
SeenON!: We hear you’re in France. Are doing anything exciting?
Devin: Actually, I’m not in France…I’m studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I was in Paris, London, and Stockholm for fall break. I have also visited Capri, Sorrento, Napoli, Roma, Milano, Pisa, Mykonos, Athens, Munich, Dublin, Glasgow, and Madrid. I’m taking the History of Italian Fashion and am really enjoying it.
SO!: Was your experience on the show everything you thought it would be going into it?
D: My experience on the show was nothing at all similar to what I had expected it would be going on to the show. Since it was a show about getting a “job” and displaying editorial skills, I had expected it to be more along the lines of a love child between The Apprentice and Project Runway.
SO!: How do you feel about your elimination?
D: I felt really good about my elimination. I felt ready to leave. I felt by that point, I got what I wanted out of the experience and I was happy to have stopped then. The reason why I was eliminated also made complete sense to me. I should have been more vocal in my group.
SO!: What Was The Hardest Challenge For You? Why?
D: Each challenge was hard in a different way. I HATED the very first assistant challenge…getting Anne her breakfast. I don’t cook. It just wasn’t fun to run across the city in heels, a hat and a party dress. Haha.
SO!: Who was your favorite team to work with?
D: I absolutely adored the team I worked with on the challenge I got eliminated. Johanna, Dyshaun, and William are all truly lovely, truly talented and truly great people to be around.
SO!: We See Megan Giving You a Lot of Flack on The Show. First Calling You “Hat Girl” Then Announcing You Should Go Home Because Of Your Age and Experience. Was That Hard For You?
D: This situation is absolutely hilarious. Calling me “hat girl” didn’t bother me at all. I like hats and I like wearing them…if that makes me a “hat girl” then so what? I suppose I could have been called worse things on the show like “the bitch” or the “bimbo.” I did find it interesting that she was immediately rude to me with in the first 30 seconds of meeting me. Her defensiveness and instant rudeness was a certain sign of insecurity…therefore I didn’t read into it or let it effect me that much. However, if I wasn’t on national television I probably wouldn’t have been so neutral in my reactions towards her.
Yes, I was the youngest. No, I didn’t have the least experience. There is no denying that I was the youngest on the show (but only by ONE year… if that difference even counts). However, the assumption that I had the least experience was absolutely asinine. I worked for fashion designers, for Mood Fabrics, as an editorial and marketing assistant for Store Adore, Inc., was the Editor-In-Chief of NYU’s newsletter, and started a fashion magazine, NYChic…and I did all of this in under two years of my young life.
I am not going to speak badly about my other cast members…but there were SEVERAL of them who had far less experience than I…and if the age thing is such an issue…then lack of time shouldn’t have been a factor in their lack of experience…their lack of dedication is the catalyst for their lack of experience. With my resume, for the age of 19, lack of dedication surly was not my problem…and if I am capable of accomplishing all of the above from the ages 18-19…then there is no saying what else I am capable of…but then again, if I stand up for myself and justify myself like I just did…then I am considered and called the 19-year-old with an attitude—apparently there is no right way to conduct myself.
Furthermore, I don’t think it is logical to assume that someone can not handle the responsibilities of being a junior editor at a fashion magazine because of their age. This isn’t rocket science. I’m not performing brain surgery. I’m certain that being 19 or 28 doesn’t determine how well one can do that job. It is simply a matter of taste and the understanding of aesthetics. If they were attacking my taste rather than age…that is one thing…but attacking my age was entirely pointless.
SO!: Do You Still Talk To People From the Stylista Cast? If So Who and Why?
D: I speak to quite a few cast members…quite often. Johanna would probably be the person I speak to the most. Since I’m in Italy…she keeps me up to date on everything going on with the show. I really admire her for many different reasons and I think she is a wonderful person whom I can see myself being friends with for a long, long time. The beginning of the show was a bit rough, but I ended up leaving with a few great friends. The experience was so bazaar that it is very difficult to even try to explain to anyone else afterwards…therefore the cast members and I have a bond that is something only we can understand. In a weird way we were each others family on the show. Dyshaun made extra strong coffee for me most mornings and William straightened the back of my hair every morning…and Johanna was always there to help me complete my outfit when I needed something. We were like this big, bitchy, dysfunctional family…and I loved every minute of it.