for many years, is really the major mentor of my career. I owe him a lot, and learned so much from him.

How did you land your current job?
Bill Higgins, an old friend and L.A. jour no, told me in the last summer of 2010 that Janice Min was looking for writers for the about-to-be-renovated Hollywood Reporter. Because she'd hired writers from Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times really, amazing people—I was curious. When Bill told me my name had come up in a meeting and she was curious about me, I emailed her. She wrote back right away, I had an interview the next day, and was hired two days later. The job has totally evolved since then, and continues to evolve all the time.

What's a typical workday like for you?
None are typical. Go to work at 10 am, staff meeting, then reporting, meetings, interviewing people, researching. Some days are about writing (always on a deadline) and some are about rewriting. Lots of story idea development meetings. Often I go to fashion events or meet with new designers, and people who are in from NY and Europe. I can work till 8 or I can work till 10pm—but it's rarely earlier. And I often go to screenings or work events at night or work dinners. During awards season, it's event after event after event.

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Describe your office décor. What was your inspiration?
Ha! I have a cubicle! But at least I am near our patio and see the sky. I have tons of photos and inspirational sayings on my computer and the low walls. There's way too much stuff at my cube—books, perfume bottles, toy, papers. I am not organized and work well in creative chaos. I think I have "horra vacua," or fear of empty spaces! There's always clothes and shoes and cosmetics all over my desk, too.

List five things that are on your desk right now.
1. Water bottles
2. Invitations
3. A calendar covered with scrawled appointments that I mostly can't read, but it's got a great quote from Colette on it: "Be happy. It's one way of being wise.
4. A zillion magazines and many THR's
5. 5 different lipsticks, all of them from my own purse. They make me feel more secure, for some reason. It's a femininity thing.
6. (sorry) Five different hand creams

What do you typically wear to work?
Usually, it's whatever I need to be wearing after work that counts. Skirts, tops, dresses, jackets—I am never sloppy or casual. I love clothes and they're very personal to me. Right now, I am having a white or cream moment. And I am loving mid-length and longer skirts, flared skirts with tighter tops. I like long sleeves because our office is freezing. I prefer flat shoes, as I move very quickly. I have a collection of very chic and funky flats. I love ballet flats and flat boots.

What are your favorite stores to shop for work clothes?
Barneys, Intermix, Saks, online. I also like Trina Turk, Marni, Iro, Sandro. I almost never met a store I didn't like. 

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What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
I am not sure where this came from—maybe this is just stuff I have gleaned over the years, but:

You do not have to say everything that's on your mind. Be careful what you say. Choose your words, choose your battles. Only speak when you have something important to contribute. BE YOURSELF. If you can't be yourself, you shouldn't be in the job. Speak your mind, but always be polite, open. Stand your ground, but also know when to give in and accept what you can't change. ALWAYS BE ON TIME—It's a way to have people come to trust you and take you more seriously. Dress for the job you want. Never be sloppy or too sexy at work—it looks cheap. And if you don't know something, ASK. Research. Ask people questions. That doesn't make you weaker, it makes you curious. And with writing: REWRITE, REWRITE, REWRITE.

Finish the sentence…

Today for lunch I had…edamane, tofu and avocado salad. And coconut water. For a snack, nuts.

The first website I log onto every day isThe Hollywood Reporter. No kidding.

The beauty product you can always find in my purse is…lip liner. I like the fat lip liners. And Laura Mercier concealer and Chantecaille powder. And a very good hand cream.

My must-have work gadget is…Blackberry. Yes, I'm a dinosaur. Also, iPad and iPod nano to block out noise.

My usual Starbucks order is…Grande two pump vanilla soy latte. Every. Single. Day.

If I need a quick break during work, I usually… Go down to the little store in our building and get coconut water or almonds. Or have a quick chat with a friend.

If I wasn't doing this job, I would be…Writing books. Becoming a life coach. Designing clothes. Starting a business. I'm not good at sitting still…I want to become a stand up comic, too. In my spare time.

The best part of my job is…I get to indulge my extreme curiosity every single day. And I get to be my authentic self.  A lot of people don't ever get to indulge that. I get to write funny pieces, and I love that. Writing is my favorite thing to do on the planet, and I finally believe I'm actually good at it.