Anna Wintour’s former personal assistant shares what she learned working for Vogue editor-in-chief

She describes importance of writing handwritten thank you notes

Anna Wintour’s former personal assistant shares things she learned during time at Vogue (TikTok / lilystavstudio)

Anna Wintour’s former personal assistant has revealed what she learned while working for the Vogue editor-in-chief in a series of viral TikToks.

Lily Stav Gildor, a 29-year-old who goes by the username @lilystavstudio on TikTok, and who worked for Wintour from 2014 to 2015, opened up about the job and what she took away from it in a TikTok series captioned: “Lessons from the Devil Wears Prada.”

In the first video of three, Gildor, who has since opened up her own business as a textile designer, revealed that “connections are the most important thing,” but clarified that she is “not talking about nepotism”.

Rather, Gildor said she was referring to the importance of “maintaining and fostering” relationships, before urging viewers to send a “f***ing handwritten thank you note” because “people like it”.

In the second TikTok, Gildor shared a very specific piece of job-interview advice that she learned during her time working for Wintour, with the former personal assistant explaining why individuals on job interviews should avoid listing exercise as one of their “hobbies”.

“When you’re at a job interview and someone asks you what activities you do outside of work, do not say exercising, running, yoga, anything like that,” Gildor said - as she pointed out that the answer is common and uninteresting, and won’t help you stand out among the other candidates. “Almost everyone exercises, and that’s probably the least interesting thing about you.”

“Plus, you want to stand out from your competition right?” she added.

However, in the comments she did acknowledge that these hobbies are “important,” but that she is “saying that your other interests can also be revealing to interviewers”.

The third TikTok in Gildor’s series sees her discussing “outfit repeating,” which she said is not only allowed but “encouraged”.

According to Gildor, this means that, if you have “five really chic and elegant summer outfits,” you should wear them Monday through Friday for “several months, until the season is over,” as it allows you to get the most out of your clothes and means you aren’t “participating in the overconsumption cycle”.

Gildor also acknowledged that recycling outfits means that you know you always look chic, and prevents stress over trying to constantly put together new looks.

“And let me tell you a secret, everyone chic at Vogue does this,” Gildor concluded.

The TikToks, which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, have proven popular among viewers, with many thanking Gildor for the helpful insights.

“I love this, I need more,” one person commented, while another said: “Oh I was expecting dish but this was so helpful.”

People especially appreciated Gildor’s advice regarding outfit repeating, with someone else writing: “This is the best tip ever!”

“THANK YOU. I’ve been scared of doing it but thank you,” someone else added.

Others asked Gildor to share how she managed to get the covetable job, with the former assistant revealing in a follow-up video that she was hired after studying art history and fine arts at college.

However, Gildor did acknowledge that she did not get the job simply by applying on Conde Nast’s website, as she actually “knew someone who knew someone who worked in the HR department at Conde Nast”.

According to Gildor, after sending in her resume and getting an interview with the human relations department, she was then recommended for various job openings in the company.

Interestingly, Gildor said that she initially applied for four jobs at Vogue and didn’t get any of them, but that a position eventually opened up in Wintour’s office and that she was able to interview.

“And I think the timing was just right because I got the job,” Gildor said, adding that she wanted to discuss the career on TikTok because she learned “so much” from Wintour on topics ranging from fashion to business and media.

The Independent has contacted Gildor for comment.